“Under normal conditions, EGFR [epidermal growth factor receptor] is in an auto-inhibited state. And it’s only when it’s needed that it’s upregulated. But when you have cancers that there is either a mutation in the EGFR or an overexpression, what you see is a dysregulation of normal cellular processes. So you get overexpression or switching on of prosurvival or antiapoptotic responses,” Rowena “Moe” Schwartz, professor of pharmacy practice at James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, told Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS^®, BMTCN^®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a conversation about the EGFR inhibitor drug class.

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 

Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by November 8, 2026. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Learning outcome: The learner will report an increase in knowledge related to EGFR inhibitor drugs.

Episode Notes 

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. 
• Oncology Nursing Podcast™ episodes:
• Pharmacology 101 series
• Episode 250: Cancer Symptom Management Basics: Dermatologic Complications
• Episode 226: Patient Education for Next-Generation Sequencing to Guide Cancer Therapy
• Episode 169: How Biomarker Testing Drives the Use of Targeted Therapies
• Episode 157: Biomarker Testing Improves Outcomes for Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• ONS Voice articles:
• Management Strategies for Cutaneous Toxicity From EGFR Inhibitors
• Oncology Drug Reference Sheet: Amivantamab-Vmjw
• Oncology Drug Reference Sheet: Osimertinib
• Oncology Drug Reference Sheet: Panitumumab
• Targeted Therapies Are Transforming the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• ONS books:
• Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice (Second Edition)
• Clinical Guide to Antineoplastic Therapy: A Chemotherapy Handbook (Fourth Edition)
• ONS courses:
• ONS Cancer Biology™
• ONS/ONCC Chemotherapy Immunotherapy Certificate™
• Safe Handling Basics
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:
• Afatinib Therapy: Practical Management of Adverse Events With an Oral Agent for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treat