Dr. Reck on the Rationale of the Impower150 Study

Martin Reck, MD, PhD, head of the department of thoracic oncology at Lung Clinic Grosshansdorf, discusses the rationale for the IMpower150 study, which assessed the combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq), bevacizumab (Avastin), and chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of patients with nonsquamous non—small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

This trial was unique, explains Reck, in that it investigated a unique combination comprised of a checkpoint inhibitor, chemotherapy, and an antiangiogenic compound on the basis of the idea that the antiangiogenic compound combined with a checkpoint inhibitor could enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Patients were randomized to receive either the standard of care or the combination therapy. In patients who received the combination, a significant and relevant improvement in progression-free survival and overall survival was been observed in the intent-to-treat population, says Reck. The trial was also notable for its inclusion of patients with pretreated EGFR mutations, he added.

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