AACR 2020: Targeting EGFR Exon 20–Mutant Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Posted: Thursday, April 30, 2020
The tyrosine kinase inhibitor of EGFR and HER2 exon 20 insertion mutants poziotinib was found to reduce the size of tumors in a majority of patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Xiuning Le, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and colleagues presented their phase II study findings as a part of the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting (Abstract CT081).
“The tumor size reduction combined with long duration of response demonstrated the clinical activity of poziotinib in treating this patient population,” concluded the authors.
A total of 115 patients with NSCLC were recruited to this study. The average patient age was 61 years, and patients’ disease had failed to respond to prior therapy, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The cohort all had mutations in EGFR exon 20 and were administered 16 mg of poziotinib orally once a day. Patients were followed for up to 24 months.
In total, 65% of patients experienced a reduction in tumor size with this therapy. The overall response rate in this cohort was 14.8%, and the disease control rate was 68.7%. A total of 17 patients had a confirmed partial response, 5 patients had an unconfirmed partial response, and 62 patients had stable disease. The median duration of response was 7.4 months, and the median progression-free survival was 4.2 months.
The median relative dose intensity was 72%, and 65% of patients underwent dose reductions. The safety profile of poziotinib was similar to that of other second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The most common grade 3 or higher adverse events included rash (28%), diarrhea (26%), stomatitis (9%), and paronychia (6%). In addition, 4% of patients experienced treatment-related pneumonitis, and 10% of patients discontinued therapy due to treatment-related adverse events.
Disclosure: For a full list of author disclosures, visit www.abstractsonline.com.
