[A reduced TKI dosage is not associated with loss of activity in EGFR mutated NSCLC patients]

Patients treated with anti-EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) may receive dose reduction due to toxicity; however, the impact on treatment efficacy and patient outcome remains unknown.

Patients with stage IV NSCLC harbouring EGFR mutations and treated at our institution were retrospectively analyzed for treatment with TKI in 2012 or later.

Thirty patients with EGFR mutated adenocarcinoma were identified meeting the inclusion criteria. Eleven patients received cytotoxic therapy as first line treatment yielding in a response rate of 36 %. All patients were treated with TKI as first or second-line therapy which resulted in disease stabilization (23 %) or response (77 %) in all patients. The median progression-free survival was 21.4 months with 21 patients still on treatment with TKI. For 7 patients, the dose of TKI treatment had to be reduced due to co-morbidities (n = 2) or skin toxicity (rash ≥ grade 3; n = 5). These patients demonstrated a similar response and outcome as compared to patients receiving full dose TKI treatment.

Patients with EGFR mutated NSCLC and the need for TKI dose reduction seem to benefit in a similar manner from TKI therapy.