ASCO 2013 Report — Lung Cancer

Abstract

At this year's annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO 2013), held May 31 through June 5 in Chicago, specialists discussed the latest cancer research. The editors of NEJM Journal Watch Oncology and Hematology were on hand to cover key presentations at the conference. Here, Anne Tsao, MD, reviews the latest lung cancer therapies. Crizotinib for ROS1-Mutated Patients with Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Ou and colleagues conducted a phase I, expansion-cohort trial (Abstract 8032) of crizotinib (250 mg twice a day) in 35 evaluable ROS1 -mutated patients with metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objective response rate (ORR) was 60% (including 2 complete responses and 19 partial responses), and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached, with 63% of patient still undergoing treatment. The probability of event-free survival at 6 months was 76%. The most common adverse event was grade-1 visual impairment (80%); no grade 4 or 5 adverse events were observed. One patient discontinued therapy due to toxicity. These results support the use of crizotinib to treat ROS1 -mutated patients with NSCLC. A phase II trial is ongoing, and an adjuvant ROS1- mutation NSCLC trial with crizotinib is under development. Dabrafenib for BRAF V600E NSCLC Planchard and colleagues conducted an interim analysis of a phase II, single-arm, 2-stage trial (Abstract 8009) of dabrafenib — a reversible, small-molecule inhibitor of BRAF V600 that blocks MEK-ERK1/2 pathway cell signaling — in 25 patients with BRAF V600E mutation-positive NSCLC who had failed at least one prior line of chemotherapy. Patients received 150 mg of dabrafenib twice a day. In 20 evaluable patients, the overall response rate (the primary endpoint) was 40%, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 60%. The median duration of treatment was 84 days; 48% of patients remained on treatment. The most common adverse events included …