This website is intended for healthcare professionals only.

Hospital Healthcare Europe
Hospital Pharmacy Europe     Newsletter          

Durvalumab shows significant survival benefit in small cell lung cancer

Results presented at the Presidential Symposium of the IASLC 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer have shown improved overall survival with Imfinzi in small cell lung cancer. 
 
The Phase III CASPIAN trial showed significantly improved overall survival in patients with previously-untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Imfinzi in combination with four cycles of standard-of-care (SoC) chemotherapy (etoposide with either cisplatin or carboplatin) demonstrated a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in OS vs. SoC comprising up to six cycles of chemotherapy and optional prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI).
 
The risk of death was reduced by 27% (HR 0.73), with median OS of 13.0 months for Imfinzi plus chemotherapy vs. 10.3 months for SoC. Results showed a prolonged OS benefit with an estimated 33.9% of patients alive at 18 months following treatment with Imfinzi plus chemotherapy vs. 24.7% of patients following SoC.
 
Across all efficacy endpoints, benefits were observed in patients treated with Imfinzi plus chemotherapy vs. SoC. Results showed a significantly higher progression-free survival rate at 12 months (17.5% vs. 4.7%), a 10.3% increase in confirmed objective response rate (67.9% vs. 57.6%), and improved duration of response at 12 months (22.7% vs. 6.3%).
 
José Baselga, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D said: “We are encouraged to see more than a third of small cell lung cancer patients treated with Imfinzi plus chemotherapy alive at the 18-month landmark, which is remarkable given the aggressive nature of the disease. It is also noteworthy that these results may enable physicians to choose Imfinzi in combination with either cisplatin or carboplatin chemotherapy backbones. We look forward to working with regulatory authorities to bring Imfinzi to patients with small cell lung cancer around the world as soon as possible.”
 
Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, Chair, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre, Madrid, Spain and principal investigator in the Phase III CASPIAN trial said: “Patients have had limited treatment options for small cell lung cancer, a devastating disease where the five-year survival rate has been as low as 6%. The significant survival benefit demonstrated with Imfinzi combined with only four cycles of a choice of chemotherapy compared to a robust control arm, provides evidence and hope of a new treatment option for these patients.
x