Background: Osimertinib, a third - generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), can be used as a second-line treatment for lung cancer patients harboring the T790M substitution. Although osimertinib is more effective than the first-generation EGFR-TKIs used for first-line treatment, its efficacy with respect to long-term patient survival remains unclear even upon the administration of a complete sequence of EGFR-TKI therapy, and limited information is available regarding genetic diagnostic approaches after EGFR-TKI naïve treatment. This study investigated the characteristics of EGFR-mutated lung cancer patients harboring the T790M substitution resistance to EGFR-TKIs and the advantages of rebiopsy and liquid biopsy for these patients.
Methods: The medical records of patients screened for EGFR mutations were reviewed. Upon failure of naïve treatment with EGFR-TKIs, except for osimertinib, single plexus cobas version 2 was repeatedly used to detect the T790M substitution in EGFR via tissue or liquid biopsy.
Results: From April 2016 through May 2019, 113 patients were determined to harbor EGFR mutations. Sixty patients were treated with EGFR-TKIs, among which 46 underwent tissue or liquid biopsy. Twenty-nine of these 46 (63%) patients harbored the T790M substitution. In total, 141 rebiopsies were performed. The T790M substitution was detected in 24 of 43 tissue and 11 of 98 liquid biopsies. If patients displayed an EGFR exon 19 deletion, had new lesions, and were administered gefitinib as first-line therapy, patients harboring an EGFR mutation were suspected of harboring the T790M substitution. Furthermore, the T790M substitution was detected through rebiopsy in patients with co-existing original mutations, brain metastases, tumor enlargement by ≥ 12 mm, or metastases at minor sites.
Conclusion: Repeated biopsy can help maximize the detection rate of the T790M substitution. Furthermore, the advantages of repeated tissue or liquid biopsy should be considered among patients with positive T790M factors , and these biopsies can be repeated numerous times .