Gefitinib Versus Vinorelbine/Platinum as Adjuvant Treatment in Stage II-IIIA(N1-N2) NSCLC With EGFR Mutation

Adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy is recommended for routine use in patients with stages IIA, IIB, and IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after complete resection. Cisplatin and vinorelbine combination is the standard of care in adjuvant setting. The BR. 19 trial reported adjuvant gefitinib after complete resection of early stage NSCLC(stage IB 49%, II 38%, III 13%) did not confer disease free survival(DFS) or overall survival(OS) advantage in overall population. While the median gefitinib treatment time is only 4.8 months. There are only 76 patients with EGFR mutations included in this analysis. The study closed prematurely in 2005. Activating somatic mutations of the tyrosine kinase domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been characterized in a subset of patients with advanced NSCLC.The EGFR mutation rate was 30% in Chinese NSCLC. Patients harboring these mutations in their tumors show excellent response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). This randomized phase III trial is studying gefitinib to see how well it works compared to cisplatin-based chemotherapy in treating patients who have undergone surgery for stage II-IIIA(N1-N2) NSCLC with EGFR activating mutation in Asian population.