Healio round-up: 2020 game changing lung cancer trials

2020 presented many challenges, including the transformation of conferences and meetings into virtual events.

Healio rounded up coverage and expert analysis of game changing trials in lung cancer. Experts presented and discussed this data at many meetings, such as ASCO, ESMO, the International Lung Cancer Congress and the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium.

ADAURA Trial

The multicenter phase 3 trial ADAURA, assessed the safety and efficacy of adjuvant osimertinib following complete tumor resection among patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Findings from ADAURA were presented at multiple meetings, and Healio spoke with one of the researchers, Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, associate cancer center director for translational research at Yale Cancer Center, about the impact of this trial.

According to Vivek Subbiah, MD, associate professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, this may be a “potentially paradigm-shifting phase 3 study.” Julia K. Rotow, MD, medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Nathan A. Pennell, MD, PhD, medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic and associate professor medical oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College, and Jyoti D. Patel, MD, associate vice chair for clinical research and professor of medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, also provided commentary on findings from the trial.

CheckMate 227

The CheckMate 227 trial investigated the durability of response and long-term overall survival among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received nivolumab and ipilimumab. At the ASCO 2020 virtual meeting, researchers presented 3-year follow up data.

Both Jyoti D. Patel, MD, associate vice chair for clinical research and professor of medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and Julia K. Rotow, MD, medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, noted that the findings from CheckMate 227 led to an FDA approval. However, Rotow did caution that “it remains to be seen how this will integrate into practice.”

CITYSCAPE Trial

In CITYSCAPE, researchers investigated “a novel immune checkpoint inhibitor” in the first-line treatment setting.

Patients included in the trial had a PD-L1-selected non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and received either the anti-TIGIT antibody tiragolumab (Roche) plus atezolizumab (Tecentriq, Genentech/Roche) or a placebo plus atezolizumab.

According to Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, vice president of research at LUNGevity Foundation, more treatment options for patients is exciting “as a scientist” but tempers with the reminder that “patient preference is of paramount importance.”

LIBRETTO-001

Researchers assessed response rate, duration of response and safety of selpercatinib among patients with RET-fusion positive non-small cell lung cancer, and the findings from LIBRETTO-001 were presented at the ASCO 2020 virtual meeting.

A subgroup analysis of LIBRETTO-001 data included patients with RET-fusion positive non-small cell lung cancer and CNS metastases, according to Vivek Subbiah, MD, associate professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Julia K. Rotow, MD, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, also highlighted the subgroup analysis data.

LungART Trial

The LungART trial was a randomized trial assessing the disease-free survival among patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer and N2 mediastinal N2 involvement who received post-operative radiotherapy. The data presented at the ASCO 2020 virtual meeting included 4.5 years of follow-up, and despite not reaching the primary endpoint the trial is still “practice-changing,” according to James Stevenson, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist at Cleveland Clinic, and Jyoti D. Patel, MD, associate vice chair for clinical research and professor of medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

PIONeeR Trial

PIONeeR, presented at this year’s virtual ESMO annual meeting, investigated potential biomarkers to identify who would and would not respond to immunotherapy treatment. According to Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, associate cancer center director for translational research at Yale Cancer Center, the study was “fantastic” because immunotherapy is the future.

Among the excitement, James Stevenson, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist at Cleveland Clinic, advised further study of pharmacokinetics in immunotherapy treatment.