METHODS: RESULTS: Four patients achieved complete remission of the disease, and 7 showed partial response. Five subjects experienced
disease progression, and one patient showed stable disease. The most significant cases were two non-smokers women with bronchioloalveolar
cancer, who remain
in complete remission after
erlotinib treatment. A non-smoker male patient with
adenocarcinoma histology, who rejected
chemotherapy and
radiotherapy, it remains
in complete remission after 15 months of treatment. A man with
epidermoid carcinoma, with previous surgery and treated with
chemotherapy and
radiotherapy, with
tumor recurrence, showed a complete 15-month remission with
erlotinib. It was observed clinical response due to treatment with
erlotinib despite the
tumor histopathology, but therapeutic response was better in patients without smoking history. The most common adverse events associated with
erlotinib therapy were dermatologic. After discontinuing treatment for a short period, patients were again given
erlotinib without experiencing toxic effects. Hepatotoxic side effects associated to
erlotinib were mild and reversible.
CONCLUSION: Data from this small series of patients support findings reported in the literature. Female non-smokers showed the best therapeutic response to
erlotinib treatment.
Erlotinib could be considered as a first-line therapeutic option in elderly patients with locally advanced or metastatic
lung cancer, or in women with
adenocarcinoma.