The safety of afatinib for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Lung cancer tumors present EGFR mutations associated with an increased response rate to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Afatinib acts as an irreversible pan-ErbB-TKI.Areas covered: This review summarizes the results of clinical trials in NSCLC regarding its safety and efficacy.Expert opinion: Afatinib in 40 mg doses is highly effective in patients with NSCLC and EGFR mutations, improving progression-free survival and disease-related symptoms compared to chemotherapy. Additionally, afatinib has a better response rate and shows a small benefit in progression free survival compared to first-generation TKIs, and patients with exon 19 deletion could represent a subgroup with better prognosis and overall survival. Diarrhea, mucositis and rash are frequent adverse events induced by afatinib, these can impair quality of life and sometimes afatinib discontinuation is necessary. Management of adverse events, including early antidiarrheal treatment and prophylactic or early antibiotic manage...