Dr. Paz-Ares on Connection of EGFR-Expression and Necitumumab Response in NSCLC

Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre in Madrid, Spain, discusses a subgroup analysis of patients with EGFR-expressing tumors from the SQUIRE trial, a phase III study of gemcitabine—cisplatin plus necitumumab versus gemcitabine–cisplatin alone as first-line treatment for patients with stage IV squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The SQUIRE trial was positive for the combination in the overall population. The goal of the analysis was to determine if there was a correlation between EGFR-expressing tumors and response to gemcitabine—cisplatin plus necitumumab, says Paz-Ares.

The results showed that patients that were EGFR-positive did benefit from the triple combination and the benefit was at least as high as the overall population, says Paz-Ares. The 5% if patients who did not have any EGFR-expression, did not experience any benefit from necitumumab, says Paz-Ares.

The data from non-expressing tumors is based on a very small patient population and Paz-Ares says he would not recommend excluding non-EGFR patients from receiving necitumumab at this time. It is, however an area that should be explored further, he says.

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