Targeting TKI-resistance in NSCLC: Importance of rebiopsy and molecular diagnostics—A case study

We present the case of a 27 year old woman with widely disseminated metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung who outlived stage IV diagnosis of NSCLC by more than 4 years. Based on rebiopsy and molecular diagnostics of oncogene dependency, appropriately targeted therapies were successfully employed up to a fifth line oral monotherapy with the ErbB family blocker afatinib for a final 11 months. We stress the importance of rebiopsies, the corresponding selection of targeted therapies, and the observed gain in quality of live even in end stage disease.