Recurrent response to advanced lung adenocarcinoma with erlotinib developing leptomeningeal metastases during gefitinib therapy and two case reports.

Background Epidermal growth factor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors ( EGFR- TKIs) are one of the effective medicines in advanced lung adenocarcinoma leptomeningeal metastasis ( LM) treatment in recent years. Methods This paper reports two cases of advanced lung adenocarcinoma with exon-EGFR19 mutation. LM occurred during gefitinib treatment with an extracranial condition under control. Later, erlotinib was adopted with a recurrent response. Results The progression free survival of both patients was over six months and their LM was under control for six and a half and nine months, respectively. LM may be sensitive on different levels to different EGFR- TKIs. Conclusion Erlotinib can be used to replace gefitinib if intracranial tumor progress occurs during gefitinib treatment. However, our conclusion still needs to be proven by further clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]