Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with
epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations is highly sensitive to EGFR-
tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI). However, few cases of advanced NSCLC completely cured by EGFR-TKIs have been reported. We present an extremely rare case of
lung adenocarcinoma that was completely cured by
gefitinib administration. A 36-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with clinical Stage IIIB (T2N3M0)
lung adenocarcinoma originating from the left upper lobe in April 2006. After the two cycles of
chemotherapy, it was down-staged to ycStage IA (T1N0M0). She underwent a
thoracotomy with left upper lobectomy, pulmonary angioplasty, and mediastinal nodal dissection in July 2006 [ypStage IIIA (T3N1M0)]. Eighteen months later, she was found to have
lymphadenopathy of the right supraclavicular nodes. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the lymph node indicated
adenocarcinoma. She started
gefitinib therapy for recurrent
lung cancer with EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletion) in January 2008. Four months afterward, computed tomography (CT) showed her right supraclavicular nodes had shrunk dramatically. Treatment with
gefitinib was continued. Thereafter, no
disease progression was observed throughout her approximately 8-year
gefitinib treatment, and
gefitinib was terminated in November 2016. Although the patient received no other treatment, she has suffered no recurrence in the 4 years since. A review of the literature, including our case, is also presented.