Mechanisms And Strategies On Drug Resistance Of EGFR-mutant Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Nowadays, the standard option for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is still Platinum-based double drug combination chemotherapy, the efficiency of chemotherapy, however, has hit a plateau. In this situation, tyrosine kinase inhibitor(TKI) which treats NSCLC through interrupting epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) signaling gradually becomes our focus. With the development of medical molecular biology techniques and the study of molecular pathogenesis of lung cancer, epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs) such as gefitinib and erlotinib are becoming promising therapies for parts of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC). The compounds which target the EGFR play an important role in the treatment of the NSCLC. However it will eventually develop resistance to these TKIs and the disease will progress simultaneously. Therefore, understanding the resistance mechanisms of EGFR-response to TKIs will guide the clinic. In this paper, we summarize the mechanisms of resistance to EGFR TKIs that have been identified to date and discusses potential therapeutic strategies to overcome EGFR TKI resistance in NSCLC patients.