EURTAC first-line phase III randomized study in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Erlotinib works also in European population

Activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations represent the first target for which specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are clinically available for the personalized treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Until few months ago, three randomized phase III studies investigated the role of two EGFR-TKIs inhibitors, gefitinib (1-3) and erlotinib (4), as first-line treatment compared with standard platinum-based chemotherapy, in patients affected by advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR activating mutations. In all these trials the main endpoint was reached with EGFR-TKIs reporting a significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall response rate (ORR).