What the trial was testing
The AURA3 enrolled 419 patients with lung cancer. The study was sponsored by AstraZeneca and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Osimertinib held cancer in check for 10.1 months on average versus 4.4 months for platinum-based chemotherapy — and with significantly fewer severe side effects.
New England Journal of Medicine · 2017 · NCT02151981
These findings — that osimertinib more than doubled the time before cancer progression compared to platinum-based chemotherapy — were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 419 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with lung cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Osimertinib (Tagrisso) is now standard of care for EGFR T790M-mutant lung cancer that has stopped responding to an earlier EGFR drug. If you have EGFR-mutant lung cancer and your cancer has progressed on erlotinib, gefitinib, or afatinib, ask your oncologist about testing for the T790M resistance mutation — if you have it, osimertinib is the proven next step.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open lung cancer trials
A Study of PRMT5 Inhibitor BAY 3713372 in Participants With MTAP-deleted Solid Tumors
The study treatment, BAY 3713372, is under development to treat MTAP (methylthioadenosine phosphorylase)-deleted solid tumors. It is thought to work by blocking the protein arginine N-methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5). This may kill the MTAP-deleted cancer cells while sparing the normal cells. The main objective of this first-in-human study is to learn how safe BAY 3713372 is, how the body processes it, and how well it works in people with MTAP-deleted solid tumors. For this, the researchers will study and analyze: * the number of participants who have adverse events (AEs) after receiving different doses of BAY 3713372 and the AE's severity. * the number of participants who experience dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) after receiving different doses of BAY 3713372, the DLT's severity and how often they happened. A DLT is a pre-defined medical problem caused by a specific dose of a drug that is too severe to continue using that dose. * the total amount of BAY 3713372 in participants' blood (also called AUC) over time after single and multiple doses. * the highest level of BAY 3713372 in participants' blood (also called Cmax) after single and multiple doses. Other than the main objective, researchers will also check for the number of participants who show a response to treatment and how long they live without the cancer getting worse. The study participants will take part in one of the eight distinct groups or "intervention cohorts" of the study. The study will start with a dose escalation phase where distinct groups of participants will receive different doses of BAY 3713372 alone to find the dose that is deemed safe and works best for the participants. When this dose has been found, a larger number of participants will receive BAY 3713372 alone or with other treatments in a dose expansion phase. Participants may take the study treatment as long as they benefit from the treatment without any severe medical problems. Participants will visit the study site: * at least twice before the treatment starts * multiple times when they start taking the treatment * once after 30 days of receiving the last dose and every 9 weeks after that until the cancer worsens, or the participant stops for any other reason During the study, the doctors and their study team will: * check participants' health by performing tests such as blood and urine tests, and checking heart health using an electrocardiogram * check if the participants' cancer has grown and/or spread using computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and, if needed, bone scan * take tumor samples The study doctors and their team will contact the participants every 3 months until 2 years after the last participant's last dose or the end of the study to learn about the participant's health.
ORACLE: Observation of ResiduAl Cancer With Liquid Biopsy Evaluation
The purpose of ORACLE is to demonstrate the ability of a novel ctDNA assay developed by Guardant Health to detect recurrence in individuals treated for early-stage solid tumors. It is necessary that ctDNA test results are linked to clinical outcomes in order to demonstrate clinical validity for recurrence detection and explore its value in a healthcare environment subject to cost containment.