Dr. Elamin on Poziotinib Efficacy and Mutation Insertion Location in NSCLC

Yasir Y. Elamin, MD, assistant professor, Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, the Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the efficacy of poziotinib in patients with EGFR exon 20–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with near-loop vs far-loop mutations.

A phase 2 study (NCT03066206) investigated the efficacy and safety of poziotinib in this population. The agent showed a 32.0% confirmed objective response rate (ORR) in the entire study population.

The phase 2 study focused on mutation insertion location in order to understand why some patients responded to poziotinib while others progressed, Elamin says. The response rate was 46% in patients with near-loop mutations, whereas no patients with far-loop mutations responded, Elamin notes.

Additionally, the median progression-free survival (PFS), as well as 6-month and 12-month PFS rates, displayed a trend toward better outcomes in patients with near-loop mutations, Elamin explains. Ba/F3 cells in preclinical models further supported these findings, confirming that patients with near-loop mutations are more sensitive to poziotinib, and that insertion location affects the activity and efficacy of the drug in these mutations, Elamin concludes.