Dr. Stinchcombe on the Benefit of Alectinib in ALK+ NSCLC

Thomas E. Stinchcombe, MD, professor of medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the benefit of alectinib (Alecensa) in the treatment of patients with ALK-positive non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Alectinib, a second-generation ALK TKI, has emerged as the frontline standard, although brigatinib (Alunbrig) is also making headway, Stinchcombe says. The benefit of alectinib is based on 2 phase III trials comparing the drug with crizotinib (Xalkori). Both trials demonstrated a significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) as well as a decrease in the risk of brain metastases with alectinib. The latter is important as patients with NSCLC in general are at risk of brain metastasis, particularly in patients treated with crizotinib, Stinchcombe adds.

In the phase III ALEX trial, long-term follow-up shows a median PFS of approximately 36 months with alectinib, setting a high bar for future developmental therapies, he concludes.