Indian experience of Afatinib for EGFR mutation-positive advanced lung adenocarcinoma a real-world retrospective study.

Abstract

Introduction: Afatinib, a second-generation EGFR TKI, was approved in 2015 for the treatment of metastatic NSCLC in India. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of Afatinib therapy in a real-world setting.

Patients and methods: Electronic medical records of 43 patients who received Afatinib for advanced EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed. In total, 43 patients were analyzed of whom 31 received Afatinib in first-line therapy.

Results: The patient population was younger than Lux-Lung 3. Median PFS was 15.03 months with 95% CI (7.8-18.3 months). At 14% maturity OS was not reached. However, 95% CI lower limit was 34.9 months. The most common adverse reactions were skin rash and diarrhea which were managed with dose alteration without compromising efficacy.

Conclusion: Currently, there are multiple first-line strategies to manage advanced NSCLC in India including EGFR TKIs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first real-world study published from India which looks into the efficacy of Afatinib in advanced NSCLC. Afatinib showed a manageable safety profile and comparable efficacy in real-world practice compared with those described in previous studies.