SAFFRON drug combination extends survival versus chemotherapy
In SAFFRON, osimertinib plus savolitinib prolonged survival versus chemotherapy in advanced lung cancer with EGFR alterations and MET features after progression on osimertinib. At ESMO in Madrid, investigators also reported longer time before progression. Time before progression also increased. The result cannot be generalized to all lung cancers; serious adverse events and treatment discontinuations remain important when weighing this option for the selected population.
Science··Morning
A combination was tested after resistance
SAFFRON enrolled people whose advanced lung cancer progressed during osimertinib treatment. Their tumours had EGFR alterations together with resistance features involving excess MET protein or amplification of the corresponding gene. The phase 3 study, presented in Madrid, compared osimertinib plus savolitinib with platinum-based chemotherapy including pemetrexed. Its result concerns this molecularly selected population, rather than every form of lung cancer.[1], [2]
Survival and time before progression rose
Median overall survival was 17.8 months with the combination and 12.9 months with chemotherapy. Median time before progression was 7.6 and 5.4 months, respectively. These group comparisons cannot predict an individual patient’s lifespan. Tumour response was also assessed. An earlier announcement gave only a positive topline result; the detailed presentation clarified the survival and progression findings for the selected population.[1], [2]
Serious harms were also recorded
Reported effects included swelling, anaemia, diarrhoea and nausea. Serious events and treatment discontinuations were monitored, and a fatal treatment-related pneumonitis occurred with the combination. The survival benefit therefore comes with risks. Assessment of MET features after resistance matters when identifying patients represented by the trial. An existing authorization in China rests on a different investigation; this presentation does not automatically confer approval elsewhere.[1]
