Complete Tumor Response with Afatinib 20 mg Daily in EGFR-Mutated Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report
Raffaele Giusti1, Marco Mazzotta2, Daniela Iacono2
1Medical Oncology Unit, Sant'Andrea Hospital of Rome, Via di Grottarossa 1035-39, 00189, Rome, Italy. raffaelegiusti@yahoo.it.
Abstract:
Afatinib, a second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is efficacious as first-line treatment in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Dosage reduction is recommended in patients with intolerable adverse events; however, data regarding the efficacy of low-dose afatinib are limited. We report the case of a 71-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC and started treatment with oral afatinib 40 mg daily. The patient achieved partial tumor response on computed tomography imaging, but developed unacceptable skin-related toxicities requiring dosage reduction to 20 mg daily. The patient subsequently achieved complete tumor response and showed improvements in performance status. These observations suggest that low-dose afatinib is effective in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC who require dosage reduction for intolerable adverse events.
Insights
Low-dose afatinib (20 mg daily) effectively treated advanced EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a patient experiencing severe skin toxicities. This suggests low-dose afatinib is a viable option for NSCLC patients needing dose reduction.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Afatinib is a second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Dosage reduction of afatinib is often necessary due to adverse events, but efficacy data for lower doses are limited.
More Related Videos
09:38Establishing 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
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
Related Concept Videos
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Calcium Channel Blockers
TKIs, such as imatinib (Gleevec), are particularly effective in tackling the growth and mitogenic factors that become upregulated in PAH patients. These factors contribute to the...
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Endothelin Receptor Antagonists
ETs are synthesized through a complex sequence of enzymatic steps, primarily involving an enzyme referred to as endothelin-converting enzyme...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
