In the pivotal phase 3 LUNAR study, Ticiana Leal, MD, and her colleagues made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionize the treatment of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients who have experienced disease progression following platinum-based therapy. The study, which aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TTFields therapy in combination with standard systemic therapy, yielded remarkable results.
Dr. Leal stated, “The randomized, pivotal phase 3 LUNAR study provides level 1 evidence that TTFields therapy, an innovative, locoregional treatment method, applied concomitantly with standard systemic therapy significantly improves overall survival in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer following progression on or after platinum-based therapy compared with standard systemic therapy alone.”
The study’s findings demonstrated that TTFields therapy not only extended overall survival by more than 3 months but also did so without exacerbating the toxicities commonly associated with systemic therapies. This is particularly significant in a landscape where treatment options are limited for patients with advanced NSCLC following progression on platinum-based therapy.
Dr. Leal continued, “Optimizing treatment after progression on platinum-based therapy remains an unmet need, particularly in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors. In the LUNAR clinical study, overall survival was over 3 months longer with the addition of TTFields therapy, a clinically meaningful improvement that substantiates its use in this burdened patient population that has few other treatment options.”
Moreover, the study demonstrated that TTFields therapy could be a valuable addition to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, yielding an impressive 8-month survival benefit in the subgroup receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Preclinical models suggested that TTFields therapy could enhance the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors by inducing immunogenic cell death, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
However, it’s important to note that the study had some limitations, including its open-label design and the relatively low number of patients with brain metastases, which may affect the generalizability of the findings to that population. Additionally, further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between TTFields therapy efficacy and tumor genetic subtypes.
In conclusion, the LUNAR study’s results present a compelling case for the integration of TTFields therapy into the treatment landscape for metastatic NSCLC patients who have progressed after platinum-based therapy. This innovative locoregional approach has the potential to provide hope and improved outcomes for a patient population facing limited treatment options.
Check the full interview with Ticiana Leal, MD here