Dr. Girard on the Next Steps With Durvalumab in NSCLC

Nicolas Girard, MD, pneumonologist, professor, respiratory medicine, Versailles Saint Quentin University, head, Curie-Montsouris Thorax Institute, Institut Curie, discusses the next steps with durvalumab (Imfinzi) in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Although durvalumab is the standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC, in the real-world setting, the agent is not being administered to all eligible patients with stage III NSCLC who complete chemoradiation, Girard explains. Findings from the PACIFIC-R trial (NCT03798535), a real-world analysis, confirmed the efficacy and tolerability of durvalumab that was observed in the phase 3 PACIFIC trial (NCT02125461) in patients with stage III disease.

However, additional trials are ongoing to expand upon the utility of durvalumab and further improve outcomes for patients, Girard says. For example, the phase 2 COAST trial (NCT03822351) is evaluating the efficacy of durvalumab in combination with novel agents, such as oleclumab and monalizumab, in patients with stage III NSCLC who have not progressed after concurrent chemoradiation.

Ultimately, although the median progression-free survival was shown to be approximately 21 months with durvalumab in the real-world setting, patients with stage III NSCLC require improved treatment options following chemoradiation, Girard concludes.