Treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd; DS-7300) appears promising, according to study results presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer.1
Antibody-drug-conjugates are one type of precision cancer medicines increasingly being used. ADCs work by delivering cytotoxic chemotherapy (“payload”) to cancer cells via a linker attached to a monoclonal antibody that binds to a specific target expressed on cancer cells. The ADC Ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd; DS-7300) currently in clinical development appears promising for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
About Small Cell Lung Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 234,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer and over 160,00 will die from the disease every year making it the leading cause of cancer death. SCLC primarily is associated with smoking and accounts for about 10 to 15 percent of all lung cancers. The survival for most SCLC patients is less than a year and there have been few advances in its treatment.
About Ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd; DS-7300)
Ifinatamab deruxtecan is an ADC that targets B7-H3, a transmembrane immunoregulatory protein that is overexpressed in SCLC and other cancers.
Investigators provided the results of 22 patients with SCLC treated on an early phase clinical trial. All of the trial participants had received prior platinum-based chemotherapy and 82% had received immunotherapy. Partial responses were observed in 48% and complete responses in 5% for an overall response rate of 53%. Responses were rapid and lasted a median of 6 months.
The most common side effects were nausea, fatigue, anemia in 6, and decreased appetite. Three patients (13.6%) experienced interstitial lung disease (ILD).
A phase 2 study of patients with recurrent extensive stage SCLC is ongoing.
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Reference
1. Johnson M, Awad M, Koyama T, et al. Ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd; DS-7300) in patients with refractory SCLC: a subgroup analysis of a phase 1/2 study. Presented at: World Conference on Lung Cancer; September 9-12, 2023; Singapore. Oral abstract OA05.05.
