Olaparib and Imfinzi Demonstrate Impressive Long-Term Efficacy in Ovarian Cancer and NSCLC at ESMO 2020

Every patient with malignant cancer hopes that innovative therapies will not only alleviate their condition but also sustain disease remission for a prolonged period, significantly extending their survival. Innovative targeted therapies and cancer immunotherapies have made substantial progress in this regard. The ESMO 2020 Annual Meeting was held online from the 19th to the 21st of this month. Multiple latest research findings have been released, among which olaparib (brand name Lynparza), a PARP inhibitor jointly developed by AstraZeneca and MSD, and AstraZeneca’s PD-L1 inhibitor Imfinzi, demonstrated outstanding long-term efficacy in treating patients with specific types of ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, respectively.

4.5 Years vs. 1 Year: Olaparib Significantly Improves Progression-Free Survival

Ovarian cancer is the eighth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide, with approximately 22% of patients carrying BRCA1/2 gene mutations. Olaparib, a first-in-class PARP inhibitor jointly developed by AstraZeneca and MSD, operates on the principle of "synthetic lethality." By blocking the DNA damage repair response in tumor cells with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), it kills tumor cells while sparing healthy cells.

In the Phase III SOLO-1 clinical trial, olaparib was used as first-line maintenance therapy for patients with ovarian cancer harboring BRCA mutations who had achieved a complete or partial response following platinum-based chemotherapy.

The 5-year follow-up data released today show that olaparib reduces the risk of disease progression or death by 67% (HR=0.33, 95% CI, 0.25-0.43). The median progression-free survival was 56.0 months in the olaparib group, compared with 13.8 months in the placebo group. After 5 years of treatment, 48.3% of patients receiving olaparib remained free of disease progression, versus only 20.5% in the control group. The median duration of treatment was 24.6 months for olaparib and 13.9 months for placebo.

Dr. Susana Banerjee of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, one of the investigators in the SOLO-1 trial, stated: “For patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer harboring BRCA mutations, the benefits of two years of olaparib maintenance therapy persist long-term after treatment completion. After five years, nearly half of the patients remained progression-free. These results represent a significant advance in the treatment of BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer.”

Nearly Half of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Survive for 4 Years; Imfinzi Shows Promising Long-Term Efficacy

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with 85% of lung cancer patients having non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). One-third of these patients are already at stage 3 upon diagnosis, and for most of them, the tumors are no longer surgically resectable.

In the Phase 3 PACIFIC trial, patients with stage III NSCLC received maintenance therapy with Imfinzi or placebo for up to 12 months following chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

The latest results from this trial show that the 4-year overall survival rate for patients treated with Imfinzi was 49.6%, compared to 36.3% in the control group. Although the maximum treatment duration was only 12 months, 35.3% of patients who had received Imfinzi remained progression-free four years after enrollment, versus 19.5% in the control group. The median overall survival was 47.5 months in the Imfinzi group and 29.1 months in the placebo group.

Professor Corinne Faivre-Finn of the University of Manchester, one of the principal investigators of the PACIFIC study, stated: “Previously, only 15–30% of patients with unresectable Stage III NSCLC survived beyond five years, with the majority progressing to metastatic disease. These data show that nearly half of the patients survived for four years after treatment with Imfinzi, and 35% remained free of disease progression, representing a significant advance in curative-intent therapy.”

References:

[1] Imfinzi demonstrated unprecedented survival in unresectable, Stage III non-small cell lung cancer with an estimated 50% of patients surviving four years. Retrieved September 18, 2020, from https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/imfinzi-demonstrated-unprecedented-survival-in-unresectable-stage-III-nsclc.html#!

[2] Lynparza improved median time patients lived without disease progression to over four and half years in BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer vs. just over one year with placebo. Retrieved September 18, 2020, from https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/lynparza-improved-median-time-patients-lived-without-disease-progression-to-over-four-and-half-years-in-BRCA-mutated-advanced-ovarian-cancer.html

▽Follow [WuXi AppTecDe】WeChat Official Account