Comparison of the Efficacy of EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Erlotinib and Low-dose Osimertinib on a PC-9-GFP EGFR Mutant Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Growing in the Brain of Nude Mice

Background/Aim: Brain metastases are found in approximately 30% of patients with epidermal-growth-factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We compared the efficacy of two EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), erlotinib and osimertinib on a PC9-GFP EGFR mutant NSCLC growing in the brain of nude mice. Materials and Methods: The brain metastasis models were randomized into five groups and treated for 15 days: Control; 5 mg/kg erlotinib; 50 mg/kg erlotinib; 0.5 mg/kg osimertinib; 5 mg/kg osimertinib. Tumor volume was evaluated by non-invasive fluorescence imaging. Results: Only 5 mg/kg osimertinib, a low-dose compared to the clinically-equivalent dose, showed significant tumor regression compared to the control. Conclusion: This study strongly supports the high activity of osimertinib for intracranial lesions of EGFR-mutant NSCLC.

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