Vol 12, No 1 (2016)
Review paper
Published online: 2016-05-02
Afatinib — current applications and perspectives
Oncol Clin Pract 2016;12(1):12-17.
Abstract
The use of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors resulted in significantly improved quality of life and survival prolongation in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harbouring activating EGFR mutations. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors — compared with chemotherapy — produce less treatment-related adverse effects. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors may have either reversible or irreversible activity, which may be important for their use in clinical practice. This paper presents current knowledge and potential use of afatinib in non-small cell lung cancer patients.
Keywords: non-small-cell lung cancerepidermal growth factor receptorirreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitorafatinib
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