The future is bright
Dr. Hirsch noted that the evidence supporting capmatinib is strong, even though a larger prospective study with a control group is lacking. “If we have a patient with this mutation, and knowing that there is a drug with a response rate of 68%, that is a good reason to try the drug up front. The data are sufficient that it should be offered to the patient, even without a control group.”
Capmatinib is the latest of many targeted drugs that have been launched in recent years, and several immunotherapies are also now available for treatment of this disease. These new therapies are making this a “very encouraging time in lung cancer,” Dr. Hirsch commented.
“We are seeing long-term survival, and, eventually, we may start seeing potential cures for some patients,” he said. “But at the very least, we are seeing very good long-term results with many of these targeted therapies, and we are continuing to learn more about resistant mechanisms. I can’t wait to see future in the field.”
The study was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Garon reports consulting or advisory roles with Dracen and research funding (institutional) from Merck, Genentech, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mirati Therapeutics, Dynavax, Iovance Biotherapeutics, and Neon Therapeutics. His coauthors have disclosed numerous relationships with industry, as listed in the original article. Dr. Hirsch has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
This article first appeared on Medscape.com.
