Cotargeting EGFR and autophagy signaling: A novel therapeutic strategy for non-small-cell lung cancer.

ABSTRACT: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) somatic mutations are found in the majority of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and patients with NSCLC who harbor EGFR mutations have been shown to exhibit increased sensitivity to the small-molecule EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib and erlotinib. However, the majority of tumors develop acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs after a median of 10-16 months, which limits the clinical efficacy of these drugs. Autophagy, an important homeostatic cellular recycling mechanism, has emerged as a potential target for the acquired resistance phenotype. Recently, several studies demonstrated that autophagy may be induced in a dose-dependent manner by treatment of multiple cancer cell lines with EGFR-TKIs in vitro. Furthermore, it was recen

SUBMITTER: Sui X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3915646 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature