Dr. Spira on the Impact of the PACIFIC-R Trial in Unresectable Stage III NSCLC

Alexander I. Spira, MD, PhD, FACP, medical oncologist, director, Virginia Cancer Specialists Research Institute and Phase 1 Trial Program, Virginia Cancer Specialists, discusses the impact of the PACIFIC-R trial (NCT03798535) in patients with unresectable stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The real-world data generated from the PACIFIC-R trial, which were presented during the 2021 ESMO Congress, indicated that the median progression-free survival with durvalumab (Imfinizi) was higher compared with that observed in the durvalumab arm of the phase 3 PACIFIC trial (NCT02125461) in patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC. However, challenges associated with real-world data collection suggest that the benefit observed could be overestimated.

Ultimately, the findings support the use of durvalumab in this patient population; however, they will likely not increase the uptake of durvalumab in the clinical setting, Spira says. Although the goal is for all eligible patients to receive durvalumab when indicated, some patients cannot receive the agent because of toxicity or logistical hurdles, Spira explains. Additional data are needed to provide further insight into the real-world utility of durvalumab in this patient population, Spira concludes.

This activity is funded in part by Daiichi Sankyo. Content independently produced by OncLive.