Results of the phase 3 LAURA clinical trial, presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, showed that osimertinib significantly improves progression-free survival in patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemoradiotherapy. “The benefits of osimertinib in this patient population when compared to placebo are just incredibly dramatic,” noted Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. He spoke with lead study author Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research and the executive director at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, about how oncologists should adjust their practice in the wake of these key findings. Dr. Ramalingam tackled questions about the optimal duration of osimertinib therapy, toxicity concerns, and notable benefits seen in the LAURA data. “Osimertinib reduced both intrathoracic progression and extrathoracic progression, particularly intracranial progression,” he noted.

Dr. Ramalingam reported research funding from Amgen, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Pfizer, and Takeda; travel, accommodations, and other expenses from AbbVie; and a relationship with the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.