Sanjay Popat, MBBS, FRCP, PhD, medical oncologist, the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, professor of Thoracic Oncology, the Institute of Cancer Research, discusses the investigation of lurbinectedin as a second-line treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). 

A phase 2 basket trial (NCT02454972) evaluated the safety and efficacy of lurbinectedin in patients with solid tumors, including SCLC. Data from the SCLC cohort showed that lurbinectedin elicited an overall response rate (ORR) of 35.2% per investigator assessment, Popat says. Notably, patients with chemotherapy-resistant disease experienced an ORR of 22.2% with lurbinectedin, which was higher than the 5% that was expected in that setting, Popat adds. The median progression-free survival benefit observed with the agent was also meaningful, according to Popat.

Since this was a single-arm study, it is difficult to make comparisons with it— especially since there may have been an element of patient selection bias as is inevitable in trials of relapsed SCLC, Popat adds.Regardless, these data were the first signal that lurbinectedin may be a beneficial option in this patient population, Popat concludes. 

Videos

Sanjay Popat, MBBS, FRCP, PhD, discusses the investigation of lurbinectedin as a second-line treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer. 


Dr. Popat on the Investigation of Lurbinectedin in Second-line SCLC

Sanjay Popat, BSc, MBBS, FRCP, PhD, professor, consultant thoracic medical oncologist, The Royal Marsden, honorary clinical senior lecturer, Molecular Genetics and Genomics Group, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, discusses the clinical implications of the final results of the phase 3 ALTA-1L trial (NCT02737501) in 

-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

During the 2021 ESMO Congress, the final results of the ALTA-1L trial were presented virtually. The findings demonstrated consistent efficacy and safety with brigatinib (Alunbrig) vs crizotinib (Xalkori) in patients with 

-positive NSCLC as reported in previous interim analyses. Brigatinib induced a 52% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared with crizotinib in this patient population, Popat says. Although overall survival data are maturing, a similar OS was observed in  the brigatinib and crizotinib arms. 

Additionally, high intracranial efficacy continued to be observed with brigatinib, which reduced the risk of intracranial progression by 56% in all patients and 71% in patients with baseline brain metastases vs crizotinib, Popat says.

Finally, treatment with brigatinib was associated with improved health-related quality of life compared with crizotinib, Popat concludes.

Sponsorship provided by Takeda/Content Developed Independently by OncLive

Sanjay Popat, BSc, MBBS, FRCP, PhD, discusses the clinical implications of the final results of the phase 3 ALTA-1L trial in ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer. Scroll to 0:07 in the video for Dr. Popat's topline points on the data.


Sanjay Popat, PhD, FRCP, The Royal Marsden Hospital

Articles

Dr. Popat on the Investigation of Lurbinectedin in Second-line SCLC

Dr. Popat on the Clinical Implications of the Final Results of the ALTA-1L Trial in ALK+ NSCLC