Compared with chemotherapy, afatinib was associated with better control of cough and dyspnea.
Quality of life (QOL) is thought to be better with oral agents than with chemotherapy. To test this assumption, international investigators analyzed patient-reported QOL outcomes in the recent phase III, LUX-Lung 3 study (NEJM JW Oncol Hematol Oct 4 2013), which compared the oral epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) afatinib with chemotherapy (cisplatin plus pemetrexed) in 345 patients with advanced EGFR-mutation non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). QOL and symptom questionnaires were collected from patients every 21 days until they experienced disease progression.
Compared with chemotherapy, afatinib delayed deterioration time for cough (hazard ratio, 0.6; P=0.007) and dyspnea (HR, 0.68; P =0.015), and more…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardGenentech; AstraZeneca; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Clinical Care Options; Heron; Takeda; Ariad; MedIQ; Targeted Healthcare Communications; Novartis; OncLive; Roche; TRM Oncology
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Grant/Research SupportMedimmune; NIH/National Cancer Institute; Millennium; Genentech; Polaris Pharmaceuticals; Seattle Genetics; Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals; SWOG–Hope Foundation; American Cancer Society; Department of Defense; GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals; Merck; Eli Lilly; Takeda; Bristol-Myers Squibb
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardGenentech; AstraZeneca; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Clinical Care Options; Heron; Takeda; Ariad; MedIQ; Targeted Healthcare Communications; Novartis; OncLive; Roche; TRM Oncology
RoyaltiesUpToDate
Grant/Research SupportMedimmune; NIH/National Cancer Institute; Millennium; Genentech; Polaris Pharmaceuticals; Seattle Genetics; Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals; SWOG–Hope Foundation; American Cancer Society; Department of Defense; GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals; Merck; Eli Lilly; Takeda; Bristol-Myers Squibb