Clinical Advances in Hematology & OncologyHighlights in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer from the IASLC 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer

A Comprehensive Review of Nine Recent Studies

The field of oncology is witnessing a paradigm shift with the advent of novel therapies and drug combinations. This review encapsulates nine recent studies that have made significant strides in improving treatment outcomes for various types of cancer, particularly lung cancer.

Key Points

1. EVOKE-02 Study: Sacituzumab govitecan, an antibody-drug conjugate, combined with pembrolizumab showed promising results in the first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
2. FLAURA2 Trial: Osimertinib combined with pemetrexed and a platinum-containing agent showed improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with untreated, locally advanced or metastatic, EGFR-mutated NSCLC.
3. MARS 2 Trial: Pleurectomy decortication surgery did not improve overall survival (OS) in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma compared to chemotherapy alone.
4. Benmelstobart Study: Benmelstobart, a novel immune-checkpoint inhibitor, combined with anlotinib and chemotherapy showed promising results as a first-line therapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).
5. ILLUMINATE Study: Durvalumab combined with chemotherapy showed no significant improvement in overall survival in patients with resectable EGFR-mutated NSCLC.
6. RATIONALE-312 Study: First-line chemotherapy with or without tislelizumab showed improved survival rates in patients with ES-SCLC.
7. AEGEAN Study: Neoadjuvant durvalumab combined with chemotherapy followed by adjuvant durvalumab did not significantly improve event-free survival in patients with resectable EGFR-mutated NSCLC.
8. IMpower151 Study: Atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab and chemotherapy showed improved survival endpoints in patients with 1L metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC.
9. RATIONALE-312 Study: Tislelizumab combined with chemotherapy showed improved survival rates in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

In my opinion, MARS 2 is the pivotal abstract presented at the conference. The data surrounding surgery for mesothelioma have never been of particularly high quality. We have seen good outcomes in patients who have undergone surgery. However, is it possible the reason these patients have good outcomes is that they are clinically in better shape? The question has been whether the surgery itself added to the outcome.
— Edward B. Garon, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

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