Uncommon and Rare EGFR Mutations in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with a Focus on Exon 20 Insertions and the Phase 3 PAPILLON Trial: The State of the Art

Abstract

Uncommon (ucEGFRmuts) and rare epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations account for 10–15% of diagnosed cases and consist of a heterogeneous group represented by several clusters within exons 18–21 (e.g., exon 18 point mutations, exon 21 L861X, exon 20 S768I), as well as exon 20 insertions (Ex20ins). Their incidence is under molecular and clinical investigation following recent findings that reported an increase of sensitivity and specificity of next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods. Consequently, their detection allows for the selection of emerging treatment options to significantly improve patients’ outcomes in these particular subgroups of EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Specifically, this commentary is focused on the notable progress of the Phase 3 PAPILLON study that showed primary efficacy results from amivantamab, a bispecific antibody with specific binding and affinity to extracellular domains of EGFR and MET, plus chemotherapy in the first-line setting for EGFR exon 20 insertion–mutated advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients, as compared with chemotherapy alone, thus becoming the new standard of care in this group of patients.