Atezolizumab Benefits Patients With NSCLC Ineligible for Platinum- Based Chemo

For patients with NSCLC ineligible for platinum-based chemotherapy, first-line atezolizumab monotherapy is associated with improved overall survival (OS) compared with single- agent chemotherapy, according to a study published in the Lancet. Siow Ming Lee, MBBS, PhD, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial at 91 sites in 23 countries to compare the efficacy and safety of first-line atezolizumab monotherapy with single-agent chemotherapy among patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC in whom platinum-doublet chemotherapy was deemed unsuitable. A total of 453 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to atezolizumab or chemotherapy (302 and 151 patients, respectively). Compared with chemotherapy, atezolizumab improved OS (median OS, 10.3 vs 9.2 months; stratified HR, 0.78), with a 2-year survival rate of 24% with atezolizumab and 12% with chemotherapy. Atezolizumab was associated with stabilization or improvement of patient-reported HRQOL functioning scales and symptoms compared with chemotherapy, and with fewer grade 3 to 4 treatment- related adverse events (16% vs 33%) and treatment-related deaths (1% vs 3%).