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Novel EGFR Inhibitors in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Current Status of Afatinib

  • Evolving Therapies (R Bukowski, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Afatinib, a second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved worldwide as a first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that harbors activating EGFR mutations. Here, we have reviewed the recent clinical developments in the treatment of lung cancer using afatinib. Emerging data have revealed the overall survival benefit of first-line afatinib therapy in patients with advanced EGFR del19-positive NSCLC. Phase III studies of afatinib have shown the effectiveness of afatinib as a second-line treatment for advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma, as well as the benefit of continuing afatinib therapy in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC after the occurrence of disease progression in patients who are receiving afatinib monotherapy. Therapeutic benefits of afatinib have also been reported in studies of patients with central nervous system metastasis and patients with HER2 mutation. The utility of afatinib-based combination therapies is being investigated in ongoing research.

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Acknowledgements

The authors also thank Editage (editage.com) for English language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan

    Bin-Chi Liao, Chia-Chi Lin & James Chih-Hsin Yang

  2. National Taiwan University Cancer Center, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Bin-Chi Liao & James Chih-Hsin Yang

  3. Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Bin-Chi Liao & James Chih-Hsin Yang

  4. Department of Urology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chia-Chi Lin

  5. Graduate Institute of Oncology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    James Chih-Hsin Yang

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  1. Bin-Chi Liao
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Correspondence to James Chih-Hsin Yang.

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Bin-Chi Liao declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Chia-Chi Lin declares that he has no conflict of interest.

James Chih-Hsin Yang is a consultant and has received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Roche/Genentech, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Merck Serono, Novartis, Pfizer, Clovis Oncology, Eli Lilly, Bayer, Celgene, Astellas, Innopharmax, Ono Pharmaceutical, and Chugai Pharmaceutical.

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Liao, BC., Lin, CC. & Yang, J.CH. Novel EGFR Inhibitors in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Current Status of Afatinib. Curr Oncol Rep 19, 4 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-017-0560-2

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