Dr Liu Previews ASCO 2024 Lung Cancer Data

Stephen V. Liu, MD, associate professor, medicine, Georgetown University, director, Thoracic Oncology, head, Developmental Therapeutics, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses several studies being presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting that may provide valuable insights into the management of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

At the upcoming meeting, there will be an array of impactful data in NSCLC, Liu begins. Notably, the phase 3 LAURA trial (NCT03521154) of consolidation osimertinib (Tagrisso) following chemoradiation in patients with unresectable, stage III EGFR-mutant NSCLC will be featured in the ASCO plenary session. Previously reported data from the trial demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival following chemoradiation vs placebo after chemoradiation. This study has the potential to significantly alter clinical practice, Liu states. The current standard of care in EGFR-mutant NSCLC has been durvalumab (Imfinzi); however, the agent's efficacy in this setting has been suboptimal, according to Liu. For patients with stage III NSCLC who undergo chemoradiation, targeted therapy, such as osimertinib, may confer higher benefit, he says, adding that the LAURA trial will provide the necessary data to substantiate this approach.

Findings from the phase 3 EVOKE-01 trial (NCT05089734) will also be presented at the meeting, Liu continues. EVOKE-01 is evaluating the TROP-2–targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy) vs docetaxel in patients with metastatic or advanced NSCLC who have experienced disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy and a checkpoint inhibitor. Although the study did not meet its primary end point of overall survival (OS) with sacituzumab govitecan, a numerical improvement in OS favoring this ADC over docetaxel was observed, particularly for patients with both squamous and nonsquamous disease histologies. Accordingly, the detailed analysis of the curves and subset data being presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting will be crucial for understanding how this drug can be better incorporated into NSCLC treatment approaches, Liu explains.

Lastly, data from the phase 3 CheckMate 77T trial (NCT04025879) investigating perioperative chemoimmunotherapy in patients with resectable, early-stage NSCLC are highly anticipated, Liu emphasizes. The study is assessing neoadjuvant nivolumab (Opdivo) plus chemotherapy vs neoadjuvant placebo plus chemotherapy, followed by surgery and adjuvant treatment with nivolumab vs placebo, in patients with resectable, early-stage NSCLC. CheckMate 77T will provide insights into the potential benefits of incorporating immunotherapy in the perioperative setting for patients with NSCLC, Liu says. Overall, the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting promises to be a pivotal conference for advancements in lung cancer management, with numerous studies likely to influence and change clinical practices, he concludes.