Toxicity profile of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutation-positive lung cancer.

Recent progress in the research on the molecular biology of lung cancer revealed that the clinical response to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is associated with the presence of activating EGFR mutations. Three EGFR-TKIs, namely afatinib, erlotinib and gefitinib, are currently available for the treatment of patients with EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Due to the dearth of published phase III trials prospectively evaluating the effects of one EGFR-TKI in comparison with another in such patients, the decision-making regarding which agent to recommend to any given patient lies with the treating physician. Given the potential long-term exposure of such patients to EGFR-TKIs, the toxicological properties of these drugs in such patients may differ from those observed in unselected patients. The aim of the present study was to provide an overview of the key adverse events (rash, diarrhea, hepatotoxicity and interstitial lung disease) reported for EGFR-TKIs in clinical trials including patients with advanced NSCLC.