Effects of STAT3 polymorphisms and pharmacokinetics on the clinical outcomes of gefitinib treatment in patients with EGFR-mutation positive non-small cell lung cancer.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: We investigated the correlations among signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) rs4796793C >G polymorphism, gefitinib pharmacokinetics and clinical responses in Japanese patients with non-small cell lung cancer receiving gefitinib therapy. METHODS: Forty-five patients were enrolled in this study. Plasma trough concentrations (C0 ) of gefitinib at the steady-state were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Patients having a gefitinib C0 of at least ≥200 ng/mL had significantly longer PFS than patients having a C0 of G polymorphism and gefitinib C0 may be potential predictors of clinical outcomes after beginning of gefitinib therapy.