In a nutshell
This study wanted to find out if using the medication erlotinib (Tarceva) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer improved survival. The study found that using erlotinib was safe, and may reduce the need for radical surgery in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Some background
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is found on some types of cell. It is involved in receiving signals from the body to tell the cell to grow. It is sometimes found in high numbers on some types of cancer cells. It is possible to use this receptor to target those cancer cells and stop them from growing. One type of medication which targets EGFR is called erlotinib. One type of cancer which commonly has EGFR in high numbers is non-small cell lung cancers. Targeting EGFR in these kinds of cancer has been shown to work better than chemotherapy. Sometimes, depending on how the cancer has grown, the surgeon may have to cut out more pieces around the tumor. This can include pieces of the organs next to where the cancer is, or blood vessels in the area. This is called radical surgery. It is not known if using erlotinib before surgery will reduce the need for more radical removal of tissue.
Methods & findings
This study consisted of 19 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. All of these patients were treated with erlotinib for 56 days. Of these, 14 patients underwent surgery.
13 of the 14 patients who underwent surgery had to have radical removal of nearby tissue. Of the 19 patients treated with erlotinib, 17 achieved disease control. On average, patients survived for 10.3 months without disease. Overall survival in the patients treated with erlotinib was 51.6 months.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that treatment with erlotinib was beneficial to the survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, and it may have an effect on the need for radical surgery.
The fine print
This study is very small, and is only in early stages. More studies should be performed to see if these results are accurate.
What’s next?
Speak to your oncologist about what kind of treatment is right for you.
Published By :
The Oncologist
Date :
Aug 29, 2018
