How effective is erlotinib against lung cancer?

In lung cancer treatment erlotinib has been shown quite effective in patients who carried EGFR mutations. but appears to be more effective in patients with EGFR mutations. In November 2005, this lung cancer medication was also approved by FDA for pancreatic cancer.

Specifications of Erlotinib 150 mg:

Following terms of Erlotinib tablets represents that, in what ways this medication is effective.

• Erlotinib is a selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
• The medication reduces the autophosphorylation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in intact tumor cells and the proliferation of the EGFR dependent cell, which blocks the initiation of the cellular cycle in the G1 phase.
• This medication was approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for the treatment of locally advanced or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in 2004.
• Studies show that monotherapy would be useful with this drug and also more active for patients with NSCLC and mutated EGFR.
• The use of erlotinib 150 mg has been shown to be quite effective in the treatment of NSCLC with mutated EGFR.
• Patients with EGFR-activating mutations, such as L858R in exon 21 and deletions in exon 19, show improvement in symptoms and a higher response rate with the use of erlotinib.
• Investigation of the EGFR mutation is essential for the decision to initiate the use of erlotinib, and its absence is justified only by the impossibility of performing it, such as, for example, due to scarcity of material.
• This mutation was found with greater frequency in non-smoking patients with the adenocarcinoma histological subtype, which, presented with greater sensitivity to gefitinib and erlotinib in one study.
• Elderly patients also benefited from the use of erlotinib, but at the cost of greater toxicity, even though it is tolerable in most cases.
• The subgroup of patients include Asian patients, of the female gender, with adenocarcinoma subtype, and non-smokers are at the greatest benefit from the medication.
• It also includes those who are at the greatest prevalence of EGFR mutations.
• The KRAS gene mutation showed an inverse relation with the response to erlotinib, as well as with the non-coexistence with the EGFR mutation. 
• Treatment with erlotinib in patients with mutated KRAS resulted in worse survival in comparison with the control group, suggesting a possible reduction of responsiveness to erlotinib in the presence of the said mutation. 
• Overall response rate (OR) is approximately 50%, which is far better than the standard second-line chemotherapy
• One-year survival is similar to standard second-line therapy. 
• Progression-free survival similar to standard second-line therapy. 
• And overall survival is also similar to standard second-line therapy. 

Read:- Why Doctors Are Using Erlotinib 150 mg in Lung Cancer Treatment