WCLC 2019 Day 2 news highlights
Find out the latest headlines plus expert opinions on study results in our from day two of the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer. (7–8 September, Barcelona, Spain).
Durvalumab-chemotherapy combination improves overall survival in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer patients
Research presented by Luis Paz-Ares from the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Madrid, Spain) has demonstrated that the addition of durvalumab to chemotherapy improves overall survival and reduces mortality risk in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.
The CASPIAN trial included 537 previously untreated patients with extensive-stage lung cancer who were randomized to receive either durvalumab plus four courses of etoposide-platinum (EP) chemotherapy, durvalumab plus tremelimumab plus EP for four cycles or up to six cycles of EP alone.
Key results include that patients in the immunotherapy arm of the trial achieved a median overall survival of 13 months compared to 10.3 months for the etoposide-platinum control group. In addition, 33.9% of the patients who received durvalumab were alive at 18 months as compared to only 24.7%
Paz-Ares concluded: “The addition of durvalumab to EP as first-line treatment for extensive-stage non-small cell lung cancer significantly improved overall survival (27% reduction in risk of death) versus a robust control arm that permitted up to six cycles of etoposide. Of note, this chemo-immunotherapy regimen offers flexibility in platinum choice (carboplatin or cisplatin), reflecting current clinical practice for this challenging disease.”
Video-assisted surgery could yield more promising patient outcomes than open surgery
A study investigating British patients who were diagnosed at an early stage of lung cancer has found that video-assisted thoracic surgery is associated with more favorable patient outcomes including fewer in-hospital complications and a shorter stay in hospital.
The research study included 503 patients from nine surgery centres within the UK, the randomized patients who had received VATS had a significant reduction of overall in-hospital complications (32.8%) compared to patients who received open surgery (44.3%). Moreover, patients randomized to VATS stayed in the hospital 1 day less.
“The VIOLET Trial is the largest randomized trial conducted to date to compare clinical efficacy, safety and oncologic outcomes of VATS versus open surgery for lung cancer. The study achieved its positive results without any compromise to early oncologic outcomes—pathologic complete resection and upstaging of mediastinal lymph nodes,” Eric Lim (Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK) commented.
