A review of epidermal growth factor receptor/HER2 inhibitors in the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a major global health problem. Although the reversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib improves survival in patients with relapsed and recurrent NSCLC, significant limitations exist, including the restriction of clinical efficacy to a small patient subset, poor survival rates, and the development of resistance. Irreversible inhibitors of EGFR and HER2 are novel agents in clinical development that might have the potential to prevent and overcome acquired resistance to first-generation EGFR inhibitors.