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James Yang
Professor, Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
There are 2 EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, namely Gefitinib or Erlotinib, they are so called reversible EGFR inhibitors. The novel compound that we are going to discuss today called Afatinib, an irreversible EGFR inhibitor, in that when the compound binds to the receptor it will not come off until the cancer cell dies. Potentially it is a more potent inhibitor to the cancer cells.
There are many types of EGFR mutations - the most common types are Deletion 19 and LA5AR point mutations. These 2 mutations constitute 85-90% of all the mutations. With EGFR inhibitors such as Gefitinib or Erlotinib, it seems that the drugs were more effective in patients with Deletion 19 type of mutation.
Because of this observation, this trial (LUX-Lung)was taken into phase 3 evaluation. The drug will be tested against the conventional combination chemotherapy permanent Plaxis platinum in a large randomised phase 3 study. The patients must have EGFR mutation tested before they are called into the study. The study is ongoing and hopefully in the future we can give you the results.
Source for healthcare professionals: www.inoncology.com
* Nintedanib (BIBF 1120), afatinib (BIBW 2992) and volasertib (BI 6727) are investigational compounds. Their safety and efficacy have not yet been fully established.
