A spectrum of cutaneous toxicities from erlotinib may be a robust clinical marker for non-small-cell lung therapy: a case report and literature review

Some literature suggests that an EGFR inhibition-induced rash can be used as a clinical marker, but few studies report the correlation between a spectrum of cutaneous toxicities from EGFR inhibition and drug efficacy. We report about a woman with a stage IV lung adenocarcinoma using erlotinib monotherapy, who experienced a spectrum of cutaneous toxicities, including papulopustular rash, mucositis, pruritus, xerosis, paronychia, and facial hirsutism. With treatment, her metastatic lesions shrunk remarkably. This report suggests that some non-small-cell lung cancer patients experiencing a spectrum of cutaneous toxicities might have a good tumor response using erlotinib monotherapy. Our findings may provide a method for clinicians to predict erlotinib efficacy in non-small-cell lung cancer therapy without knowledge of the EGFR mutation status.