Efficacy of Osimertinib in EGFR-Mutated, Unresectable Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
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Reviewed & Translated by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
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Posted on September 25th, 2024
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Due to the nature of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), most cases are not suitable for surgical resection, making chemoradiotherapy combined with durvalumab the standard treatment. Previous research has shown that NSCLC patients with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tend to have poorer prognosis. Osimertinib, an EGFR inhibitor, was recently evaluated for its effectiveness in treating EGFR-mutated NSCLC in a study sponsored by AstraZeneca.
The phase 3 clinical trial conducted in Japan included 216 patients with unresectable, stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations. Histological analysis revealed that the majority of the tumors were adenocarcinomas, with 3% being squamous cell carcinoma. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either a daily oral dose of 80 mg osimertinib or a placebo, continuing until disease progression. After a median follow-up of 22 months, osimertinib was found to significantly extend progression-free survival to 39.1 months, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 84%, compared to the 5.6 months reported for the placebo group. The researchers noted that while previous studies suggested an increased risk of pneumonitis with other EGFR inhibitors, the risk observed in this trial was elevated but not clinically significant when compared to the control group.
The phase 3 clinical trial conducted in Japan included 216 patients with unresectable, stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations. Histological analysis revealed that the majority of the tumors were adenocarcinomas, with 3% being squamous cell carcinoma. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either a daily oral dose of 80 mg osimertinib or a placebo, continuing until disease progression. After a median follow-up of 22 months, osimertinib was found to significantly extend progression-free survival to 39.1 months, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 84%, compared to the 5.6 months reported for the placebo group. The researchers noted that while previous studies suggested an increased risk of pneumonitis with other EGFR inhibitors, the risk observed in this trial was elevated but not clinically significant when compared to the control group.