Interim results from a clinical trial involving AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi (durvalumab) has delivered better efficacy when combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy rather than chemotherapy alone.
This has been observed in management of resectable non-small cell lung cancer.
The phase 3 study, coded AEGEAN showed that patients administered with Imfinzi in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery and as adjuvant monotherapy after surgery exhibited a 32% decrease in risk of recurrence, progression events or mortality when compared to chemotherapy alone.
Analysis showed that 17.2% of patients on the Imfinzi-combination therapy showed absence of tumor cells in their resection specimen eclipsing the 4.3% observed in those on solely neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Participants in the trial were recruited from 264 centers spread throughout over 25 nations and regions, including the US, Canada, Europe, South America, and Asia.
According to AstraZeneca, Imfinzi, already approved in the UK and Switzerland, was generally “well tolerated, and no new safety signals were observed” in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings.
Additionally, adding Imfinzi to neoadjuvant chemotherapy did not interfere with patients’ ability to complete surgery versus chemotherapy alone.
“The majority of patients with resectable lung cancer face recurrence of their disease even after surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The Committee (FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee) acknowledged the potential to address this urgent unmet need with durvalumab both before and after surgery, which can significantly increase the time patients live without progression and recurrence events in this curative-intent setting,” John V. Heymach, Professor and Chair Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas
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