Insights Into NSCLC Management: Comprehensive Study Findings From South Korea

By: Amanda E. Ruffino, BA
Posted: Thursday, May 16, 2024

Hyun Ae Jung, MD, PhD, of Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues aimed to elucidate clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and overall survival among patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by using a common data model across three tertiary hospitals. The common data and federated analysis framework, developed through the Extensible Platform for Observational Research in Lung Cancer (EXPLORE-LC) initiative, allow for research across multiple high-quality data sources, which may provide a deeper understanding of the treatment of patients with NSCLC. The team’s findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

The multicenter cohort study included patients diagnosed with NSCLC between 2014 and 2019, with follow-up until March 2020. A total of 22,101 patients who received anticancer treatment were analyzed, comprising 78.5% with nonsquamous and 21.5% with squamous NSCLC. Among the patients with nonsquamous cancer, 75.4% had known EGFR and ALK status. Of note, more than half of the patients with nonsquamous cancer were never-smokers, whereas patients with squamous cancer were predominantly male smokers.

Patients with EGFR-positive and ALK-positive nonsquamous cancer diagnosed between 2017 and 2019 exhibited improved median overall survival compared with those diagnosed between 2014 and 2016; for those with EGFR-positive disease, it was not reached vs 28.4 months (P < .001), and for those with ALK-positive disease, it was not reached vs 49.5 months (P < .001). However, no significant difference in overall survival from first-line treatment was observed for patients with squamous cancer; those patients tended to be diagnosed at later clinical stages compared with their counterparts with nonsquamous cancer, indicating potential differences in disease progression and treatment response.

This study’s strength lies in its comprehensive approach, pooling data from multiple clinical data warehouses to create a sizable cohort. By employing a common data model, researchers gained insights into NSCLC clinical practice and identified potential areas for improvement in patient care.

Disclosure: Dr. Jung reported no conflicts of interest. For full disclosures of the other study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.

JAMA Network Open