Choosing Between Atezolizumab and Pembrolizumab in Lung Cancer

H. Jack West, MD, thoracic oncologist at the Swedish Cancer Institute of Swedish Medical Center, discusses the data with atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). West says that the choice of treatment is likely best left to the judgement of the physician and patient.

Currently, physicians have a great problem, according to West, with a number of positive trials with these agents, including monotherapies, chemotherapies, chemotherapy regimens, and immunotherapies. Of this data, a lot has been found with pembrolizumab and West is expecting to see a broader indication approved for this agent.

In squamous NSCLC, the KEYNOTE-407 trial demonstrated positive results in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) with pembrolizumab combined with carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel.

PFS benefit was also found in the Impower131 trial investigating carboplatin with nab-paclitaxel plus atezolizumab. However, West says he does not believe the atezolizumab combination will be as favored because there is not an OS improvement.