Dr. Fidler on the FLAURA Trial in EGFR-Mutant NSCLC

Mary J. Fidler, MD, associate professor, Rush University Medical Center, discusses overall survival (OS) data of the phase III FLAURA trial evaluating the use of frontline osimertinib (Tagrisso) in EGFR-mutant non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The FLAURA trial was unique because it included patients with brain metastases, explains Fidler. The trial randomized patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC to receive third-generation TKI osimertinib versus either of the first-generation TKIs erlotinib (Tarceva) or gefitinib (Iressa).

Initial results of the FLAURA trial showed that frontline osimertinib reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 54% compared with erlotinib or gefitinib in this patient population. The 3-year OS data, presented at the 2019 ESMO Congress, showed that patients treated with osimertinib has longer OS at 38.6 months (95% CI, 34.5-41.8) versus 31.8 months (95% CI, 26.6-36.0) for patients treated with erlotinib or gefitinib (HR, 0.799; 95% CI, 0.647-0.997; P = .0462).

Although a positive step forward, more research is needed in order to change lung cancer into a chronic illness, Fidler concludes.