Advance of the Therapeutic Potential of Quinazoline Hybrids Against Lung Cancer

Lung cancer, with high morbidity and mortality, is the most common malignant tumor worldwide, posing a serious threat to human life and health. Chemotherapy is of great significance in the treatment of lung cancer, and in recent decades, the overall survival rate as well as the quality of life of lung cancer patients have been significantly improved due to the great achievements in the development of novel chemotherapeutic interventions. However, multidrug resistance and systemic toxicity are surmountable obstacles for effective therapy. Quinazoline derivatives are potential epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors(EGFR-TKIs) and exhibit promising activity against various cancers, especially lung cancer. Among them, several quinazoline derivatives represented by erlotinib, gefitinib, icotinib, afatinib, and dacomitinib have already been widely applied in clinical practice for lung cancer therapy. Accordingly, quinazoline derivatives occupy a prominent place in the current anti-lung cancer chemotherapeutic arsenal. Particularly, quinazoline hybrids can act on multiple targets in lung cancer cells simultaneously, thereby having the potential to improve the anti-lung cancer efficacy, overcome drug resistance, and reduce side effects. This review emphasizes the current landscape of quinazoline hybrids with therapeutic potential against lung cancer, along with structure-activity relationships and modes of action, covering articles published from 2021 onwards, aiming to provide references for further research.