Safety of gefitinib in non-small cell lung cancer treatment

The development of EGFR TKI and the subsequent identification of activating EGFR mutations have dramatically changed how NSCLC is treated. With its recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration, gefitinib adds to the list of recommended first-line treatments for lung cancer harboring EGFR mutations, which hitherto includes erlotinib and afatinib.

This review summarizes the pharmacological property, clinical efficacy, and safety of gefitinib in major clinical trials and post-marketing studies.

Gefitinib is a well-tolerated treatment for advanced NSCLC. The most common adverse events are skin reaction and diarrhea, both of which are generally mild, noncumulative, and manageable. Other side effects such as interstitial lung disease and liver toxicity are less common but can be serious. Which EGFR TKI is the preferred first-line treatment is a matter of debate. Gefitinib and erlotinib have comparable efficacy, whereas afatinib may exert superior clinical activity over gefitinib. In terms of the most common toxicities of skin reaction and diarrhea, gefitinib may be the most tolerable of the three. Hence, despite being the earliest EGFR TKI developed, gefitinib continues to be one of the first-line treatments for advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC, especially when skin and gastrointestinal toxicity is a concern.