Is Imfinzi + Chemotherapy Effective for Lung Cancer?
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This article is a summary of international medical information and is not medical advice; it cannot replace the diagnosis or treatment plan of your attending physician. The medical technologies, drug information and clinical data presented here are compiled from public literature and official statements of major Japanese medical institutions; the applicability and outcome of any therapy vary with each patient and must be assessed individually by a qualified physician.
On April 16, 2023, AstraZeneca announced the results of the Phase 3 AEGEAN clinical trial in patients with resectable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), using Imfinzi + chemotherapy as neoadjuvant therapy followed by Imfinzi monotherapy as adjuvant therapy.
AEGEAN is an international, multi-center, randomized, double-blind Phase 3 trial. Patients with Stage IIA-IIIB NSCLC were randomized to receive neoadjuvant Imfinzi (1500mg every 3 weeks for 4 cycles) + chemotherapy followed by adjuvant Imfinzi monotherapy (1500mg every 4 weeks for up to 12 cycles, N=366) or the placebo group (N=374). The primary endpoints were pathological complete response (pCR) and event-free survival (EFS), while key secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and safety.
The results showed a significant improvement in the primary endpoint of pCR: 17.2% (N=63) in the Imfinzi + chemotherapy group compared to 4.3% (N=16) in the placebo group. For the other primary endpoint, the median EFS was not reached in the Imfinzi + chemotherapy group, while it was 25.9 months in the placebo group.
Regarding safety, the profile was consistent with the known safety profile of Imfinzi, and no new safety signals were observed in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant settings. The incidence of Grade 3-4 adverse events was 42.3% in the Imfinzi + chemotherapy group and 43.4% in the placebo group.
Based on the AEGEAN trial results, John V. Heymach from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center stated at the AACR Annual Meeting: "Many patients with resectable NSCLC experience recurrence despite treatment. These findings suggest that using Imfinzi both before and after surgery may improve cure rates for these patients."
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