Abstract:

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of docetaxel versus epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors （EFGR-TKIs） in the second-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed for 100 patients with advanced NSCLC who received second-line therapy at Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from January 2009 to June 2013. Among the patients，52 were treated with EGFR-TKIs and 48 with docetaxel. Median progression-free survival（PFS） and median overall survival（OS） were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results Median PFS was 6 months in the EGFR-TKI group and 3 months in the docetaxel group（P=0.021）. Median OS was 16 months in the EGFR-TKI group and 10 months in the docetaxel group（P=0.068）. The ORR was 23.1% in the EGFR-TKI group and 6.3% in the docetaxel group（P=0.038）. Patients in the docetaxel group showed significantly higher rates of grade 3 to 4 leukopenia，neutropenia and febrile neutropenia（all P＜0.001）. Conclusion EGFR-TKIs show significantly better median PFS and a favorable safety profile compared with docetaxel in the second-line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC at high risk of EGFR mutations.

Key words: Lung neoplasm, Chemotherapy, Docetaxel, Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Second-line therapy, Efficacy