Salvage anlotinib showed sustained efficacy in heavily pretreated EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma: A case report and review of the literature

RATIONALE: Anlotinib has been proved to be effective in advanced refractory non-small cell lung cancer. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 47-year-old female non-smoker was admitted due to persistent chest tightness for a month. DIAGNOSES: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) wild-type advanced primary lung adenocarcinoma without brain or bone metastasis. INTERVENTIONS: The patient failed 2 lines of pemetrexed/docetaxel plus carboplatin and third-line erlotinib. Fourth-line anlotinib was administered thereafter. OUTCOMES: The pulmonary lesions showed partial remission 5 months after anlotinib monotherapy. The patient demonstrated a progression-free survival of more than 7 months and an overall survival of >12 months. The adverse events including hypertension and fatigue were well-tolerated. LESSONS: Salvage anlotinib might be a reasonable choice in EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma after failure of chemotherapy. Further well-designed trials are warranted to verify this occasional finding.