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New Medications Give Lung Cancer Patients Hope

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By Editorial Team

3 min read

Diagnosis and treatment are improving for people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Targeted therapies are at the forefront of this progress. They are a form of “personalized” medicine.1,2

Targeted therapy starts with a complete diagnostic assessment. This includes any genetic changes (mutations) in the cancer cells. Medicines then address the problems caused by your specific mutations. This approach is increasing survival rates by several years.1,2

Results from 2 studies published in 2024 offer even more hope to people with NSCLC. The results show dramatic improvements in survival rates with certain medicines. These treatments are changing the course of NSCLC.3,4

New clinical trial data on targeted therapies

Studies have shown that 2 targeted therapies extend life for people with certain types of NSCLC. Targeted therapies work by blocking specific proteins that help tumors grow. They only work if you have the genetic changes that the treatment targets.1,2

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The 2 targeted therapies are:3-6

  • Lorbrena® (lorlatinib): an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor
  • Tagrisso® (osimertinib): an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved these drugs to treat certain people with NSCLC. New studies have been testing the long-term benefits of these drugs. This includes their effects on:3,4

  • Progression-free survival (PFS): how long someone lives without disease worsening
  • Brain metastases: cancer cells spreading to the brain, which is a key challenge in NSCLC

Long-term benefits of Lorbrena in ALK-positive NSCLC

In 2021, the FDA approved Lorbrena to treat people with metastatic ALK-positive NSCLC. Metastatic cancer has spread from the place where it first grew. The cancer cells also have mutations in the ALK gene (ALK-positive).6.7

Initial clinical trials compared Lorbrena with an older ALK inhibitor, Xalkori® (crizotinib). People taking Lorbrena had longer PFS than people taking Xalkori. A follow-up 3 years later continued to show survival benefits. On average, people treated with Lorbrena lived more than 3 years without disease progression.8

One set of study results published in 2024 presented an analysis after 5 years of follow-up. Results continue to show incredible survival benefits, including:4

  • An average PFS of over 5 years (longer than any other ALK inhibitor)
  • A 5-year PFS rate of 60 percent, compared with 8 percent for Xalkori
  • An 81 percent lower rate of disease progression or death
  • A 94 percent lower risk of brain metastases

No new side effects emerged after treatment for 5 years. Overall, results showed remarkable progress in treatment for ALK-positive NSCLC. This study is ongoing, so there will be more data in the future.4

Benefits of Tagrisso for more people with EGFR-positive NSCLC

Tagrisso was approved in 2017 to treat people with metastatic EGFR-positive NSCLC. This means the cancer cells have an EGFR mutation (EGFR-positive). Tagrisso may be used with chemotherapy in this context. It may also be given after surgical removal of the tumor.3,5,9

A clinical trial tested Tagrisso in people with unresectable stage III EGFR-positive NSCLC. Unresectable means that surgery cannot remove the cancer. Stage III means the cancer has also spread to nearby parts of the body.3

About 25 percent of people with NSCLC have stage III disease at diagnosis. Up to 90 percent of these people have unresectable disease. And about 1 in 3 people with unresectable stage III NSCLC have EGFR mutations. No targeted therapies are approved for this population yet.3

The clinical trial showed significant survival benefits of Tagrisso in this population. Results included:3

  • An average PFS of over 3 years, compared with less than 6 months with placebo
  • An 84 percent lower risk of disease progression or death
  • An 8 percent risk of brain metastases, compared with 29 percent with placebo

This new study showed no new safety concerns of Tagrisso. Overall, the results show life-changing outcomes. This is important for a population that may not respond well to chemotherapy. This study is also ongoing. More data will be reported in the future.3

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The LungCancer.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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