Durvalumab in addition to platinum based chemoradiation therapy for treating non-small-cell lung cancer


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Therapeutic Areas: Lung and Respiratory Cancer
Year: 2020

Durvalumab in addition to platinum-based chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is in development for patients with unresectable, locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Locally advanced (stage III) lung cancer refers to when the cancer has spread to lymph nodes and tissues near the lung that was initially affected but not to other areas of the body. The prognosis for unresectable, stage III NSCLC remains poor so there is a need for additional treatment options to improve overall survival rates.
Durvalumab is given by intravenous infusion and works by blocking an immune protein called programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1). PD-L1 expression enables cancer cells to avoid recognition by the immune system. By blocking PD-L1, durvalumab allows the immune system to recognise and target the cancer cells. Addition of durvalumab to the current CRT treatment is thought to be more effective and improve overall survival rates compared to CRT alone. If licenced, durvalumab in addition to CRT may provide an additional treatment option for patients with unresectable, locally advanced NSCLC.