27/06/2024
Patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) have a low chance of survival. Even with aggressive treatments, most patients will not live more than 5 years. There have not been many improvements in treatment for this condition in recent decades. trial
Early results from a major study (ADRIATIC trial) suggest that the immunotherapy drug, durvalumab could be a game-changer. In this trial, patients with LS-SCLC who already completed chemotherapy and radiation received either durvalumab or placebo for up to 2 years. The results are encouraging - those who received durvalumab stayed in remission and lived significantly longer than those on placebo. Fifty seven percent of the patients received durvalumab are still alive, three years after the starting the treatment.
Durvalumab seems to be well-tolerated, with side effects similar to other immunotherapy treatments. Typically, patients treated with immunotherapy may experience inflammatory conditions in lungs, skin and other organs. Durvalumab also can cause a serious and sometimes fatal lung inflammatory disease, pneumonitis.
If these promising results hold up, durvalumab could become the first new standard treatment for LS-SCLC in decades. This is welcome news for patients and doctors, offering a much-needed ray of hope in the fight against this aggressive cancer.
