Dr. Ozguroglu on the Individualization of Treatment in NSCLC

Mustafa Özguröğlu, MD, professor of medical oncology, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey, discusses the individualization of treatment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

NSCLC is a heterogenous disease and each patient with NSCLC is unique, explains Özguröğlu. Moreover, patients have various clinical characteristics, so treatment should be tailored to the individual instead of utilizing a one-size-fits-all approach, Özguröğlu continues.

The phase 3 EMPOWER-Lung1 trial (NCT03088540) enrolled patients with treatment-naïve NSCLC and PD-L1 positivity of 50% or greater. Additionally, patients with treated, clinically stable central nervous system metastases and controlled hepatitis B or C or HIV were eligible for enrollment. 

During the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, findings from a subgroup analysis of EMPOWER-Lung1 demonstrated that first-line cemiplimab (Libtayo) improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and overall response rate compared with chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC with PD-L1 positivity of 50% or greater and clinically stable, baseline brain metastases. As such, treatment for this patient population should be tailored to include cemiplimab, Özguröğlu concludes.