Role of immune checkpoint blockers in patients with EGFR mutation

Single agent epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the current standard of care for patients with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring sensitizing mutations in the EGFR gene, with response rates and progression-free survival (PFS) consistently better than chemotherapy (1,2). Nevertheless, despite the high initial responses, virtually all patients develop tumor progression with a median PFS of less than 12 months with first or second generation EGFR TKIs and 18.9 months with the third generation osimertinib (3). Therefore, there is a need for new therapies with more durable responses in this population of predominantly younger patients with less exposure to tobacco smoking.