Dr. Brahmer on Emerging Targeted Therapies in EGFR Exon 20–Mutated Lung Cancer

Julie R. Brahmer, MD, co-director of the Upper Aerodigestive Department in the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, director of Thoracic Oncology, and professor of oncology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses emerging targeted therapies for patients with lung cancer who harbor EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations.

Patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations are not typically sensitive to the same TKIs that have demonstrated efficacy in patients with EGFR exon 19 or exon 21 mutations, Brahmer explains.

Osimertinib (Tagrisso) may have utility in patients with EGFR exon 20–mutant lung cancer when given daily at a dose of 160 mg, Brahmer says. Additionally, other monoclonal antibodies and TKIs have demonstrated initial clinical activity in this subgroup of patients; however, it is not yet clear whether these targeted approaches will be superior to chemotherapy, concludes Brahmer.