ABSTRACT
Lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents over 85% of all lung cancers, and up to 50% of Asian NSCLC patients harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations. A number of studies have consistently demonstrated that uncommon EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) can achieve better survival outcomes. However, because uncommon EGFR mutations are generally associated with reduced sensitivity to EGFR-TKIs, which will bring a negative impact on the result of the study, the majority of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs have included only patients with common EGFR mutations. In addition, uncommon EGFR mutations are rare in themselves, leading to the small number of such patients enrolled in these trials. Due to the small number and highly heterogeneous sensitivity of uncommon EGFR mutations, the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs in patients harboring uncommon EGFR mutations remains elusive. This article reviews the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs in patients with uncommon EGFR mutations, and give some reasonable advice about the selection of treatments for patients with NSCLC who harbor uncommon EGFR mutations.