Impact of rare EGFR exon 19 insertion-deletion variants on tyrosine kinase inhibitor efficacy in non-small-cell lung cancer: a 5-year multicenter analysis.

Background: The clinical impact of rare epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 insertion-deletion (19delins) variants on tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) efficacy remains poorly characterized. We updated 5-year outcomes to evaluate long-term survival and optimal treatment strategies in advanced lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients harboring these mutations.

Materials And Methods: In this multicenter prospective study, 36 treatment-naive advanced LUAD patients with EGFR 19delins mutations received first-generation (n = 26) or third-generation TKIs (n = 10). Propensity score matching (1 : 2) compared outcomes with EGFR 19del (n = 72) and L858R (n = 72) cohorts. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and resistance mechanisms were analyzed.

Results: First-generation TKIs significantly improved median first-line PFS (mPFS) over third-generation TKIs [16 versus 8 months; hazard ratio (HR) 2.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-4.98, P = 0.026], though OS was comparable (28 versus 36 months, P = 0.737). The mPFS of EGFR 19delins patients (13 months) aligned with EGFR 19del (11 months) and L858R (10 months, P = 0.267), while median OS (34 months) surpassed L858R (22 months, P = 0.002). T790M was the dominant resistance mechanism (68.8%). Subtype analysis revealed L747_A750delinsP, subsequent therapies, and immunotherapy correlated with prolonged OS (multivariate HR 0.06, 95% CI 0.01-0.62, P = 0.018).

Conclusions: First-generation TKIs represent a potential initial option for EGFR 19delins-mutant LUAD. Proactive later-line strategies, including osimertinib and immunotherapy, optimize survival. Subtype-driven management is critical for this rare population.