Dr. Haigentz on the Importance of Adjuvant Osimertinib in EGFR+ NSCLC

Missak Haigentz Jr., MD, the Section Chief of Hematology and Oncology at Morristown Medical Center, and Medical Director of Hematology and Oncology for Atlantic Health System, discusses the importance of adjuvant osimertinib (Tagrisso) in EGFR-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The December 2020 FDA approval of adjuvant osimertinib for patients whose tumors have EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations has positively impacted the treatment of NSCLC, according to Haigentz. The agent had previously been approved for use in patients with EGFR T790M–mutated NSCLC who developed progressive disease, Haigentz says. Notably, EGFR T790M is a gatekeeper mutation that commonly leads to resistance to early-generation TKIs, he explains.

Moreover, the phase 3 FLAURA study (NCT02296125), which examined the agent in the frontline setting, led to the FDA approval of osimertinib as a first-line treatment in April 2018 for patients with EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC. The more recent indication of the EGFR TKI moved the needle forward by shifting the agent into the adjuvant setting; it’s the first agent of its kind to be used with curative intent, Haigentz concludes.