Skip to main content

Adjuvant Durvalumab Extends Survival in Small Cell Lung Cancer

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 19, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Sept. 19, 2024 -- For patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer, adjuvant therapy with durvalumab leads to significantly longer overall and progression-free survival, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology, held from Sept. 13 to 17 in Barcelona, Spain.

Ying Cheng, M.D., from Jilin Cancer Hospital in Changchun, China, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 trial involving patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer who did not have disease progression after standard concurrent platinum-based chemoradiotherapy. Participants were randomly allocated to receive durvalumab 1,500 mg (264 patients), durvalumab 1,500 mg plus tremelimumab 75 mg (four doses only; 200 patients), or placebo (266 patients) every four weeks for up to 24 months. The first planned interim analysis compared overall and progression-free survival for durvalumab versus placebo.

The researchers observed significantly longer overall survival with durvalumab therapy versus placebo (median, 55.9 versus 33.4 months; hazard ratio for death, 0.73); in addition, significantly longer progression-free survival was seen (median, 16.6 versus 9.2 months; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.76). The incidence of adverse events with a maximum grade of 3 or 4 was 24.4 and 24.2 percent among patients receiving durvalumab and placebo, respectively; adverse events led to discontinuation in 16.4 and 10.6 percent, respectively, and to death in 2.7 and 1.9 percent, respectively.

"The incorporation of adjuvant durvalumab therapy led to significantly longer overall survival and progression-free survival among patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer after definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, which manufactures durvalumab and funded the study.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

More Information

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Durable Disease Control Possible After Stopping Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in NSCLC

TUESDAY, April 22, 2025 -- Prolonged disease control can be maintained for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who discontinue immune checkpoint inhibitors...

Breast, Colorectal Cancer Screening Higher Than Lung Cancer Screening

TUESDAY, April 15, 2025 -- Among individuals eligible for lung cancer screening (LCS), use of breast cancer screening (BCS) and colorectal cancer screening (CCS) is much higher...

More Than 3.8 Million U.S. Lung Cancer Deaths Averted During 1970 to 2022

TUESDAY, April 1, 2025 -- More than 3.8 million U.S. lung cancer deaths were averted during 1970 to 2022, and more than 76 million person-years of life were gained, according to a...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.