Mechanisms and strategies on drug resistance of EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer

With the development of medical molecular biology techniques and the study of molecular pathogenesis of lung cancer,epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs) such as gefitinib and erlotinib are becoming promising therapies for parts of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC).The compounds which target the EGFR play an important role in the treatment of the NSCLC.Patients with somatic activating mutations in the EGFR gene have dramatic response initially,but will eventually develop resistance to these TKIs and the disease will progress simultaneously.Therefore,understanding the resistance mechanisms of EGFR-response to TKIs will guide the clinic.This review summarizes recent progress in resistance mechanisms and new overcoming strategies on better treatment of drug resistant cancer cells in EGFR-mutant NSCLC.