Erlotinib (Tarceva) as first-line treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutations: analysis of effectiveness

Summary. The article presents results of the open-label, randomized OPTIMAL trial of erlotinib as first-line treatment for asian patients with EGFR mutation-positive advanced NSCLC. The significant benefits reported with erlotinib in terms of PFS, QoL and tolerability from OPTIMAL still suggest that erlotinib should be recommended as first-line treatment for patients with advanced EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC.