Lung cancer Flashcards
What effect did histology have on treatment of NSCLC?
Showed that Cis-Pem was superior in non-squamous NSCLC (adenocarcinoma), but was inferior to cis-gem in squamous cell carcinoma.
What is the difference between the approval of gefitinib Vs osimertinib?
The biology was understood when osimertinib was designed, so the time for approval was greatly reduced. It could be tested on suitable targets with EGFR mutations. This is compared to gefitinib where it was tested in unselected patients, requiring a large study to produce a small effect (OS not affected, but EGFR mutation did well)
Why were more Asian patients found in trials involving TKIs
Because around 50% of NSCLC in Asian pop have EGFR mutations, much greater than US/Europe.
Why was PFS the more appropriate endpoint for TKIs?
Because the order in which a TKI is received doesn’t have an effect on response. So, due to crossover of treatment, patients that relapsed on chemo were then given TKIs and experienced a similar OS compared to the patients that initially got the TKI. PFS comparison showed a real difference between the two treatment arms.
