- Durvalumab, a new immunotherapy drug targeting PD-L1, restores and enhances the tumor-killing ability of T cells in patients with inoperable, stable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with radiotherapy.
- Durvalumab has a good efficacy and safety profile in the treatment of NSCLC, with a low impact on quality of life with long-term use.
Durvalumab (Imfinzi for short) is a new immunotherapy drug that targets PD-L1 and restores and enhances the tumor-killing ability of T cells when it binds to PD-L1 on the surface of tumor cells.
In May 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accelerated approval of Durvalumab for the treatment of advanced bladder cancer. in February 2018, based on the results of the PACIFIC study, the FDA announced that patients with inoperable, stable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have received radiotherapy can use Durvalumab as consolidation therapy.
PACIFIC study: Durvalumab extends PFS by almost 1 year in patients with stage III NSCLC!
This study was conducted at 235 study centers in 26 countries and included 713 patients with inoperable, locally advanced (stage III) NSCLC with stable disease after radiotherapy.
The results showed that the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 16.8 months in the Durvalumab-treated group compared with 5.6 months in the placebo group. objective remission rates were also significantly higher in the Durvalumab-treated group.
Patients in the Durvalumab group also had a significantly later time to death or distant metastases, 23.2 months and 14.6 months (placebo), respectively. And there was no increase in serious adverse events.
Based on this, Durvalumab was the first immunologic agent to deliver a significant PFS benefit for patients with stage III NSCLC, and the 2018 US guidelines recommend Durvalumab as consolidation therapy for patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC who are progression-free after concurrent radiotherapy.
PACIFIC study: one year of Durvalumab treatment does not reduce quality of life
The PACIFIC study further analyzed patients’ quality of life and showed that patients in the Durvalumab group did not have significantly different major symptoms, physical function, and overall health status/quality of life compared with the placebo group; at week 48, patients in the Durvalumab group had significantly better symptoms of loss of appetite and delayed worsening of pain compared with the placebo group.
Compared with placebo, Durvalumab significantly reduced and delayed the time to worsening of symptoms in the following areas: total pain, chest pain, arm/shoulder pain, nausea/vomiting, insomnia, and hemoptysis.
Summary
Clinical studies have confirmed the efficacy and safety of Durvalumab in the treatment of NSCLC, and authoritative guidelines have recommended it. In addition, its low impact on quality of life over the long term is favored by patients. There are several studies of Durvalumab underway, and the results of these studies are expected to be satisfactory.