Dr. Kim Discusses Data From the IMpower150 Trial in Nonsquamous NSCLC

Edward S. Kim, MD, chair, Department of Solid Tumor Oncology, Levine Cancer Institute, discusses data from the phase III IMpower150 trial in advanced nonsquamous non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In the IMpower150 trial, patients with previously untreated advanced nonsquamous NSCLC were randomized to 1 of 3 arms: atezolizumab (Tecentriq) plus carboplatin and paclitaxel, bevacizumab (Avastin) plus carboplatin and paclitaxel (BCP), or atezolizumab and BCP (ABCP). Notably, bevacizumab was one of the first agents that showed a benefit in combination with platinum-based regimens, which were the standard of care in the early 2000s, says Kim.

In the trial, investigators reported an improvement in median progression-free survival with the ABCP regimen versus the BCP regimen. Notably, patients with liver metastases and those with EGFR or ALK alterations also derived benefit from the quadruplet therapy. The IMpower150 trial is unique in that it is one of the few immunotherapy trials that allowed patients with EGFR and ALK alterations who failed targeted therapy to enroll, adds Kim.

These results suggest that patients who progress on targeted therapy can receive the quadruplet therapy as opposed to a chemotherapy doublet. However, given that the population of patients with driver mutations was relatively small, the results do not represent a definitive standard of care, concludes Kim.