Fox Chase new finding: Erlotinib and Cetuximab in Treating Lung Cancer Patients.

Chase Cancer researchers reported at the annual meeting of the international association for the study of lung cancer treatment, recently discovered breaking news. Non small cell lung cancer patients who have progressed on a cetuximab-containing regimen may respond to erlotinib (Tarceva).

 Erlotinib (Tarceva) and cetuximab (Erbitux) playing role as stop the growth of tumor cells by block some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. As both inhibit the  epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as well. According to the scientists, once a patient progresses on one EGFR inhibitor they will not respond to another EGFR inhibitor

"Just because a patient received and progressed on one EGFR inhibitor doesn't necessarily mean they will not derive clinical benefit from another one," says Hossein Borghaei, D.O., medical oncologist at Fox Chase. "And for patients who don't have a lot of treatment options, we think this is a good thing. It gives them one more drug to try when their disease is progressing."

Scientist found out that patients whose disease is no longer treated effectively by cetuximab can respond to erlotinib. Borghaei and his team conducted a research the lung cancer treatmentand get the outcome for the choose group of patients who had participated in a Fox Chase clinical trial that tested a mixed medicine of cetuximab, carboplatin and paclitax, 53 patients who had participated and 15 patients who received erlotinib, and 3 patients remain receive on erlotinib. Those 12 patients who are no receive on erlotinib the median duration of erlotinib therapy was 63 days, with a range from 36 to 222 days. The three patients remaining on therapy have been on the drug for 41, 238, and 459 days. The median progression-free survival time on erlotinib was 2.5 months for all 15 patients.

 According Borghaei, the data come from a subset analysis and it just a hypothesis.

According to Frank C. Victor  those receiving cetuximab, 14 out of 17 patients were noted to have a pustular erythematous, papular, follicular ,and eruption in which no cysts were seen. The most common areas of involvement were in a seborrheic distribution on the face (eg, forehead, nose, nasolabial folds, cheeks, chin, and perioral area).

 Based on the author. Erlotinib is approved for used treat with non small lung cancer and cetuximab has been as a drug in sequence. The tumor characteristics that predict clinical benefit from erlotinib after progression on a cetuximab-containing regimen is yet to be elucidated. Dr Borghaei, he would like to conduct a research in future studies.

Source: Adapted from materials provided by Fox Chase Cancer Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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