bortezomib + erlotinib

Bortezomib + erlotinib is a combination therapy that has been investigated for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor that works by inhibiting the 26S proteasome, preventing the degradation of key proteins that promote cell apoptosis and inducing cell cycle arrest during the G2-M phase. It also suppresses the NF-κB signaling pathway. Erlotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor that binds to the EGFR tyrosine kinase in a reversible fashion at the ATP binding site of the receptor. The combination was studied in clinical trials but showed insufficient clinical activity in relapsed/refractory advanced NSCLC to warrant further phase 3 studies.