Crizotinib Versus Chemotherapy in ALK-Positive NSCLC

Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, an attending physician in the Center for Thoracic Cancers at Massachusetts General Hospital, describes a trial comparing crizotinib and chemotherapy in patients with advancedALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

Based on single-arm phase I and phase II trials, Shaw says, it was known that crizotinib was efficacious in this space. The primary endpoint of the trial, progression-free survival, was met.

Clinical Pearls

Crizotinib showed superiority with regard to progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy: 7.7 months versus 3.0 months. In addition, Shaw points out, crizotinib significantly increased response rates, from 20% to 65%. These data confirm the efficacy of crizotinib in this space.

• Crizotinib demonstrated superior progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy (7.7 months versus 3.0 months)
• Response rates were 65% with crizotinib versus 20% with chemotherapy