erlotinib + chemotherapy (Centre François Baclesse)

The combination of erlotinib and chemotherapy refers to a therapeutic regimen investigated in the Phase III FLARE trial (NCT01724814), sponsored by the Centre Francois Baclesse. This regimen combines erlotinib, a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), with standard platinum-based cytotoxic chemotherapy (typically pemetrexed in combination with either cisplatin or carboplatin). It was developed as a second-line treatment strategy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR-activating mutations who have developed acquired resistance to initial EGFR-TKI therapy. The rationale for this combination is to prevent the rapid disease progression (the "flare" phenomenon) that can occur upon discontinuation of TKIs while simultaneously utilizing chemotherapy to target resistant tumor cell populations.

Brand names

Tarceva

Other names

erlotinib plus platinum-based chemotherapyerlotinib + pemetrexed + cisplatinerlotinib + pemetrexed + carboplatin