On October 15th, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tecentriq (atezolizumab) for treatment following surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with stage II to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have PD-L1 expression ≥ 1% as determined by a FDA-approved test. The approval was based on the results of the clinical trial IMpower010 which showed that patients who received Tecentriq after surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy went longer with no disease. This is the first immunotherapy approved for stage II NSCLC.
In addition to approving Tecentriq for patients with early stage NSCLC, the FDA also granted approval for VENTANA PD-L1 Assay as a companion diagnostic device to select patients with NSCLC for adjuvant treatment with Tecentriq. Tecentriq’s approval for patients who received surgery on their NSCLC marks the first approval for an immunotherapy in that setting and provides hope for better outcomes for many patients diagnosed with early stage NSCLC.
Wonderful news! I was diagnosed with stage 3A lung cancer with one lymph node positive. I am eight months past ULL and four rounds cisplatin and veneroline. My PD is greater than ,50%. Do I still qualify for treatment?
Hi, Wendy, thank you for reaching out! This is a very nuanced question, so I would recommend contacting our HelpLine to discuss it further. Our support team is wonderful and will do everything they can to help answer your question.