Brain Metastasis Responding to Gefitinib Alone

• Published in: Oncology Vol. 67; no. 2; pp. 174 - 178
• Main Authors: Poon, Annette N.Y., Ho, Simon S.M., Yeo, Winnie, Mok, Tony S.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland Karger 01.01.2004; S. Karger AG
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain Neoplasms - drug therapy; Brain Neoplasms - secondary; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - secondary; Case Report; Cell division; Drug therapy; Female; Gingival Neoplasms - drug therapy; Gingival Neoplasms - secondary; Humans; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Neurology; Protein Kinase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Quinazolines - therapeutic use; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - antagonists & inhibitors; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; Tumors of the nervous system. Phacomatoses; Chemotherapy; Brain metastases; Radiotherapy; Gefitinib; Lung cancer; Metastases; Antineoplastic agent; Lung disease; Nervous system diseases; Respiratory disease; Brain cancer; Central nervous system; Malignant tumor; Metastasis; Bronchopulmonary malignant tumor; Cerebral disorder; Cancerology; Treatment; Central nervous system disease; Bronchus disease
• ISSN: 0030-2414; 1423-0232
• DOI: 10.1159/000081005

A woman with stage IIIb non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) developed disease progression with brain metastases during chemotherapy. Due to unusual circumstances, the patient received gefitinib alone, without the use of corticosteroid treatment or radiotherapy. There was a dramatic clinical improvement within 1 week. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging of the brain 1 month later showed decreases in both the size and number of brain metastases. The patient remains well 9 months after initiation of gefitinib. It is proposed that gefitinib may have a role in treatment of brain metastases from NSCLC.