Findings seen for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, following standard induction therapy
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, May 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Maintenance therapy with lurbinectedin (lurbi) and atezolizumab (atezo) helps some patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) live longer versus maintenance therapy with atezolizumab alone, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from May 31 to June 4 in Chicago.
Luis G. Paz Ares, M.D., Ph.D., from the Universidad Complutense and Ciberonc in Madrid, and colleagues assessed outcomes for 660 treatment-naive patients with ES-SCLC treated with standard induction therapy (atezo, carboplatin, and etoposide) for four 21-day cycles (q3w). Patients without disease progression were then randomly assigned to either maintenance treatment q3w with lurbi (3.2 mg/m2; with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor prophylaxis) + atezo (1,200 mg; 242 patients) or atezo alone (241 patients) until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal.
The researchers report that at a median 15 months of follow-up, progression-free survival by an independent review facility was significantly improved with lurbi + atezo versus atezo alone (stratified hazard ratio, 0.54). Additionally, a significant benefit in overall survival was seen with lurbi + atezo versus atezo alone (stratified hazard ratio, 0.73). Median maintenance treatment duration was 4.1 months with lurbi and 4.2 months with atezo in the lurbi + atezo group, and 2.1 months with atezo alone. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 83.5 percent of participants in the lurbi + atezo group versus 40.0 percent of patients in the atezo-only group. Adverse events led to treatment discontinuation in 6.2 and 3.3 percent of participants, respectively.
“This outcome represents a major milestone and could provide a much-needed option for advancing the treatment of this aggressive disease,” Ares said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Jazz Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures lurbinectedin, and Genentech, which manufactures atezolizumab and funded the study.
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