Comparison of gefitinib and erlotinib efficacies as third-line therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
Journal
European Journal of Cancer
Journal Volume
49
Journal Issue
1
Pages
106-114
Date Issued
2013
Author(s)
Abstract
Purpose: The epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, gefitinib and erlotinib, are used as standard salvage therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of the present study was to compare their efficacies in this population. Patients and methods: The Taiwan Cancer Registry and the National Health Insurance claim databases were searched for newly diagnosed patients with NSCLC from 2004 to 2007 who received gefitinib or erlotinib as third-line therapy. Overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) were determined from registered parameters. Treatment efficacies were compared by the log-rank test in total population and subsets with different clinical characteristics. The Cox's proportion hazard model was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios in multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 984 patients who received gefitinib (67%) or erlotinib (33%) were included. Patients receiving gefitinib or erlotinib had similar OS (median, 10.2 versus 9.9 months, p = 0.524) and TTF (median, 5.5 versus 3.4 months, p = 0.103). In multivariate analyses, both treatment groups had similar risk of overall mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.04, p = 0.629) and treatment failure (adjusted HR = 0.94, p = 0.417). Comparing the treatments in subgroups based on age, tumour histology and gender also revealed no differences in OS and TTF. For patients who received gefitinib or erlotinib for more than 3 or 6 months, there was no difference in TTF but patients who received erlotinib had longer OS. Conclusions: Gefitinib and erlotinib had similar efficacies as salvage therapy for advanced NSCLC in Taiwan. ? 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
SDGs
Other Subjects
erlotinib; gefitinib; pemetrexed; adult; advanced cancer; aged; article; cancer chemotherapy; cancer mortality; cancer survival; clinical feature; cohort analysis; comparative effectiveness; drug efficacy; drug treatment failure; female; human; human tissue; lung adenocarcinoma; lung non small cell cancer; major clinical study; male; outcome assessment; overall survival; priority journal; retrospective study; salvage therapy; sex difference; Taiwan; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Agents; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Disease-Free Survival; Female; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Proportional Hazards Models; Quinazolines; Salvage Therapy
Type
journal article