Dr. Gold on the Future of Osimertinib in Lung Cancer

Kathryn A. Gold, MD, associate professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego, discusses the future of osimertinib (Tagrisso) in the treatment of patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer.

Frontline osimertinib is here to stay, says Gold. The agent showed a 19-month progression-free survival, which Gold says is impressive for a very well tolerated drug. Combinations are likely to play a role in the treatment of resistance to osimertinib. The only standard option for patients who progress on osimertinib is cytotoxic chemotherapy, which many patients would like to avoid if possible, says Gold.

Sequencing is less clear following resistance to osimertinib, though clinicians are learning more about resistance mechanisms. Some data suggest that patients who have progressed with a C797S resistance mutation may maintain responsiveness to first- or second-generation agents, at least preclinically.

Clinically, clinicians do not have the data yet. Combination trials are going to be very important in this setting, says Gold. The TATTON trial, for example, is looking at a MET inhibitor in combination with osimertinib. Gold says this combination is looking very promising.