The following article features coverage from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2018 meeting. Click here to read more of Cancer Therapy Advisor‘s conference coverage.

The anti-PD-1 antibody cemiplimab demonstrated antitumor activity and tolerability in patients with relapsed/refractory non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to interim phase 1 expansion cohort data presented at the IASLC’s 19th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Toronto, Canada.1

Results from a first-in-human study suggested that cemiplimab has antitumor activity in advanced malignancies. The reported results were from phase 1 cohorts that evaluated cemiplimab as a monotherapy or in combination with radiotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory NSCLC. Patients in the radiotherapy cohort were required to have disease for which palliative radiotherapy was indicated.


Continue Reading

The study included 55 patients with a median age of 64 to 67 years. Most patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0. In the combination cohort, 48.5% of patients had received prior radiotherapy. The coprimary end points were safety and tolerability.

In the cemiplimab monotherapy arm, the overall response rate (ORR) was 40% and the disease control rate (DCR) was 60%. In the combination arm, the ORR and DCR were 18.2% and 72.7%, respectively.

The most common treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) with cemiplimab monotherapy were arthralgia, asthenia, cough, and dyspnea. In the combination arm, other common TRAEs were decreased appetite, fatigue, cough, asthenia, and back pain. Grade 3 or higher TRAEs included pneumonia, anemia, hypophosphatemia, and urinary tract infection. One treatment-related death occurred as a result of pneumonitis.

The investigators concluded that cemiplimab monotherapy had substantial antitumor activity in patients with pretreated NSCLC, with a safety profile comparable to other PD-1 inhibitors.

Read more of Cancer Therapy Advisor‘s coverage of the IASLC 2018 meeting by visiting the conference page.

Reference

  1. Moreno V, Gil-Martin M, Johnson M, et al. Cemiplimab, a human monoclonal anti-PD-1, alone or in combination with radiotherapy: phase 1 NSCLC expansion cohorts. Presented at: International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 19th World Conference on Lung Cancer; September 23-26, 2018; Toronto, Canada. Abstract MA04.01.