Have We Found a Cure for Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer is the second most prevalent cancer diagnosed globally. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer and accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancers. It tends to recur when diagnosed at advanced stages, which makes treatment challenging.

Osimertinib: The Magic Drug for Lung Cancer?

In a clinical trial conducted by Yale Cancer Center, the targeted medication osimertinib for non-small cell lung cancer was found to improve patient survival and reduce the probability of recurrence after surgery. Dr. Roy Herbst, the principal investigator of the ADAURA Phase III clinical study and the deputy director of Yale Cancer Center, presented the findings this week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting for 2023.

The findings were published on June 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine. At Yale School of Medicine, Herbst also holds the positions of associate professor of medicine (medical oncology), assistant dean for translational research, and professor of pharmacology.

“ADAURA used osimertinib in the setting of lung cancer where patients already had surgery, and the results are impressive,” said Herbst, chief of medical oncology at Yale Cancer Center. “We’re moving this effective drug therapy into the earliest stages of the disease.”

The randomized, double-blind, international Phase III trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of osimertinib in patients with surgically excised EGFR-mutated NSCLC who had undergone prior adjuvant chemotherapy treatment or not (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Overall Survival with Osimertinib in Resected EGFR-Mutated NSCLC

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According to trial findings, osimertinib significantly improved central nervous system disease-free survival (DFS) over placebo, decreased the risk of local and distant metastases (tumor spread), and prolonged disease-free survival (DFS) for NSCLC patients.

Osimertinib can Decrease the Risk of Death by 51%

In the overall population of patients with stage IB to IIIA disease, the ADAURA study found that osimertinib reduced the risk of death by 51%. In all, 88% of patients treated with osimertinib following surgery survived at least five years, compared to 78% of patients treated with a placebo.

“In the U.S., 10 to 15% of patients with lung cancer will have mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor, and these patients, even after they receive the best available therapy, their tumor still often comes back,” said Herbst. “We’re now adding osimertinib, a pill that targets this specific receptor, and what we’ve found is a significant overall survival benefit for patients who received osimertinib.”

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Reference:

1. Overall Survival with Osimertinib in Resected EGFR-Mutated NSCLC - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37272535/)

Source-Medindia