Table 2. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients according to the starting dose of afatinib.
| Demographic and clinical characteristics | Afatinib starting dose | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 mg once daily (n=50) | Less than 40 mg once daily (n=83) | ||
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 61.6±11.6 | 65.5±9.5 | 0.036 |
| Gender, n (%) | 0.331 | ||
| Female | 32 (64.0) | 46 (55.4) | |
| Male | 18 (36.0) | 37 (44.6) | |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | 0.301 | ||
| Malay | 10 (20.0) | 34 (41.0) | |
| Chinese | 37 (74.0) | 43 (51.8) | |
| Indian | 1 (2.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Others† | 2 (4.0) | 6 (7.2) | |
| Smoking history, n (%) | 0.337 | ||
| Never smoker | 43 (86.0) | 68 (81.9) | |
| Previous or current smoker | 7 (14.0) | 15 (18.1) | |
| ECOG performance status at diagnosis, n (%) | 0.188 | ||
| ECOG 0–1 | 11 (22.0) | 11 (13.3) | |
| ECOG 2–4 | 39 (78.0) | 72 (86.7) | |
| Comorbidities n (%) | 0.598 | ||
| No | 33 (66.0) | 51 (61.4) | |
| Yes | 17 (34.0) | 32 (38.6) | |
| Tumor histology, n (%) | 0.165 | ||
| Adenocarcinoma | 45 (90.0) | 81 (97.6) | |
| Squamous cell carcinoma | 3 (6.0) | 1 (1.2) | |
| Others | 2 (4.0) | 1 (1.2) | |
| Tumor stage, n (%) | 0.433 | ||
| IIIC | 5 (10.0) | 5 (6.0) | |
| IVA | 23 (46.0) | 47 (56.6) | |
| IVB | 22 (44.0) | 31 (37.3) | |
| Symptomatic baseline brain metastases, n (%) | 0.032 | ||
| No | 23 (46.0) | 60 (72.3) | |
| Yes | 27 (54.0) | 23 (27.7) | |
| EGFR mutation subtype, n (%) | 0.729 | ||
| Exon 19 deletion | 30 (60.0) | 51 (61.4) | |
| Exon 21 L858R point mutation | 10 (20.0) | 21 (25.3) | |
| Resistant mutation | 2 (4.0) | 2 (2.4) | |
| Rare or compound mutations | 8 (16.0) | 9 (10.8) | |
†, others: native from Sabah and Sarawak. SD, standard deviation; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor.