Dr. Hassan on FLAURA Trial Results in EGFR-Mutant NSCLC

Khaled A. Hassan, MD, MS, a medical oncologist at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, discusses the results of the FLAURA trial, which compared osimertinib (Tagrisso) with first-generation TKIs in patients with EGFR-mutant metastatic non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The FLAURA trial changed the management of patients with EGFR-driven cancers, explains Hassan. The trial showed a significant improvement in progression-free survival with osimertinib at 18.9 months versus 10.2 months with the first-generation EGFR TKIs erlotinib (Tarceva) or gefitinib (Iressa). There was also activity in patients with brain metastases compared with first-generation EGFR TKIs. Additionally, toxicity levels were low with osimertinib.

At the 2019 ESMO Congress, overall survival data showed a significant improvement with osimertinib at 38 months compared with 31 months with the first-generation TKIs. At 3 years, around 28% of patients were still taking osimertinib versus 9% of patients who received standard EGFR TKIs. These data solidify the role of osimertinib as a first-line treatment for patients with EGFR mutations, meaning any trial looking at patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC moving forward should have osimertinib as the control arm, Hassan concludes.