• Oscar Arrieta, Martha De la Torre-Vallejo, Diego López-Macías, David Orta, Jenny Turcott, Eleazar-Omar Macedo-Pérez, Karla Sánchez-Lara, Laura-Alejandra Ramírez-Tirado, and Vickie E Baracos.
• Thoracic Oncology Unit, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Mexico City, Mexico; Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ogar@unam.mx.
• Oncologist. 2015 Aug 1; 20 (8): 967-74.

BackgroundThe main reason for dose reduction of afatinib is gastrointestinal toxicity (GT). In a phase II study, we analyzed anthropometrical, nutritional, and biochemical factors associated with GT induced by afatinib.Materials And MethodsPatients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer who progressed to prior chemotherapy received 40 mg of afatinib. Malnutrition was determined by Subjective Global Assessment, and lean body mass (LBM) was determined by computed tomography scan analysis using a pre-established Hounsfield unit threshold. Toxicity was obtained during four cycles by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.ResultsEighty-four patients were enrolled. Afatinib was administered as the second, third, and fourth line of treatment in 54.8%, 38.1%, and 7.12% of patients, respectively. Severe diarrhea, mucositis, and overall severe GT were present in 38.9%, 28.8%, and 57.5%, respectively. Of the patients, 50% developed dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). Patients with malnutrition have higher risk for severe GT. Patients with lower LBM and body mass index developed more DLT (71.4% vs. 18.8%).ConclusionMalnutrition is associated with a higher risk of severe GT induced by afatinib. Determination of nutritional status and body composition are helpful in identifying patients at higher risk of severe GT and could allow initiating treatment with lower doses according to tolerance.©AlphaMed Press.

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