Introduction
Every year, there will be a certain treatment that will be the highlight of discussion and presentations in every oncology meetings/ events.
Last year, it was durvalumab, which delivered superior results for a subgroup of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Addition of immunotherapy, durvalumab, to chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment in stage 3 lung cancer prevent cancer from progressing for longer time.
Suitable patients must be:
- Stage 3 lung cancer
- Histology: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) – adenocarcinoma, squamous
- Good performance status a.k.a able to walk about and perform daily activities independently
- Complete chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments
Results?
- On average, 3x longer duration without disease progression 16.8 months (trimodality) vs 5.6 months (chemotherapy and radiotherapy only).
- At 18 months, no progression of cancer in 44% of patients on trimodality (vs 27% patients on chemotherapy and radiotherapy only).
Important: This medication, which will likely cost above 100k, is currently available for free as it is awaiting registration and approval from regulatory authority.
The above result is undeniably good and I hope the final results (overall survival) will be as good as well. I hope more patients can benefit from this treatment when the price become more affordable (it’s not even launch yet in Malaysia!).
