EGFR-mutated advanced lung cancer. Data from a single institution, the Hospital of Leon, in Spain

10-16% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases have the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) amplified and/or mutated. Studies show that EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) significantly prolong progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced NSCLC compared to those treated with platinum-based chemotherapy (CT) doublets. Our aim is to perform a real-world survival analysis of patients treated with TKI as first-line therapy at the Hospital of Leon (CAULE) in Spain. The impact on global survival rates and responses to clinical and histopathological factors were also analyzed.

We retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with EGFR-mutated NSCLC who received treatment with EGFR-TKI in the Department of Oncology at the University of Leon Health Center complex between March 2011 and June 2018. Data was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models to show overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and the associated variables.

53 patients were included in the study, 50% (n = 27) were treated with gefitinib, 32% (n = 18) with erlotinib and 10% (n = 6) with afatinib. The median OS and PFS were 27.7 months (95% CI: 21-33.8 months) and 18 months (95% CI 14.25-21.89 months), respectively. The variables associated with OS and with PFS were exon19 deletion as a protective factor and presence of extrathoracic metastasis as a risk factor. The most frequent adverse effects were rash, diarrhea, asthenia, and conjunctivitis.

Real-world analysis of this data confirms that treatment with TKI is beneficial for patients diagnosed with EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Our OS outcomes were similar to those reported in clinical trials.