RESUMEN
Background and purpose:New treatment methods should be explored for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI). This study compared the curative effect of pemetrexed with geiftinib or pemetrexed alone in advanced NSCLC with acquired resistance to EGFR-TKI.Methods:This study included 62 NSCLC patients with advanced EGFRgene mutation and acquired resistance to EGFR-TKI. Among those, 32 patients were treated with pemetrexed and geiftinib, and 30 patients treated with geiftinib alone. The differences in outcomes between the two strategies were assessed.Results:Objective response rate (ORR) was 46.9% for those treated with pemetrexed and geiftinib and 20%for those treated with pemetrexed alone(χ2=4.933,P0.05). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.0 months on pemetrexed and gefitinib group and 6.3 months on pemetrexed alone (χ2=8.063,P0.05). Higher occurrence of leukocytopenia and rash was observed in the pemetrexed and geiftinib group than in the pemetrexed group (P0.05).Conclusion:This study was to demonstrate that continuation of EGFR-TKI with pemetrexed in patients with acquired resistance improves outcomes compared with pemetrexed alone. An improved response rate and PFS were observed in this study. A larger prospective clinical trial is needed to further evaluate this promising strategy.