A multicenter phase II trial published in JAMA Oncology indicated that low-dose erlotinib (Tarceva) appears to be safe and effective in elderly or frail patients with EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and could be a valid treatment option.
However, more research on the dosing strategy of target-based drugs is warranted according to the researchers, especially in frail patients in the real-world setting.
“With the increased number of elderly and frail patients with cancer, more patients would receive benefit from this value-based treatment to enhance risk-benefit and cost-benefit ratios,” the authors wrote. “In fact, our low-dose erlotinib therapy could substantially reduce the treatment cost.”
In this single-arm phase II trial, frail patients were enrolled from 21 Japanese institutions after meeting the inclusion critera. Those who were eligible…
