Prior EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor therapy did not influence the efficacy of subsequent pemetrexed plus platinum in advanced chemonaïve patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma

Background Tumor cells before and after epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy might display different characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of prior EGFR TKI therapy on the efficacy of subsequent pemetrexed plus platinum (PP) in advanced chemonaïve patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma. Materials and methods Advanced chemonaïve patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma receiving PP as first-line chemotherapy were enrolled retrospectively in two medical centers of Taiwan. The objective of this study was to compare objective response rate (ORR), disease-control rates (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) of PP in patients with and without prior EGFR TKI therapy. Results In total, 105 patients were analyzed. Sixty-one patients (58.1%) had prior EGFR TKI therapy and used PP as second-line treatment. The other 44 patients (41.9%) received PP as first-line therapy. ORRs of PP in patients with and without prior EGFR TKI therapy were 24.6% and 38.6%, respectively (P=0.138). DCRs of the two groups were 62.3% and 65.9%, respectively (P=0.837). The median PFS (6.1 versus 6.1 months, P=0.639) and OS (34.4 versus 32.3 months, P=0.394) were comparable between the groups with and without prior EGFR TKI therapy. In a subgroup analysis of patients with prior EGFR TKI therapy, there was no significant association between the efficacy of first-line EGFR TKI and the outcome of subsequent PP therapy. Conclusion Our results suggested that prior EGFR TKI therapy would not influence the efficacy of subsequent PP therapy in advanced chemonaïve patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma.