Long-Term Recurrence of Completely Resected NSCLC

Cost-effectiveness analysis of adjuvant atezolizumab in stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer expressing ≥50% PD-L1: A United Kingdom health care perspective

OBJECTIVES

Atezolizumab monotherapy has marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as adjuvant treatment following complete resection for adults with stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumours have PD-L1 expression on ≥ 50% of tumour cells and whose disease has not progressed following adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of atezolizumab vs best supportive care (BSC) in the licensed patient population from a UK perspective.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patient characteristics and clinical inputs were derived from the global, randomised, open-label, phaseIII IMpower010 trial. A Markov model with the following health states was developed: disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional recurrence, first-line metastatic recurrence, second-line metastatic recurrence, and death (all partitioned based on receipt of treatment, excluding death). The base case model used a lifetime time horizon (40 years) and 3.5% discounting annually after the first year. DFS from IMpower010 was analysed with parametric survival models to extrapolate outcomes for time points beyond trial follow-up. The models were adjusted to avoid overestimating results for patients with recurrences in the longer term. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events with incidences ≥ 2% were included. Health state utility values were derived from the literature and past NICE appraisals. Sensitivity and scenario analyses assessed uncertainty around assumptions and parameter estimates.

RESULTS

In the base case analysis, atezolizumab therapy resulted in an expected gain of 1.87 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) corresponding to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £20,392/QALY for atezolizumab vs BSC, demonstrating cost-effectiveness. Results were most influenced by discount effects and utility in the on-treatment DFS state. Scenario analyses were consistent with the base case results.

CONCLUSION

Atezolizumab after adjuvant chemotherapy is cost-effective for adults with NSCLC in the UK.

Updated Prognostic Factors in Localized NSCLC

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 80% of lung cancer subtypes. Patients with localized non-small cell lung cancer may be considered for upfront surgical treatment. However, the overall 5-year survival rate is 59%. To improve survival, adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) was largely explored and showed an overall benefit of survival at 5 years < 7%. The evaluation of recurrence risk and subsequent need for ACT is only based on tumor stage (TNM classification); however, more than 25% of patients with stage IA/B tumors will relapse. Recently, adjuvant targeted therapy has been approved for EGFR-mutated resected NSCLC and trials are evaluating other targeted therapies and immunotherapies in adjuvant settings. Costs, treatment duration, emergence of resistant clones and side effects stress the need for a better selection of patients. The identification and validation of prognostic and theranostic markers to better stratify patients who could benefit from adjuvant therapies are needed. In this review, we report current validated clinical, pathological and molecular prognosis biomarkers that influence outcome in resected NSCLC, and we also describe molecular biomarkers under evaluation that could be available in daily practice to drive ACT in resected NSCLC.