Dr. Massarelli on Unmet Needs in EGFR Exon 20–Mutated NSCLC

Erminia Massarelli, MD, PhD, MS, co-director, Lung Cancer and Thoracic Oncology Program, section chief, Thoracic Oncology, associate professor, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, discusses unmet needs in EGFR exon 20–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Brain metastasis is difficult to treat in this patient population, as there is not clear data that EGFR exon 20 inhibitors are effective in patients with brain metastases, Massarelli explains. Current agents such as mobocertinib (Exkivity) do not penetrate the central nervous system (CNS), Massarelli says. Therefore, clinicians are awaiting data from a new class of compounds that may have the potential to penetrate the CNS.

The bispecific antibody, amivantamab-vmjw (Rybrevant), targets EGFR and MET, but still does not penetrate the blood brain barrier, Massarelli continues. There is still much to be desired in this area, as clinicians await a new class of drugs in clinical trials that will fulfill this unmet need, Massarelli concludes.