Erlotinib Dosing to Rash in Lung Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Mita A C, Papadopoulos K, de Jonge M J A, Schwartz G, Verweij J, Mita M M, Ricart A, Chu Q S-C, Tolcher A W, Wood L, McCarthy S, Hamilton M, Iwata K, Wacker B, Witt K, Rowinsky E K
Primary Institution: Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, University of Texas Health Science Center
Hypothesis
Can increasing the dose of erlotinib to the level associated with maximal skin toxicity improve anticancer activity in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer?
Conclusion
Increasing the dose of erlotinib does not significantly enhance its anticancer activity in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Supporting Evidence
- Erlotinib dose escalation was feasible in 90% of patients.
- 57% of patients developed a target rash.
- 12% of patients had a partial response.
- Median progression-free survival was 2.3 months.
- Patients who developed a target rash had a median PFS of 3.5 months.
Takeaway
This study looked at whether giving a higher dose of a cancer drug called erlotinib, until patients developed a skin rash, would help fight lung cancer better. It found that this approach didn't really make a difference.
Methodology
Patients started with 150 mg of erlotinib daily, with doses increased based on the development of a target rash.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the small sample size and lack of randomization.
Limitations
The study was not designed to demonstrate statistically significant increases in antitumor activity compared to previous studies.
Participant Demographics
{"age":{"median":63,"range":"41-78"},"gender":{"male":14,"female":28},"race":{"caucasian":34,"hispanic":5,"african_american":2,"asian":1},"smoking_status":{"never_smokers":2,"former_smokers":35,"current_smokers":5}}
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.051
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 1.61–4.14
Statistical Significance
p=0.051
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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