Abstract
Erlotinib has been shown to prolong progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We report here on effectiveness data on the subsample of 261 patients from 40 centres in Belgium involved in the TRUST study. Median age was 63 years. Most (69.0%) were male and current/former smokers (84.7%); with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0 or 1 (74.3%), stage IV disease (75.1%) and adenocarcinoma by histology (54.0%). Erlotinib was administered mainly as second- (47.1%) or third-line treatment (48.3%). Response rate was 6.5%; disease control rate 58.3%. Median PFS was 2.2 months. Better PS (P = 0.0384), stage IIIB disease (P = 0.0018) and presence of rash (P < 0.0001) were associated with longer PFS. OS rates at 1, 2 and 3 years were 26.4%, 10.9% and 6.4% respectively. Median OS was 5.9 months. Female gender (P = 0.007), better PS (P < 0.0001), stage IIIB disease (P = 0.0355) and presence of rash (P < 0.0001) were associated with longer OS. The findings confirm the therapeutic benefit of erlotinib in a broad range of patients in a sample from a country with a historically high lung cancer morbidity and mortality burden. Several determinants of PFS and OS are identified.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
