Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
Establishing Dual Resistance to EGFR-TKI and MET-TKI in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells In Vitro with a 2-step Dose-escalation Procedure
Published on: August 11, 2017
Erlotinib in wild type epidermal growth factor receptor non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review
Abdul-Rahman Jazieh1, Reem Al Sudairy, Nada Abu-Shraie
1Department of Oncology, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Background:
Targeting epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) is an innovative approach to managing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) which harbors EGFR mutation. However, the efficacy of these agents like erlotinib in patients without the mutation is not known.
Methods:
This systematic review included Phase III randomized clinical trials that compared single agent erlotinib to other management options in the setting of NSCLC with reported outcome data on patients with EGFR wild type (EGFRWT) tumors. Outcome data include overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS) and response rate (RR). Random effects meta-analysis was used to pool outcomes across studies.
Results:
Three studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies included a total of 2044 patients with outcome data on 674 patients with EGFRWT tumors (33%). Meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement in OS with erlotinib (hazard ratio of 0.780; 95% confidence interval: 0.654-0.930, P = 0.006). Data were not available to perform PFS or RR analysis. The quality of this evidence is considered to be moderate to high.
Conclusion:
Our study revealed a significant benefit of erlotinib in patient with EGFRWT tumors compared with other approaches. These findings add another therapeutic option to patients generally considered difficult to treat.
Insights
Erlotinib shows a significant survival benefit for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with wild-type epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRWT). This finding offers a new treatment option for this challenging patient group.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Targeting epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) is a key strategy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- The effectiveness of EGFR inhibitors like erlotinib in patients without EGFR mutations (EGFR wild-type, EGFRWT) remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the efficacy of single-agent erlotinib in NSCLC patients with EGFRWT tumors.
- To evaluate overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and response rate (RR) in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of Phase III randomized clinical trials comparing erlotinib to other treatments.
- Inclusion of trials with outcome data specifically for EGFRWT NSCLC patients.
- Random effects meta-analysis to pool data from included studies.
Main Results:
- Three trials with 2044 total patients were included; 674 (33%) had EGFRWT tumors.
- Meta-analysis demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in OS with erlotinib (HR 0.780, P=0.006).
- Data for PFS and RR analysis were not available; evidence quality is moderate to high.
Conclusions:
- Erlotinib provides a significant survival benefit for NSCLC patients with EGFRWT tumors.
- These results introduce a valuable therapeutic option for a patient group often considered difficult to treat.
More Related Videos
09:38Establishment and Characterization of Three Afatinib-resistant Lung Adenocarcinoma PC-9 Cell Lines Developed with Increasing Doses of Afatinib
Published on: June 26, 2019
13:34A Combined 3D Tissue Engineered In Vitro/In Silico Lung Tumor Model for Predicting Drug Effectiveness in Specific Mutational Backgrounds
Published on: April 6, 2016