Updated overall survival on the first-line treatments for advanced epidermal growth factor receptor mutation positive non-small cell lung cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, with approximately 29,300 Canadians developing lung cancer in 2019.1 There are two forms of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer and NSCLC, of which NSCLC makes up approximately 85% of lung cancers.2 As the name suggests, NSCLC develops in non-small cells, which form the structure of the lungs. This includes adenocarcinomas that develop in mucous-secreting cells of the lung, squamous cell carcinomas that develop in cells that line the inside of airways within the lungs, and large cell carcinoma that can develop in any part of the lung. These types of cancers are grouped together due to their similar treatments and prognoses.2
NSCLC cancers can be further grouped by their sensitivity to therapy. One classification depends on the expression of a receptor called EGFR, which is mutated in approximately 20% of individuals with NSCLC.3 Mutations in this receptor (EGFR+ NSCLC) impact the growth of the cancer, leading to a more aggressive tumour subtype. Therefore, understanding which treatments are clinically effective in the treatment of EGFR+ NSCLC is of critical importance in treating lung cancer.
This publication was first authored by Megan Farris, Research Manager at Medlior Health Research Outcomes Ltd., in collaboration with Pfizer Inc. and was previously also presented at the Virtual ISPOR 2020 Annual Meeting earlier this year. This work shows overall survival results from a systematic literature review and network meta-analysis comparing the relative clinical efficacy of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors for advanced EGFR+ NSCLC.
Our analysis determined that the small molecule dacomitinib improves overall survival of patients with advanced EGFR+ NSCLC and may be considered a first-line treatment option among other therapies (including afatinib, erlotinib, gefitinib, osimertinib). This publication has been accepted in Future Oncology.
1 Lung Cancer, <https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/chronic-diseases/cancer/lung-cancer.html> (2019).
2 What Is Lung Cancer?, <https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/about/what-is.html> (2019).
3 in Cancer Discovery Vol. 7 818-831 (The AACR Project GENIE Consortium, 2017).
