Effectiveness and safety of erlotinib in 2 patients with carcinoma of the cervix

Objective

To assess the effectiveness and safety of the use of erlotinib in the treatment of refractory cervical cancer after retrospective analysis of 2 clinical cases.

Methods

The clinical records were assessed for the patients who started treatment with erlotinib, on a compassionate-use basis, with an oral dosage of 150 mg/day until June 2008. The pharmacy dispensing records were also assessed to evaluate adherence to treatment. Progression-free survival was assessed and adverse reactions were recorded in the medical records.

Results

Three patients with recurrent, advanced cervical cancer were candidates for treatment with erlotinib, 2 of whom were only starting treatment. In both cases, the women had previously received between 3 and 4 different treatment lines. Progression-free survival was 6 months and 4 months in each case. The adverse reactions to the treatment were slight.

Conclusions

Erlotinib presented some similar results to those obtained from cisplatin doublets in women with refractory cervical cancer, with minor adverse effects. However, these results need to be corroborated in the clinical studies field on a wider section of the population.