Successful treatment of triple EGFR mutation T785A/L861Q/H297_E298 with afatinib

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation are characterized by high heterogeneity, and globally considered to have a worse prognosis than patients with the two common mutations; exon 19 deletion, and exon 21 L858R. Nevertheless, some uncommon mutations do confer sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) which is comparable with common mutations. In particular, some compound EGFR mutations seem to be characterized by a favorable prognosis. Unfortunately, the rarity of complex EGFR mutations results in difficult clinical decision-making. Herein, to the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of an NSCLC patient with an EGFR triple mutation containing T785A/L861Q/H297_E298 who was successfully treated with afatinib.

Automated summary

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer and uncommon EGFR mutations exhibit high heterogeneity, with some uncommon mutations showing sensitivity to TKIs comparable to common mutations. Additionally, compound EGFR mutations may be associated with a favorable prognosis. However, the rarity of complex EGFR mutations presents challenges in clinical decision-making.