Traditional Chinese Medicine reverses resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a narrative review.

To review mechanisms of the resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and the reversal of this resistance by traditional Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs).Searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, PubMed and Embase for related researches RESULTS: T790M mutation, MET amplification, C797S mutation, Inactivation of PTEN gene expression and Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are the main mechanisms of the resistance to EGFR-TKIs. CHMs may reverse the resistance by inhibiting MET activation, inhibiting PI3K/AKT pathways, regulating apoptosis and P-glycoprotein (P-gp).Many resistance mechanisms of EGFR-TKIs in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer still need to be explored. CHMs have great research potential in reversing the resistance to EGFR-TKIs.