AACR: Neoadjuvant, Adjuvant Durvalumab Beneficial for NSCLC

MONDAY, May 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), neoadjuvant and adjuvant durvalumab offers benefits in terms of pathologic complete response and event-free survival (EFS), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held from April 14 to 19 in Orlando, Florida.

John V. Heymach, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial involving adults with treatment-naive resectable NSCLC (stage II to IIIB). Participants were randomly assigned to receive either neoadjuvant durvalumab or placebo and platinum-based chemotherapy before surgery (four cycles), followed by further durvalumab or placebo (up to 12 cycles). A total of 802 patients were randomly assigned; 799 received treatment (400 durvalumab; 399 placebo).

The researchers found that the median event-free survival follow-up was 11.7 months. Patients in the durvalumab versus placebo arms had a significantly higher pathological complete response rate (17.2 versus 4.3 percent) and significantly prolonged EFS (median, not reached versus 25.9 months). During the overall treatment period, maximum grade 3/4 any-cause adverse events occurred in 42.3 and 43.4 percent in the durvalumab and placebo groups, respectively.

"This study shows that a combination of neoadjuvant and adjuvant durvalumab offers benefit for patients and may have the potential to change standard-of-care for patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer," Heymach said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, which manufactures durvalumab and conducted the study.

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