Tarceva® (erlotinib)-induced Rashes is Better Outcome for Pancreatic and Lung Cancer Patients

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Tarceva® (erlotinib) is indicated for the treatment of pancreatic cancer (first line) and non-small cell lung cancer (second line).

However, patients on Tarceva® breaks into skin rashes that look like acne which can be of discomfort to some patients, enough for them to discontinue the treatment.

Phase III clinical trial of Tarveca® revealed that appearance of a rash in cancer patients treated is strongly associated with longer survival:

”…patients taking Tarceva who developed a moderate to severe rash, survival without progression of disease was 245 percent longer than in patients who had a mild rash or none at all. In fact, in the majority of cases, the more severe the rash, the longer a patient’s cancer was held in check.”

According to lead author, Bret Wacker, MS Director of Biostatistics at OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:

“Some patients are stopping treatment because of the rash, yet those are the ones who are most likely to benefit.

This is a critical problem and rather than permanently discontinue treatment, patients should talk to their doctor about an effective and proactive strategy to manage the rash while continuing Tarceva therapy.

These rashes can be controlled with mild steroids or antibiotics, and in most cases, they will improve with treatment. They are believed to be due to an inflammatory response as a result of EGFR inhibition in skin tissue.”

Tarceva® (erlotinib) belongs to a class of drugs called EGFR inhibitors – designed to block overproduction of the epidermal growth factor receptor.

Find more details from the full report.