A new therapeutic combination reduces the progression of a type of advanced lung cancer with metastasis and offers better benefits compared to current treatment, as discovered by research from the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO).
The study, led by the co-director of the VHIO Clinical Research Program, Enriqueta Felip, was presented this Friday during the first day of the Congress of the American Society of Medical Oncology (ASCO), which takes place in Chicago (United States), The Barcelona hospital has reported.
The new method combines a drug and an antibody
This clinical trial, in phase 3 and named Mariposa, is specifically aimed at patients with non-small cell lung cancer with mutations in EGFR.
The EGFR gene mutation is found in around 15% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer and is one of the most common oncogenic mutations in this type of cancer.
Until now, an oral inhibitor of the EGFR gene was used with this type of patient, but in Vall d’Hebron they have verified that the problem with this strategy lies in the fact that the disease continues to progress, eventually because the tumor develops new molecular alterations that make them resistant to treatment.
In this situation, Dr. Felip’s team has demonstrated the effectiveness of a new method that combines two elements: a third-generation anti-EGFR drug, lazertinib, together with an antibody, called amivantamab.
The combination reduced the risk of disease progression and death by 30%
Felip explained that the antibody has the ability to block EGFR and another receptor called MET, which stops the growth of lung tumor cells.
The study has shown that the combination of the two drugs reduced the risk of disease progression and death by 30% compared to standard treatment (osimertinib).
In the trial, researchers analyzed the results of progression-free survival, that is, the time from the start of treatment until the tumor progresses again, in groups of patients considered high risk.
They observed that the patients who participated in the study treated with the standard drug had a median progression-free survival of between 9.1 and 14.8 months, while in those who were tested the new therapeutic combination the figures ranged from 16. .5 at 20.3 months.
“Although subsequent follow-up analyzes will be necessary to determine the statistical and clinical significance of overall survival, this novel combination could become a new opportunity for lung cancer patients,” said Felip, who is also section head of the Vall d’Hebron Medical Oncology Service.
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