Long response to afatinib in EGFR-mutated lung cancer
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Adenocarcinoma
- Biomarkers
- EGFR L861Q mutation; EGFR G719X mutation
- Sex
- Male
- Spread to
- multiple bilateral ribs
- Treatment
- targeted therapy
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- Started afatinib 80 mg orally each day.
- CT after 1 month showed shrinkage of the lung tumor and mediastinal lymph nodes.
- Continued afatinib, with grade II skin toxicity as the main reported adverse effect.
What happened, in summary
A 65-year-old man with a 30-pack-year smoking history developed right-sided chest pain and fatigue. CT showed a tumor in the left lung with enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes, and he also had enlarged right cervical lymph nodes. Biopsy of a cervical node confirmed lung adenocarcinoma.
Genetic testing found 2 uncommon EGFR mutations, L861Q and G719X. Further imaging showed multiple metastases in the ribs on both sides. His disease was Stage IV.
He started afatinib at 80 mg by mouth each day. One month later, CT showed shrinkage of the primary lung tumor and the enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. The main reported adverse effect was grade II skin toxicity, with no severe toxicity described.
The response proved unusually durable for this rare mutation combination. CT scans performed 30 months after treatment began showed no recurrence, and he remained well 32 months after starting afatinib. The response remained durable despite the uncommon EGFR mutation combination.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by PMC / PubMed Central. Read the original in full
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Collections this story belongs to
- Stage 4 Lung Cancer 384 stories
- Stage 4 EGFR Mutation Lung Cancer 74 stories
- EGFR Mutation Lung Cancer 112 stories
- Afatinib for Lung Cancer 37 stories
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer