Positive results for Xalkori (Pfizer) in treatment of patients with ALK-positive Lung Cancer

The results of a new phase III trial show that Xalkori (crizotinib), from Pfizer, is a more effective treatment than standard chemotherapy for patients with advanced, ALK-positive Lung Cancer. The current global randomized phase III study compared the efficacy and safety of crizotinib with standard chemotherapy with pemetrexed or docetaxel, in 347 patients with ALK-positive lung cancer who had already been treated with chemotherapy. The study showed that crizotinib prolonged progression-free survival to a median of 7.7 months compared to 3.0 months among those patients who received the chemotherapy. The overall response rate was also significantly higher in those treated with crizotinib (65% vs 20%). Certain side-effects were more frequent with crizotinib compared with single-agent chemotherapy. "This study is the first head-to-head comparison of crizotinib with standard chemotherapy in this patient group," said lead study author Dr Alice Shaw from Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston, USA. Results were presented at the ESMO 2012 Congress.