Lung cancer is the foremost cause of cancer-related deaths world-wide. Both, the 
major forms of lung cancer, Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Small cell 
lung cancers (SCLC), have responded effectively to chemo-, radiation and 
adjuvant-therapies. Tumor removal through surgery also appeared as a good 
therapeutic strategy. However, these therapies demonstrated unfavourable 
side-effects, and hence novel drugs targeting lung cancer emerged essential. 
Activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinases is a key 
reason for lung cancer progression. Two important strategies that have 
attenuated lung cancers were through treatments with EGFR-tyrosine 
kinase-inhibitors, erlotinib and gefitinib, or EGFR-neutralizing antibodies, 
cetuximab and bevacizumab. A major advantage with erlotinib and gefitinib was 
their role in second and third-line treatments following chemotherapies. Phase 
II/III clinical trials showed that combinatorial treatment of tyrosine kinase 
(TK)-inhibitors with chemotherapeutics, such as docetaxel and pemetrexed, caused 
significant improvements in progression-free survival and overall survival.Phase 
I and II clinical studies also revealed that combination of tyrosine 
kinase-inhibitors with the EGFR-targeted antibodies was an effective approach 
for treating lung cancer. However, patients having T790M-mutations within EGFR 
gene were resistant to erlotinib and gefitinib. Alternatively, another 
second-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase-inhibitor, afatinib, that could 
circumvent the problem of drug resistance has been developed as lung cancer 
therapy. The current review focuses on the role of EGFR in lung cancer 
progression and apprises about the EGFR-targeted therapies. The review also 
informs on the adverse side-effects of these therapies and enlightens the need 
for safer therapeutic regimens to eradicate this dreaded disease.