[Progressive patterns of gifitinib treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer after obtained resistance]

Clinical observation was conducted on the resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) gefitinib (Iressa) therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Ninety-three NSCLC patients in our hospital, showing effective or stable condition after 6-month previous gefitinib therapy, were included in this investigation. Among the patients, 94.6% of them were suffering from adenocarcinoma. The percentage of female is 79.6%; the percentage of non-smoking is 80.6%. During the therapy period, follow-up was preformed every 2 months.

Among the 93 patients, median therapy time was 16 months (range: 8 to 70 months), and 21.5% (20/93) of them had received therapy for more than 2 years, while 8.6% (8/93) had received that for more than 3 years. The progression included 80% (72/90) for intrapleural progression, 38.9% (35/90) for primary tumor plus recurrence after sugary especially, 51.1% (46/90) for intrapulmonary metastasis, 25.6% (23/90) for pleural metastasis, 30% (30/90) for intracranial progression and 15.6% (14/90) for intraperitoneal progression.

Resistance to EGFR-TKI shows diversification in clinical observation, therefore, close clinical follow-up is necessary for early attention and timely treatment.