Dr. Hong on the Significance of Larotrectinib in NTRK-Positive NSCLC

David S. Hong, MD, deputy chair, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the significance of larotrectinib (Vitrakvi) in the treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other solid tumors harboring NTRK gene fusions.

When larotrectinib was approved by the FDA in November 2018, it became the first NTRK inhibitor available for the treatment of patients with solid tumors that have an NTRK gene fusion without a known acquired resistance mutation, are metastatic or where surgical resection is likely to result in severe morbidity, and have no satisfactory alternative treatments or that have progressed following treatment, Hong says. Notably, the agent was approved for use regardless of a patient’s age or tumor type, Hong adds.

NTRK1, NTRK2, and NTRK3 have multiple fusion partners, and larotrectinib was also approved treat all those fusion combinations, Hong explains. Larotrectinib was the first small molecule inhibitor to gain a tumor agnostic approval, Hong concludes.