Afatinib: A Review in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Gillian M Keating1

  • 1Springer, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, 0754, Auckland, New Zealand. demail@springer.com.

Targeted Oncology
|November 23, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Afatinib improves progression-free survival in advanced lung cancer patients with EGFR mutations. It also shows benefits in second-line squamous non-small cell lung cancer, offering a valuable treatment option.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Afatinib is an irreversible ErbB family tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
  • Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are key drivers in lung adenocarcinoma.
  • Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a significant global health challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate afatinib's efficacy and safety in advanced NSCLC.
  • To compare afatinib with gefitinib, chemotherapy, and erlotinib in different NSCLC settings.
  • To assess afatinib's impact on progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and time to treatment failure (TTF).

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from LUX-Lung 3, 6, 7, and 8 clinical trials.
  • Comparison of afatinib versus gefitinib in first-line advanced EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma.
  • Evaluation of afatinib versus chemotherapy (pemetrexed/cisplatin or gemcitabine/cisplatin) in first-line advanced EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma.
  • Assessment of afatinib versus erlotinib in second-line advanced squamous NSCLC.

Main Results:

  • Afatinib significantly prolonged PFS and TTF versus gefitinib in first-line EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma (LUX-Lung 7).
  • Afatinib significantly prolonged PFS versus chemotherapy in first-line EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma (LUX-Lung 3 & 6), with improved OS in exon 19 deletion subgroup.
  • Afatinib significantly prolonged PFS and OS versus erlotinib in second-line squamous NSCLC (LUX-Lung 8).

Conclusions:

  • Afatinib is a crucial option for first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC with activating EGFR mutations.
  • Afatinib offers an additional treatment choice for advanced squamous NSCLC progressing after chemotherapy.
  • Afatinib demonstrates a manageable tolerability profile in advanced NSCLC patients.

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