Primary Erlotinib Resistance in a Patient with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Carrying Simultaneous Compound EGFR L718A, Q849H, and L858R Mutations

Abstract

Nowadays, mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase domain are studied in targeted therapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors including gefitinib and erlotinib. The present study reports a rare case of a patient harboring three simultaneous EGFR mutations (L718A, Q849H, and L858R). The development of erlotinib resistance was detected in the subsequent treatment. Using a computational approach, the current study investigated the conformational changes of wild-type and mutant EGFR's kinase domains in the interaction with erlotinib. Their binding modes with erlotinib were elucidated during molecular dynamics simulation, where higher fluctuations were detected in the mutated forms of the EGFR tyrosine kinase domain. Prediction of stability and functional effect of mutations revealed that amino acidic substitutions have decreased the protein stability as well as the binding affinity to erlotinib. These results may be useful for a recommendation of EGFR mutational analysis for patients with NSCLC carcinoma.

Keywords

• egfr
• erlotinib
• molecular dynamics
• non-small cell lung cancer