Real Clinical Practice of Using Afatinib Therapy in NSCLC Patients with an Acquired EGFR T790M Mutation

Background/Aim: To describe real clinical outcomes when using afatinib therapy to treat non-small cell lung cancer patients who have an acquired EGFR T790M mutation. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted from January 2013 to November 2017 sourced from 15 medical institutes that cover a population of three million people. Results: There were 74 patients who met the above-mentioned criteria. Treatment outcomes with afatinib, in patients with or without tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy prior to afatinib, were similar to previously reported clinical trials. Stratification of patients by the presence or absence of TKI pretreatment before afatinib, and the presence or absence of an acquired T790M mutation found no statistical difference in overall survival. Conclusion: This population-based study found that the disadvantages of pretreatment before afatinib, and absence of an acquired T790M EGFR mutation, could be overcome by an appropriate treatment strategy in clinical practice.