Kaori Iwata, Noriko Ryota, Ami Hikita, Masumi Sando, Hidekazu Suzuki, Motohiro Tamiya, Yuichiro Azuma, Eriko Tani, Masanari Hamaguchi, Ayako Tanaka, Takayuki Shiroyama, Naoko Morishita, Norio Okamoto, Sumiko Futagami, Tomonori Hirashima
Afatinib is a newly approved second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibito r(EGFR-TKI). Afatinib has been shown to prolongthe overall survival of patients with non-small cell lungcancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations compared with the standard chemotherapy. However, Grade 3 or 4 toxicities, includingdiarrhea, rash, paronychia, and stomatitis, have been observed more frequently in patients treated with afatinib than in those treated with first-generation EGFR-TKIs. Accordingly, our institution developed an afatinib clinical pathway (the afatinib pathway), which was designed by certified nurses, medical physicians, and certified pharmacists, with the goal of reducing the severity of diarrhea and rash that occur most frequently duringthe 28-day introductory period of afatinib treatment...
August 2015: Gan to Kagaku Ryoho. Cancer & Chemotherapy