# Adjuvant Icotinib in EGFR-mutated stage IB non-small cell lung cancer with high-risk factors: A retrospective case series

**Authors:** Mengzhi Cheng, Jianbin Zhang, Lili Jin, Caihua Yu, Zhonghai Xie, Dong Li, Qinhua Gu, Qibin Shen, Fumihiro Yamaguchi, Fumihiro Yamaguchi, Fumihiro Yamaguchi, Fumihiro Yamaguchi

PMC · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0337237 · 2025-11-19

## TL;DR

A study found that adjuvant icotinib improved disease-free survival in high-risk EGFR-mutated stage IB lung cancer patients with minimal side effects.

## Contribution

This is the first retrospective case series to evaluate adjuvant icotinib in high-risk EGFR-mutated stage IB NSCLC patients.

## Key findings

- 3-year disease-free survival rate was 91.4% in high-risk EGFR-mutated stage IB NSCLC patients treated with adjuvant icotinib.
- Two patients with recurrence successfully switched to osimertinib after developing T790M mutations.
- Adverse events were mostly mild (grade 1–2), with no severe or higher-grade events observed.

## Abstract

Primary results of the CORIN trial indicated that, compared with chemotherapy, icotinib significantly improved 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)-mutated stage IB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, evidence regarding the outcomes of adjuvant icotinib in patients with high-risk factors remains limited. This retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of adjuvant icotinib in patients with EGFR-mutated high-risk stage IB NSCLC. We enrolled 37 patients with completely resected EGFR-mutated high-risk stage IB NSCLC. The median follow-up time was 31 months, and the 3-year DFS rate was 91.4%. Two patients experienced disease recurrence and were successfully switched to osimertinib upon identification of an EGFR (T790M) mutation. Although overall survival (OS) and central nervous system (CNS)-DFS data were not mature, no deaths or central nervous system metastases were observed by the end of follow-up. 29 (78.4%) patients experienced grade 1–2 adverse events (AEs), no grade 3 or higher AEs occurred. This study suggests a potential DFS benefit and well-tolerated profile of adjuvant icotinib in patients with EGFR-mutated high-risk stage IB NSCLC. However, longer-term follow-up is necessary to assess the long-term outcomes.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) [NCBI Gene 1956]
- **Chemicals:** icotinib (PubChem CID 22024915), osimertinib (PubChem CID 71496458)
- **Diseases:** non-small cell lung cancer (MONDO:0005233), breast cancer (MONDO:0004989)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) [NCBI Gene 1956] {aka ERBB, ERBB1, ERRP, HER1, NISBD2, NNCIS}
- **Diseases:** NSCLC (MESH:D002289), metastases (MESH:D009362), system (MESH:D015619), stage (MESH:D062706)
- **Chemicals:** osimertinib (MESH:C000596361), Icotinib (MESH:C531470)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]
- **Mutations:** T790M

## Figures

7 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12629473/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12629473