Secondary Mutations of the EGFR Gene That Confer Resistance to Mobocertinib in EGFR Exon 20 Insertion

Approximately 10% of mutations in the EGFR gene in NSCLC are in-frame insertions in exon 20 (X20ins). These tumors usually do not respond to conventional EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Several novel EGFR TKIs active for X20ins are in clinical development, including mobocertinib, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, acquired resistance during treatment with these TKIs still occurs as in the case of EGFR TKIs of earlier generations.

We chronically exposed murine pro-B-cell line cells transduced with the five most common X20ins (A763_Y764insFQEA, V769_D770insASV, D770_N771insSVD, H773_V774insNPH and H773_V774insH) to mobocertinib in the presence of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea and searched for secondary EGFR mutations. We evaluated the efficacies of several EGFR X20ins inhibitors, including zipalertinib and sunvozertinib, against cells with acquired resistant mutations.

All secondary mutations resulting in acquired resistance to mobocertinib were exclusively C797S in insFQEA and insSVD. However, in the case of other X20ins (insASV, insNPH, and insH), T790M or C797S secondary mutations contributed to acquired resistance to mobocertinib. The emergence of T790M was more frequent in cells treated with lower drug concentrations. Sunvozertinib exhibited good activity against resistant cells with T790M. Cells with C797S were refractory to all EGFR TKIs, except for erlotinib, which was active for insFQEA with C797S.

T790M or C797S, depending on the original X20ins mutations, conferred acquired resistance to mobocertinib. Sunvozertinib may be the treatment of choice for patients with tumors resistant to mobocertinib because of T790M.