In contrast to other driver mutations, no targeted therapies have yet been approved in ERBB2 mutated non-small cell lung cancer (HER2mu NSCLC). However, several compounds have shown promising early efficacy data, which need to be evaluated in the context of current standard approaches. While data on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in second or later lines of treatment remain limited and conflicting, there are virtually no data on patient outcome under ICI / platinum doublet combinations in the first-line setting.
We retrospectively assessed outcomes of HER2mu NSCLC patients treated with ICI alone or in combination with chemotherapy within the German nNGM consortium by means of overall response rate (ORR), progression-free, and overall survival (PFS and OS).
ICI either in combination with chemotherapy or as monotherapy were applied as first-line treatment in 27 patients, whereas 34 received single agent ICI in second or later lines. Patient characteristics were in line with previously published data. In treatment-naïve patients receiving ICI in combination with chemotherapy the ORR, median PFS, and OS rate at 1 year were 52%, 6 months, and 88%, respectively. In second or later lines ICI monotherapy was associated with an ORR of 16%, a median PFS of 4 months, and a median OS of 10 months.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective as monotherapy and in combination with platinum doublet chemotherapy. Therefore, ICI based treatments may be seen as the current standard of care and benchmark for targeted therapies in HER2mu NSCLC.
Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Brief Report: Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors alone or in combination with chemotherapy in NSCLC harboring ERBB2 mutations.
