Adding ramucirumab to erlotinib treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutations

This study wanted to find out if using two kinds of medication together worked better than only one medication to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer that has not been treated before. The study found that using ramucirumab (Cyramza) with erlotinib (Tarceva) was better than using erlotinib alone.

There are a number of different ways to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Some NSCLCs have a mutation in a gene called EGFR. It is possible to use this mutation to target the cancer cells and kill them. One of the medications to target this is called erlotinib. There are other pathways that could be targeted to kill the cancer also. One of these is a pathway called VEGF. This can be targeted using a medication called ramucirumab.

It is not known if using these two medications together is better than just using erlotinib. 

This study had 449 patients. All of the patients had advanced NSCLC. All of the patients had mutations in the EGFR gene. Of these patients, 224 of them were treated with ramucirumab and erlotinib. The other 225 were treated with erlotinib and a placebo pill. The patients were followed for an average of 20.7 months after treatment.

The patients who were treated with both medications went for an average of 19.4 months without the cancer progressing. The patients who were treated with erlotinib only went for an average of 12.4 months without the cancer progressing. The group treated with both erlotinib and ramucirumab had a 41% higher chance of cancer not progressing compared to erlotinib alone.

72% of patients who were treated with both medications reported having side effects from treatment. 54% of patients who received treatment with erlotinib only reported having side effects from treatment. The most common serious side effects were high blood pressure and acne.

The study concluded that treating patients who have advanced NSCLC with ramucirumab and erlotinib was better than treating them with erlotinib alone.

This was a large study done over a number of different hospitals. The patients are still being followed to see how they survive long-term.