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Complete Tumor Response with Afatinib 20 mg Daily in EGFR-Mutated Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report

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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.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Sarah Greig, PhD, of Springer Healthcare Communications who prepared the first draft and provided formatting of the manuscript prior to submission. This medical writing assistance was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Oncology Unit, Sant’Andrea Hospital of Rome, Via di Grottarossa 1035-39, 00189, Rome, Italy

    Raffaele Giusti, Marco Mazzotta, Daniela Iacono, Salvatore Lauro & Paolo Marchetti

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  1. Raffaele Giusti
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  2. Marco Mazzotta
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  3. Daniela Iacono
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  4. Salvatore Lauro
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  5. Paolo Marchetti
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Correspondence to Raffaele Giusti.

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The authors have no sources of funding to disclose.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Ethical approval

All procedures were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration (and its amendments). No approval by ethical committee or institutional review board was required.

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Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of her case.

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Giusti, R., Mazzotta, M., Iacono, D. et al. Complete Tumor Response with Afatinib 20 mg Daily in EGFR-Mutated Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report. Clin Drug Investig 37, 581–585 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40261-017-0515-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40261-017-0515-2

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