Discussion on the combined application of brigatinib/brigatinib and cetuximab

Brigatinib is a drug designed to treat certain types of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In contrast, cetuximab performs well in the treatment of colorectal cancer and head and neck tumors. Currently, there is relatively little data on the specific effects and safety of the combination of these two drugs. When considering the combined use of any two drugs, their interactions must be carefully evaluated, as well as the possible therapeutic effects and risks of such a combination. This needs to be done under close supervision by doctors to ensure patient safety.

For some severe patients with non-small cell lung cancer, especially those who have developed resistance to other treatments, it is particularly important to find new treatment strategies. For example, some patients may develop resistance to third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which is often associated with the p.C797S mutation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

There are two recent clinical cases of patients with non-small cell lung cancer worthy of attention. Both patients initially harbored EGFR sensitizing mutations and were treated with osimertinib. However, as treatment progresses, patients develop drug resistance. Further testing showed that they all had the EGFR p.C797S mutation, which meant that they were resistant to third-generation TKI drugs. When faced with such severe patients, doctors chose a combination treatment regimen of brigatinib and cetuximab. Encouragingly, this combination achieved significant results in these two patients, resulting in a modest increase in survival.

This preliminary study result suggests that the combination of brigatinib and cetuximab may be a treatment strategy worth considering for severe patients with non-small cell lung cancer, especially those who have developed resistance toTKIs. However, we must also recognize that current data are still limited and more research is needed to further validate and extend this finding.