Atezolizumab after adjuvant chemotherapy offers a promising treatment option for patients with resected early-stage NSCLC, according to a study published in The Lancet. Researchers who evaluated adjuvant atezolizumab versus best supportive care after adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy in this patient population conducted a randomized, multicenter, open-label, phase 3 study (IMpower010) performed at 227 sites in 22 countries and regions. Eligible patients were aged 18 or older with completely resected stage IB to IIIA NSCLC. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by a permuted-block method (block size of four) to receive adjuvant atezolizumab (1,200 mg every 21 days; for 16 cycles or 1 year) or best supportive care (observation and regular scans for disease recurrence) after adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy (one to four cycles). Between October 7, 2015 and September 19, 2018, 1,280 patients were enrolled after complete resection. Among 1,269 patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, 1,005 were eligible for randomization to atezolizumab (n = 507) or best supportive care (n = 498); 495 in each group received treatment. After a median follow-up of 32.2 months in the stage II-IIIA population, atezolizumab treatment improved disease-free survival compared with best supportive care in patients whose tumors expressed PD-L1 on 1% or more of tumor cells and in all patients in the stage II-IIIA population.

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