Advanced lung adenocarcinoma in an EGFR-positive patient treated with Erlotinib for 52 months

The authors present a case of a 53-years-old non-smoker Caucasian female who was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma (stage IA) and underwent surgical resection in 2002. Five years later, the tumor relapsed (stage IV disease) and she initiated chemotherapy with carboplatin, gemcitabine and bevacizumab as a first-line therapy. Despite partial remission after four cycles, this regimen was discontinued due to unacceptable toxicity. In 2008, the disease progressed and the patient was started on Erlotinib as second-line treatment. The patient had a sustained partial remission which she maintains at present – 52 months after initiation of Erlotinib. Molecular testing performed on the primary lung tumor revealed an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene mutation (deletion in exon 19).