Lung Cancer Was a Death Sentence. Now Drugs Are Saving Lives.
“There is more hope than ever for people diagnosed with the deadliest cancer. Declines in smoking and the advent of screening and newer drugs have transformed the outlook for patients with lung cancer, once considered a death sentence. Progress against the disease has propelled the drop in overall cancer deaths in the U.S. over the past three decades.”
Temple University Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center Researchers Characterize HER2 Mutations in Patients With Lung Adenocarcinoma
“PHILADELPHIA (June 3, 2024) — Human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) mutations can be identified in up to 6% of non-small cell lung cancer cases where KRAS, EGFR, or ALK gene mutations are also found, according to the results of research from Temple University Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center presented today at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.”
TAGRISSO® (osimertinib) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 84% in patients with unresectable, Stage III EGFR-mutated lung cancer vs. placebo in LAURA Phase III trial
“First and only EGFR inhibitor and targeted treatment to show benefit in Stage III setting, extending progression-free survival by more than three years. Positive results from the LAURA Phase III trial showed AstraZeneca’s TAGRISSO® (osimertinib) demonstrated a statistically significant and highly clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with unresectable, Stage III epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) mutations, after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) compared to placebo after CRT.”
Imfinzi is first and only immunotherapy to show survival benefit in limited-stage small cell lung cancer in global Phase III trial, reducing the risk of death by 27% vs. placebo
“57% of patients treated with Imfinzi were alive at three years in ADRIATIC Phase III trial
Positive results from the ADRIATIC Phase III trial showed AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi (durvalumab) demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in the dual primary endpoints of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared to placebo for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) who had not progressed following standard-of-care concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT).”
Telehealth Palliative Care Remains Beneficial in Advanced Lung Cancer
“Palliative care was determined to be equally beneficial to in-person quality-of-life visits for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to research presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting. Results from the REACH PC trial (NCT033754890) “underscore the potential to increase access to evidence based early palliative care through telehealth delivery,” stated researcher Joseph Greer, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston, during a press briefing at the conference.”
KRAZATI (adagrasib) Demonstrated Statistically Significant Improvement in Progression-Free Survival in Patients with Pretreated Locally Advanced or Metastatic KRASG12C-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
“Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced results from the Phase 3 KRYSTAL-12 study evaluating KRAZATI® (adagrasib)compared to standard of care chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic KRASG12C-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had previously received platinum-based chemotherapy, concurrently or sequentially with anti-PD-(L)1 therapy. At a median follow-up of 9.4 months, KRAZATI demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS), the study’s primary endpoint, as assessed by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) compared to docetaxel (HR: 0.58; [95% CI, 0.45-0.76]; P <0.0001).”
Lung-RADS update helps limit false-positive results, unnecessary procedures
“A comparison between Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS) version 1.1 and Lung-RADS version 2022 found the newer version helped reduce the number of false-positive screening CT examinations while still identifying malignant airway nodules. The study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, recently published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, demonstrated the improved diagnostic accuracy of version 2022, which may lead to a decrease in unnecessary interventions such as bronchoscopy.”
Pfizer’s Lorbrena extends life for patients with rare lung cancer
“Pfizer’s lung cancer drug Lorbrena can extend life for patients with a rare form of the disease for years longer than other drugs, according to new research published Friday. The drug treats a type of non-small cell lung cancer with a genetic mutation called ALK. Non-small cell lung cancers account for about 85% of lung cancer diagnoses, and ALK-positive cancers account for about 4% of those diagnoses — more than 70,000 people every year. The cancer tends to occur in younger patients who are nonsmokers.”
Gilead’s Trodelvy extends lung cancer survival by just 1.3 months in trial
“(Reuters) – Gilead Sciences’ Trodelvy improved survival by 1.3 months more than chemotherapy in previously treated patients with advanced lung cancer in a late-stage trial, a difference that was not statistically significant, the company said on Friday. Patients given Trodelvy lived for a median of 11.1 months, while those on chemotherapy lived for 9.8 months, Gilead said. The company in January said that the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) trial had failed to meet its main goal of proving Trodelvy could extend survival over chemotherapy.”
Optellum showcases AI for precision lung cancer treatment at ASCO 2024
“OXFORD, United Kingdom, May 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Optellum, a global leader in AI-driven clinical decision support for early lung cancer diagnosis, has launched its multimodal therapy AI guidance platform for life science research. The novel AI software and scientific results, showing potential to optimize curative lung cancer treatment, will be showcased for the first time at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago (31 May—4 June).”
CT Study Links Better Five-Year Prognosis with Minor Ground Glass Opacity Component in NSCLC Lung Nodules
“In comparison to pure solid nodules in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), nodules with a minor ground glass opacity component were associated with over a 38 percent higher rate of recurrence-free survival. For patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), new computed tomography (CT) research suggests the presence of minor ground glass opacity (GGO) component may indicate significantly less pathologic lymph node involvement and predict significantly improved five-year outcomes in comparison to those with pure solid lung nodules.”
