Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Medical Science) >

2022 , Vol. 42 >Issue 4: 535 - 544

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2022.04.017

Review

Resistance mechanisms and overcoming strategies of the third-generation EGFR-TKI in non-small cell lung cancer

  • Wenqing LU ,
  • Zhouwenli MENG ,
  • Yongfeng YU ,
  • Shun LU
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  • Department of Oncology, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
LU Shun, E-mail: shunlu@sjtu.edu.cn.

Received date: 2021-12-31

  Accepted date: 2022-03-19

  Online published: 2022-04-28

Supported by

National Natural Science Foundation of China(82030045)

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Abstract

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene is the most common driver gene of non-small cell lung cancer. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting EGFR mutations are the first-line treatment choice for patients with EGFR mutations. Although three generations of drugs have been widely used in clinical practice, unavoidable secondary resistance and primary resistance to some treatment-naive patients still pose great challenges to the long-term use of EGFR-TKIs. Resistance mechanism of the first- and second-generation EGFR-TKIs are well studied, including T790M mutation, MET amplification, ERBB2 amplification, IGF1R up-regulation, AXL activation, etc. The third-generation TKIs can overcome the most common T790M mutation that the first two generations bring in, but with the increasingly widespread clinical use, their drug resistance problem is also attracting widespread attention, and the related mechanisms and overcoming strategies are still under study. Mechanisms can be divided into EGFR-dependent and EGFR-independent ones, involving target-gene mutation, bypass signaling activation, phenotypic plasticity, epigenetic regulation, inhibitory immune microenvironment and so on. The fourth-generation TKIs, combination therapy and immunotherapy are all potential modalities after drug resistance.

Key words： non-small cell lung cancer; epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR); protein kinase inhibitor; drug resistance

Cite this article

Wenqing LU , Zhouwenli MENG , Yongfeng YU , Shun LU . Resistance mechanisms and overcoming strategies of the third-generation EGFR-TKI in non-small cell lung cancer[J]. Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Medical Science), 2022 , 42(4) : 535 -544 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2022.04.017

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