Combo Immunotherapy With Durvalumab Effective for NSCLC

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), combination immunotherapy with the anti-programmed death-ligand 1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab and other novel agents outperforms durvalumab alone in the neoadjuvant setting, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in Cancer Discovery.

Tina Cascone, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues examined novel neoadjuvant immuno-oncology combinations for patients with resectable NSCLC using major pathological response (MPR) as the primary end point.

Eighty-three patients received a single cycle of treatment (26 durvalumab monotherapy, 21 durvalumab plus oleclumab [anti-CD73], 20 durvalumab plus monalizumab [anti-NKG2A], and 16 durvalumab plus danvatirsen [anti-STAT3 antisense oligonucleotide]). The researchers found that patients in the combination arms had higher MPR rates compared with those receiving durvalumab alone. The safety profiles were similar for the combinations and durvalumab alone. In the groups receiving durvalumab plus oleclumab and durvalumab plus monalizumab, improved MPR rates were associated with enhanced effector immune infiltration of tumors, interferon responses and markers of tertiary lymphoid structure formation, and systemic functional immune-cell activation.

"This study builds on the growing evidence that combination immunotherapy has a role in the neoadjuvant setting for this patient population," Cascone said in a statement. "Ultimately, we want to give patients a chance to live longer without their cancer returning."

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

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