Dr. Scagliotti on the Benefits of EGFR Targeted Therapy

Giorgio V. Scagliotti, MD, PhD, head of the Thoracic Oncology Unit, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, San Luigi Hospital, Orbassano, Italy, stresses the importance of testing and treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients based on the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation.

The average survival benefit experienced by NSCLC patients treated with the EGFR targeted therapies erlotinib and gefitinib, in either the first or second-line, was around 24 months. Scagliotti explains that before the use of the EGFR-mutation in NSCLC it was impossible to achieve this type of survival benefit.