Erlotinib in treatment of NSCLC focusing on patients without EGFR mutation and on combination of erlotinib with bevacizumab
Abstract
Erlotinib was tested in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) in clinical trials in both the first and upper treatment lines as well as in maintenance treatment. While patients with sensitive EGFR mutations benefit from erlotinib treatment according to several clinical trials, the patients without these mutations have evinced more questionable and more complicated effect of erlotinib.
While the original work and investigation performed on non-selected groups of patients demonstrated its effect in adjuvant therapy and second line therapy, newer clinical trials contradict these effects. However, it seems that after all treatment options erlotinib might become helpful for some patients, despite of the absence of EGFR mutation.
It might have a benefit both in quality of life and in survival. New hopes in EGFR positive patients have raised for the combination of. erlotinib with bevacizumab.
It is supposed that their effect is potentiated and this combination significantly prolongates the time to progression of the disease.