EGFR Mutation and Tyrosine-Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Overview

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer related mortality worldwide. The epidermal-growthfactor receptor (EGFR) cascades the signaling pathway that regulates tumor-cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and apoptosis. Since EGFR is often over-expressed in NSCLC and the level of EGFR expression correlates with poor prognosis. EGFR inhibitors have been developed as a novel therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Gefitinib is the first molecular targeted agent approved for the treatment of advanced NSCLC. It is a highly effective EGFR TK inhibitor (TKI) selectively blocks the signal transduction pathways implicated in cancer growth. Key-wordsLung Cancer, EGFR, NSCLC, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI) INTRODUCTION Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer related mortality worldwide. Lung cancer is defined as the uncontrolled cell growth of lung tissues which may lead to metastasis, invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. Majority of lung cancers are carcinoma of the lung and are derived from epithelial cells [1] . After breast cancer, the second most common cancer present in women is lung cancer. It also constitutes the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. [2] Despite recent advances in the management of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the cure rate remains still low [3-4] . Hence further molecular investigation of lung cancer is required for the development of the new treatment strategies to improve the prognosis of lung cancer patients. It has been found that the activation and proliferation of NSCLC is regulated by growth factors and receptors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) subfamily. The principal available therapeutic options for the treatment of lung cancer were surgical intervention, platinum-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy but with the description of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer in the Access this article online Quick Response Code Website: