By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : June 09, 2025 12:16 pm
46% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death, and 27% reduction in the risk of death, in an aggressive cancer type with limited survival and few treatment options
Roche announced positive results from the Phase III IMforte study of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in combination with lurbinectedin (Zepzelca®) as a first-line maintenance treatment for people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), following induction therapy with carboplatin, etoposide and Tecentriq. The data showed that this combination reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 46% and the risk of death by 27%, compared to Tecentriq maintenance therapy alone. Safety was consistent with the known safety profiles of Tecentriq and lurbinectedin. These data were presented in an oral session at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in The Lancet.
"Small cell lung cancer is an aggressive and devastating disease. At the time of diagnosis, the large majority of patients have already progressed to extensive-stage disease and only one out of five survive longer than two years”, said Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, Head of Medical Oncology at the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre in Madrid, Spain, and IMforte trial principal investigator. “The IMforte results are very encouraging showing a potentially practice-changing option that could improve survival for patients with a very high unmet need.”
"In the IMforte study, the Tecentriq and lurbinectedin maintenance regimen significantly extended survival for people living with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer,” said Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “This study builds on Tecentriq’s well-established safety and efficacy profile as the first immunotherapy for this cancer type and may provide another approach to help physicians and patients better manage this aggressive disease."