The combination of drugs can extend survival and improve quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer

A recent clinical trial showed that the drug combination of cemiplimab plus platinum chemotherapy can prolong survival in patients with advanced lung cancer when compared to placebo plus platinum chemotherapy. Now an analysis posted online by Wiley at cancerA peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society reports that chemiplimab plus platinum chemotherapy also affects quality of life compared to chemotherapy alone.

The multinational EMPOWER-Lung 3 phase 3 trial showed that adding cemiplimab to platinum-based chemotherapy was associated with improved survival in patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer compared to chemotherapy alone. Because quality of life is also an important parameter of treatment benefit, the investigators examined how cemiplimab plus platinum affected symptoms compared to chemotherapy alone for patients enrolled in this trial using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LC13 questionnaires.

Patients who received cemiplimab plus chemotherapy experienced significant improvements in pain, shortness of breath, constipation, nausea, and vomiting compared to those who received placebo plus chemotherapy. Patients enrolled in the cemiplimab arm also had a significant delay in clinically meaningful worsening of symptoms including cough, hemoptysis, and dysphagia.

The results support the president’s concept effectiveness The favorable safety profile of cemiplimab plus chemotherapy translates into better patient-reported outcomes compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. “

Tamta Makharadze, MD, reporting author, LTD High Technology Hospital Med Center in Batumi, Georgia