Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Apr;22(2):123-32.
doi: 10.3747/co.22.2430.

Management of egfr tki-induced dermatologic adverse events

Affiliations
Review

Management of egfr tki-induced dermatologic adverse events

B Melosky et al. Curr Oncol. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (egfr) pathway has become standard practice for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Compared with chemotherapy, egfr tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tkis) have been associated with improved efficacy in patients with an EGFR mutation. Together with the increase in efficacy comes an adverse event (ae) profile different from that of chemotherapy. That profile includes three of the most commonly occurring dermatologic aes: acneiform rash, stomatitis, and paronychia. Currently, no randomized clinical trials have evaluated the treatments for the dermatologic aes that patients experience when taking egfr tkis. Based on the expert opinion of the authors, some basic strategies have been developed to manage those key dermatologic aes. Those strategies have the potential to improve patient quality of life and compliance and to prevent inappropriate dose reductions.

Keywords: Non-small-cell lung cancer; acneiform rash; adverse events; egfr tkis; paronychia; stomatitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Acneiform rash induced by epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors. (A) Grade 1, gefitinib. (B) Grade 2, erlotinib. (C) Grade 3, erlotinib. (D) Grade 4, erlotinib.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Stomatitis or mucositis induced by epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors. (A) Grade 1, afatinib. (B) Grade 2, afatinib. (C) Grade 3, afatinib.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Paronychia or nail effects induced by epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors. (A) Grade 1, erlotinib. (B) Grade 2, afatinib. (C) Grade 3, erlotinib.

References

    1. Melosky B. Supportive care treatments for toxicities of anti-egfr and other targeted agents. Curr Oncol. 2012;19(suppl 1):S59–63. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hirsh V. Managing treatment-related adverse events associated with egfr tyrosine kinase inhibitors in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Curr Oncol. 2011;18:126–38. doi: 10.3747/co.v18i3.877. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fukuoka M, Yano S, Giaccone G, et al. Multi-institutional randomized phase ii trial of gefitinib for previously treated patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (the ideal 1 trial) J Clin Oncol. 2003;21:2237–46. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2003.10.038. [Erratum in: J Clin Oncol 2004;22:4863] - DOI - PubMed
    1. Belani CP. The role of irreversible egfr inhibitors in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer: overcoming resistance to reversible egfr inhibitors. Cancer Invest. 2010;28:413–23. doi: 10.3109/07357901003631072. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Li D, Ambrogio L, Shimamura T, et al. BIBW2992, an irreversible egfr/her2 inhibitor highly effective in preclinical lung cancer models. Oncogene. 2008;27:4702–11. doi: 10.1038/onc.2008.109. - DOI - PMC - PubMed