Safe and successful treatment with afatinib in three postoperative non-small cell lung cancer patients with recurrences following gefitinib/erlotinib-induced hepatotoxicity

J Med Invest. 2016;63(1-2):149-51. doi: 10.2152/jmi.63.149.

Abstract

Background: Gefitinib and/or erlotinib-induced hepatotoxicity sometimes lead to treatment failure in EGFR mutation-positive patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), even though the therapeutic effect is evident.

Cases: Here, we report three postoperative NSCLC patients with recurrences who experienced severe hepatotoxicity while receiving gefitinib and/or erlotinib treatment but could be safely switched to afatinib treatment.

Conclusion: Afatinib could be a well-tolerated EGFR-TKI that could be chosen for its relatively low hepatotoxicity, which is attributable to its having a different metabolic mechanism compared to other EGFR-TKIs.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Adenocarcinoma / drug therapy
  • Adenocarcinoma / genetics
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung
  • Afatinib
  • Aged
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / genetics
  • Erlotinib Hydrochloride / adverse effects
  • Female
  • Gefitinib
  • Genes, erbB-1
  • Humans
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / genetics
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Quinazolines / adverse effects
  • Quinazolines / therapeutic use*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Quinazolines
  • Afatinib
  • Erlotinib Hydrochloride
  • Gefitinib