On March 18, 2019, atezolizumab (Tecentriq; Genentech) received a new indication for use with carboplatin and etoposide chemotherapy as first-line treatment of patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).
The FDA approved this new indication based on the results of a clinical trial of 403 patients who had not received previous chemotherapy for ES-SCLC. Patients were randomized to atezolizumab plus chemotherapy or to chemotherapy plus placebo. The median overall survival was 12.3 months in the atezolizumab arm compared with 10.3 months in the placebo arm. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.2 months in patients receiving atezolizumab plus chemotherapy versus 4.3 months in those receiving chemotherapy plus placebo.
The most common (≥20%) adverse events associated with atezolizumab treatment included fatigue/asthenia, nausea, alopecia, constipation, and decreased appetite.
