BACKGROUND: Patients harboring sensitive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations show a dramatic response to treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, there have been no clinical reports in lung cancer patients that compare the time-to-response between radiotherapy and EGFR-TKIs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 17 and 32 consecutive patients with inoperable stage III/IV NSCLC who harbored sensitive EGFR mutations and who were treated with thoracic radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and EGFR-TKIs, respectively. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in time-to-partial response (PR) with regard to the treatment modalities (radiotherapy vs. EGFR-TKIs, median 57 days vs. 22 days, log-rank test, p=0.008). CONCLUSION: EGFR-TKIs elicit tumor shrinkage earlier than does radiotherapy in patients with a sensitive EGFR mutation, suggesting that EGFR-TKIs may be useful for early symptom improvement in these patients.
BACKGROUND:Patients harboring sensitive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations show a dramatic response to treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, there have been no clinical reports in lung cancerpatients that compare the time-to-response between radiotherapy and EGFR-TKIs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 17 and 32 consecutive patients with inoperable stage III/IV NSCLC who harbored sensitive EGFR mutations and who were treated with thoracic radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and EGFR-TKIs, respectively. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in time-to-partial response (PR) with regard to the treatment modalities (radiotherapy vs. EGFR-TKIs, median 57 days vs. 22 days, log-rank test, p=0.008). CONCLUSION:EGFR-TKIs elicit tumor shrinkage earlier than does radiotherapy in patients with a sensitive EGFR mutation, suggesting that EGFR-TKIs may be useful for early symptom improvement in these patients.