Roche sees positive data in lung cancer immunotherapy first

Roche announced positive survival data in a trial that the drugmaker hopes will yield the first immunotherapy cocktail to be approved as an initial treatment for an aggressive form of lung cancer.

According to the Phase 3 trial results, Tecentriq, combined with chemotherapy, significantly boosted overall survival of patients with previously untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer compared with chemotherapy alone. Small cell lung cancers account for 10-15 percent of all lung cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.

“These are the first positive Phase III survival results for any immunotherapy-based combination in the initial treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, a particularly difficult-to-treat type of disease,” said Sandra Horning, Roche’s chief medical officer.

Read the press release