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Can Tarceva (erlotinib) cure lung cancer?

Medically reviewed by Melisa Puckey, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 23, 2022.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Tarceva (erlotinib) is not a cure for lung cancer. Tarceva is a type of targeted cancer therapy that is used in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread. It may help to shrink tumors.

Tarceva helps prolong how long NSCLC patients live for without their cancer progressing (progression-free survival time) and also helps to increase the amount of time patients live with their cancer (overall survival time).

Tarceva has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with metastatic NSCLC whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations. It is also approved for use in patients with pancreatic cancer.

References

Read next

Erlotinib works by blocking the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein on cells that encourages cancer cell growth. Continue reading

Generally, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is worse than non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SCLC accounts for about 10-15% of people who have lung cancer and is the most aggressive form of lung cancer. SCLC usually starts in the breathing tubes (bronchi), and although the cells are small, they grow very quickly and create large tumors. Early on in the course of the disease, there are rarely any symptoms. If caught early (limited-stage disease) 20-25% of people can be potentially cured. Extensive SCLC is more difficult to treat. Continue reading

A hereditary family history of lung cancer is one of the many risk factors for developing non-small cell lung cancer. About 8% of lung cancers are thought to be inherited or linked to gene changes, but smoking and air pollution remain the primary causes of lung cancer. Continue reading

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