Combination therapy lengthened median survival by about 2 weeks.
Human epidermal growth-factor receptor type 1 (HER1/EGFR) is overexpressed in many pancreatic tumors and is associated with poor prognosis and accelerated disease progression. Researchers conducted an international randomized study of 569 patients to determine whether adding erlotinib (Tarceva), an oral HER1/EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, to gemcitabine (Gemzar) lengthens survival in patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. The enrolled groups were balanced well for demographics, performance status, extent of disease, prior therapy, and pain intensity; the combination group included significantly more women. This study was partially sponsored by the manufacturer of erlotinib.
An intent-to-treat analysis …