Dr. Perol Discusses Results of the ALEX Trial in ALK+ NSCLC

Maurice Perol, MD, medical oncologist, Centre Leon Berard, discusses the results of the ALEX trial in ALK-positive non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) during the 2018 European Lung Cancer Congress, which is a joint collaboration between ESMO and the IASLC.

The ALEX trial is a phase III head-to-head comparison of next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) alectinib (Alecensa) versus the standard of care TKI crizotinib (Xalkori). Alectinib improved the progression-free survival compared to standard-of-care crizotinib. The median PFS with crizotinib is around 11 months, while the median PFS with alectinib has not been reached at over 26 months.

Additionally, the time to central nervous system (CNS) progression was improved with alectinib, says Perol, which is important as there is a subgroup of patients with ALK-positive NSCLC who are at high risk for CNS metastases. Also, alectinib was better tolerated in this population, despite a longer treatment duration.