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Role of erlotinib in first-line and maintenance treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

ABSTRACT: Erlotinib hydrochloride (Tarceva(®)) is a member of a class of small molecule inhibitors that targets the tyrosine kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), with anti-tumor activity in preclinical models. Erlotinib represents a new-generation of agents known as "targeted therapies" designed to act upon cancer cells by interfering with aberrant specific activated pathways needed for tumor growth, angiogenesis and cell survival. Since its approval in November 2004 for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after the failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen and with a view to improving patients' outcomes and prevent symptoms, the scientific community has evaluated the potential role of erlotinib in other scenarios such as in maintenance therapy and, in first-line setting for a selected population based on biological markers of response such as mutations of the EGFR. The convenient once-a-day pill administration and the good toxicity profile of erlotinib make it a reasonable candidate for testing in this context. This report provides a review of the role of erlotinib therapy in advanced NSCLC. It summarizes current data and perspectives of erlotinib in upfront treatment and maintenance for advanced NSCLC as well as looking at candidate biomarkers of response to these new targeted-agents.

SUBMITTER: Reguart N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3004579 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Role of erlotinib in first-line and maintenance treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Reguart Noemí N Cardona Andrés Felipe AF Rosell Rafael R

Cancer management and research 20100601

Erlotinib hydrochloride (Tarceva(®)) is a member of a class of small molecule inhibitors that targets the tyrosine kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), with anti-tumor activity in preclinical models. Erlotinib represents a new-generation of agents known as "targeted therapies" designed to act upon cancer cells by interfering with aberrant specific activated pathways needed for tumor growth, angiogenesis and cell survival. Since its approval in November 2004 for the treat ...[more]

PMID: 21188105

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Project description:Simple Summary The treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after the age of 65 raises age-related problems as the elderly are often affected by other diseases, not infrequently chronic, take drugs that may interfere with anti-cancer treatment and are sometimes unable to fully understand relevant information. Moreover, they do not represent the ideal patient for enrolment in clinical trials, even with immunotherapy, which is now the choice therapy for the first-line treatment of NSCLC. With a view to offering more time to patients with metastatic NSCLC, the issues of quality of life and appropriateness of oncological care in the elderly are of primary importance. This review stresses the need to find a common approach to lung cancer management in a steadily aging society and describes the main currently available data on the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in older patients with advanced NSCLC, confirming the necessity for reliable biomarkers that predict immune response to assess which patients benefit from which type of immunotherapy. Abstract Immune checkpoint inhibitors have changed the history of NSCLC treatment by becoming, alone or in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy, a mainstay of first-line therapy for advanced NSCLC. This increasingly dictates the identification of predictive biomarkers of response that can guide patient selection, in order to rationalize and personalize therapies, particularly in elderly patients. Immunotherapy in these patients raises questions of efficacy and tolerability related to aging, which is accompanied by a progressive decline in various body functions. Physical, biological and psychological changes contribute to individual validity status and, preferably, ‘fit’ patients are generally enrolled in clinical trials. In elderly patients, especially frail and complex patients with more than one chronic disease, data are poor and specific prospective studies are needed. This review reports the main available results on the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in older patients with advanced NSCLC, in terms of efficacy and toxicity, and aims to highlight the need to better predict which patients might benefit from immunotherapy agents by probing knowledge and integrating information on immune system changes and age-related physiopathological modifications.

Dataset Information

Role of erlotinib in first-line and maintenance treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Publications

Role of erlotinib in first-line and maintenance treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

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