A targeted therapy called selpercatinib has shown considerably better outcomes than placebo for patients with a specific type of lung cancer in a large phase 3 clinical trial, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The trial, known as LIBRETTO-432, focused on patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (the most common form of the disease, accounting for the majority of lung cancer diagnoses) whose tumours carry a RET fusion — a genetic change in which the RET gene abnormally joins with another gene, causing uncontrolled cell growth. Patients who received selpercatinib after initial treatment went longer without their cancer returning or progressing compared with those who received a placebo.
The findings matter because adjuvant therapy — treatment given after surgery or other primary treatment to reduce the chance of cancer coming back — has been an area of active research for lung cancer patients with specific genetic profiles. The LIBRETTO-432 results suggest that matching targeted drugs to a patient’s tumour genetics may improve outcomes in this setting.
Side effects were recorded in the trial. Adverse events rated grade 3 or higher — meaning serious enough to require medical attention or intervention — included raised liver enzyme levels, which doctors monitor through blood tests during treatment.
The New England Journal of Medicine published the full trial results and a research summary. Selpercatinib is already licensed in the UK for certain RET fusion–positive cancers; whether these trial results will influence prescribing guidance for NHS patients would be a matter for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to assess.
Patients with questions about their own lung cancer diagnosis or treatment options should speak to their oncology team or GP. General health queries can be directed to NHS 111.
Source: @NEJM