Osimertinib for EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer - adjuvant

Osimertinib is in clinical development as an adjuvant treatment for resectable, early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Lung cancer is one of the most common and serious types of cancer and NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer. An adjuvant treatment is an additional cancer treatment given after the primary treatment, to lower the risk of the cancer returning. Resectable cancer means that the cancer can be removed by surgery, which means the cancer is normally in earlier stages. A proportion of patients have mutations to the protein epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) which controls cell growth. There are currently no recommended EGFR-targeted therapies for early stage NSCLC.
Osimertinib is an inhibitor of EGFR, which binds specifically to mutant forms of EGFR to inhibit growth of tumour cells. Osimertinib is administered as an oral tablet and has demonstrated both safety and effectiveness in a phase III clinical trial. Osimertinib is already approved for advanced NSCLC and if licensed for the early stage disease, it will offer an additional treatment option for patients with EGFR-positive NSCLC, after complete tumour resection.