Gastrointestinal perforations in patients treated with erlotinib: A report of two cases with fatal outcome and literature review.

Erlotinib has been approved as second-line treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) experiencing relapse after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Herein, we report two occurrences of erlotinib-associated gastrointestinal perforation (GIP) in NSCLC patients. Two patients aged 60 and 79 years received erlotinib as third- and second-line NSCLC treatment, respectively.

Erlotinib: another candidate for the therapeutic drug monitoring of targeted therapy of cancer? A pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic systematic review of literature.

Erlotinib is currently marketed at fixed standard dosage against pancreatic cancer and non-small-cell lung carcinoma. However, erlotinib pharmacokinetics (PK) is characterized by significant variability that may affect efficacy and tolerability. The aim of this review is to assess evidence that would justify therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and provide key information for the interpretation of erlotinib plasma concentrations.