Improved outcomes for patients with ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer
09 November 2023
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and as the fourth most diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in Australia it is reassuring to learn new treatments are making an impact.
New research revealed that a targeted therapy treatment called alectinib helped more people with early stage ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stay alive and free of disease longer post-surgery, compared to treatment with chemotherapy.
Professor Ben Solomon, medical oncologist at Peter Mac, said that unfortunately rates of disease recurrence are high in people with this type of lung cancer, even after surgical removal so new treatments are vital.
“We have seen improved outcomes using immunotherapy for some types of lung cancer in the early stage setting but these advances do not seem to apply to the five percent of patients with a type of lung cancer called ALK positive NSCLC,” he said.
“A trial, run at Peter Mac, called ALINA looked at the effects of two years of alectinib compared to the current treatment of chemotherapy in people with early-stage ALK positive NSCLC following surgery.
“The study showed that treatment with alectinib significantly improved disease-free survival, importantly this benefit was consistent across all stages of disease,” said Professor Solomon.
The study also looked at central nervous system (CNS) disease free survival because people with ALK positive lung cancer tend to develop brain metastases, explained Professor Solomon.
“Once again we saw a benefit for alectinib with significantly improved disease-free survival compared to chemotherapy.
“Importantly the treatment was well tolerated with a low incidence of serious adverse events,” he said.
The data was revealed for the first time by Professor Solomon in a Presidential Symposium at the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress, held in Madrid in late October.
It is estimated that over 14,000 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in Australia in 2022.
If you would like to help fund more research please visit the Peter Mac Foundation.