Apatinib as post second-line therapy in EGFR wild-type and ALK-negative advanced lung adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Shen-Cun Fang,1,2 Hai-Tao Zhang,1 Ying-Ming Zhang,1 Wei-Ping Xie2 1Department of Respiratory Medicine Center, Nanjing Chest Hospital, 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Abstract: In the absence of a driver mutation, chemotherapy is the standard treatment option as first- and second-line therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Though a large number of patients are suitable for post second-line therapies, the quality and quantity of the available drugs in this setting is poor. Apatinib, a small molecule vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is a first-generation oral antiangiogenesis drug approved in the People’s Republic of China for use as a subsequent line of treatment for advanced gastric cancer. Herein, we report three cases of advanced NSCLC with epidermal growth factor receptor wild-type and anaplastic lymphoma kinase-negative status, wherein the patients showed partial response to apatinib. Moreover, the three patients have achieved a progression-free survival of 2.8, 5.8, and 6 months, respectively. The main toxicities were hypertension, proteinuria, and hand–foot syndrome. Apatinib may provide an additional option for the treatment of advanced NSCLC, especially for advanced lung adenocarcinoma without a driver mutation. Keywords: non-small-cell lung cancer, angiogenesis, apatinib, VEGFR-2

Keywords

• Non-small-cell lung cancer
• angiogenesis
• Apatinib
• VEGFR-2