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영남의대학술지 Vol.28 No.1 p31-44, June2011
Original Article
Early or Late Gefitinib, Which is Better for Survival? -Retrospective Analysis of 228 Korean Patients with Advanced or Metastatic NSCLC
Dong Gun Kim, Min Kyoung Kim, Sung Hwa Bae2, Sung Ae Koh, Sung Woo Park, Hyun Je Kim, Myung Jin Kim, Hyo Jin Jang, Kyung Hee Lee, Kwan Ho Lee1, Jin Hong Chung1, Kyung Chul Shin1, Hun Mo Ryoo2, Myung Soo Hyun
Division of Oncology, 1Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea 2Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Republic of Korea
Corresponding Author：Min Kyoung Kim, 317-1, Daemyeong-dong, Namgu, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
Tel: (053) 620-4683, Fax: (053) 654-8386
E-mail : kmk21c@med.yu.ac.kr
June 30, 2011
Abstract
Background：The optimal timing of treatment with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR -TKI) in NSCLC patients has not yet been determined. Methods：We separated 228 patients with advanced /metastatic NSCLC treated with gefitinib into an early gefitinib group (patients who received gefitinib as first- or second-line treatment) and a delayed gefitinib group (patients who received gefitinib as third or fourth-line treatment) and attempted to determine whether the timing of gefitinib treatment affected clinical outcomes. Results：Median overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and median OS from first-line treatment of advanced/metastatic disease (OSt) for 111 patients in the early gefitinib group were 6.2 months, 3.3 months, and 11.6 months. However, median OS, PFS, and OSt for 84 patients in the delayed gefitinib group were 7.8 months, 2.3 months, and 22.7 months. No differences in OS and PFS were observed between the 2 groups. However, OSt was significantly longer in the delayed gefitnib group. Timing of gefitinib therapy was one of the independent predictors of OSt. Hb ≥ 10 g/dl, and having never smoked, and ECOG performance status ≤1 were independent predictors of better PFS. Conclusion：Deferral of gefitinib therapy in patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC may be preferable if they are able to tolerate chemotherapy.
Key Words: Tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Gefitinib, Non-small cell lung cancer
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