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What Is EGFR-Positive Lung Cancer?
EGFR plays an important role in controlling cell division and survival.
A mutation can cause EGFR to work incorrectly, causing rapid cell growth that helps the cancer spread.
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Who Is at Risk?
According to research, certain ethnicities are more susceptible to EGFR mutations.
There are several common factors related to the EGFR mutations.
EGFR-Positive Lung Cancer Symptoms
you might’t tell if your cancer is EGFR-positive based on symptoms alone.
Symptoms relate to the bang out of cancer you have rather than the fact that it is EGFR-positive.
Adenocarcinoma tumors appear on the outer areas of the lungs.
However, new drugs can help improve survival times.
Diagnosis
The presence of an EGFR mutation is determined by molecular profiling (gene testing).
The DNA of the tumor cells is analyzed to determine if it contains any mutations in the EGFR gene.
Targeted therapy medications tend to have fewer side effects than chemotherapy and will not kill healthy cells.
To treat EGFR-positive squamous cell lung cancer, healthcare providers use a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Rybrevant (amivantamab-vmjw), for example, is approved for tumors with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations.
Traditional EGFR inhibitors are not as effective for this indication.
Side Effects
The most common side effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors is a skin rash.
Less frequently, diarrhea may also occur.
If no whiteheads are present, a topical corticosteroid creamahydrocortisonecream, for exampleis used.
If whiteheads are present and the rash looks infected, oral antibiotics are prescribed.
In some cases, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor dose may be reduced.
In addition to growing your understanding about your disease, learn how toadvocate for yourselfas a cancer patient.
The lung cancersupport communityis strong and getting stronger.
This mutation causes the cancer to grow quickly.
The EGFR mutation is identified with lab tests.
Targeted therapy drugs are usually the first line of treatment for these kinds of lung cancers.
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American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of lung cancer.
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Cobas EGFR mutation test v2.
2016;5(3):288-300. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2016.06.07
Reddi HV.Mutations in the EGFR pathway.
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