Dr. Ou on the Use of Crizotinib in Patients With ROS1-Rearranged NSCLC

Sai-Hong I. Ou, MD, professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, discusses the use of crizotinib (Xalkori) in the treatment of patients with ROS1-rearranged non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The East Asia study of crizotinib enrolled more patients with ROS1-rearranged NSCLC than the United States counterpart, says Ou. The East Asia study enrolled 127 patients from China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. The results were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and response rates were very high. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was about 16 months, which was comparable to the 19-month PFS seen in the United States trial.

There is now a phase II study underway that will endorse the use of crizotinib in patients with ROS1-rerranged NSCLC. The findings from 53 patients published in the New England Journal of Medicine led to the FDA approval of the agent. The East Asia study now bolsters the use of crizotinib in this patient population as well, states Ou.