ASCO 2017 Preview: Adjuvant Gefitinib in EGFR-Mutated Lung Cancer
Gefitinib may be more effective in preventing recurrence after lung cancer surgery than standard chemotherapy. Wu et al found that adjuvant gefitinib significantly prolonged disease-free survival compared with vinorelbine plus cisplatin (VP) in patients with resected stage II to IIIA (N1–N2) non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-activating mutation. These results of this randomized phase III study conducted in China will be presented at the upcoming 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract 8500).
A total of 222 patients were included in this study, and the median follow-up was 36.5 months. Patients treated with gefitinib had a significantly longer median disease-free survival than those treated with VP (28.7 months vs 18.0 months; hazard ratio = 0.60; P=.005). And the 3-year progression-free survival favored gefitinib (34.0% vs 27.0%; P=.013).
In terms of toxicity, gefitinib was associated with fewer grade 3 or higher adverse events than VP (12.3% vs 48.3%; P<.001). No interstitial lung disease was observed with the use of gefitinib.
