TOPLINE:

Osimertinib maintained health-related quality of life (QOL) and functioning in patients with unresectable stage III epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after definitive chemoradiotherapy, with no clinically meaningful deterioration in patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analysed PRO data from the phase 3 LAURA study, in which 216 patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutated NSCLC without progression during or after definitive chemoradiotherapy were randomly assigned to receive either osimertinib (n = 143) or placebo (n = 73).
• Patients completed the following three PRO instruments using handheld electronic devices: the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30), the EORTC QLQ-Lung Cancer 13 (QLQ-LC13), and the PRO version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE, version 1.0).
• The EORTC QLQ-LC13 and PRO-CTCAE were completed at baseline (pre-dose); weekly until week 8; every 4 weeks until disease progression; and at 8, 16, and 32 weeks post-progression. The EORTC QLQ-C30 was completed at baseline; weeks 4 and 8; every 8 weeks until disease progression; and at 8, 16, and 32 weeks post-progression.
• Outcomes included changes from baseline in key scale scores (global health status or QOL, physical function, fatigue, appetite loss, dyspnoea, coughing, and pain in the chest), time to confirmed deterioration in these key scale scores, and symptom improvement rates, assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-LC13.

TAKEAWAY:

• The risk for confirmed deterioration in key scale scores was generally not substantially different between osimertinib and placebo groups: global health status or QOL (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14; 95% CI, 0.74-1.78), physical function (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.65-1.71), fatigue (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.85-1.80), appetite loss (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.63-1.58), dyspnoea (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.91-1.86), coughing (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.81-1.71), and pain in the chest (HR, 1.46; 95% CI, 0.95-2.23).
• Over 40 weeks, minimal average changes from baseline were observed for key functioning and symptoms in both treatment groups; the largest difference was observed for appetite loss, with an estimated treatment difference of 8.1 (95% CI, 2.77-13.37) in support of placebo.
• Patients in the osimertinib group showed a shorter median time to deterioration for fatigue (4.6 months; 95% CI, 3.6-14.7), dyspnoea (1.6 months; 95% CI, 1.3-2.7), and pain in the chest (10.0 months; 95% CI, 4.5-27.7) than those in the placebo group (14.8 months; 95% CI, 7.3-20.9; 4.6 months; 95% CI, 1.1-22.9; and 25.7 months; 95% CI, 14.9 to not calculable, respectively).
• PRO-CTCAE responses indicated similar tolerability regarding the frequency and severity of treatment-related symptoms in both the groups.

IN PRACTICE:

"Together with the PFS [progression-free survival] benefit and the expected and manageable safety profile, these PRO data support the use of osimertinib to treat patients with unresectable stage III EGFRm [EGFR-mutated] NSCLC following definitive CRT [chemoradiotherapy]," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Edurne Arriola, MD, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain. It was published online on April 12, 2026, in the European Journal of Cancer.

LIMITATIONS:

Compliance rates for the questionnaires reduced in the placebo group after week 24 due to disease progression. The analysis allowed for qualitative comparisons of PRO data and was not powered to test for statistical significance.

DISCLOSURES:

The LAURA study received funding and sponsorship from AstraZeneca. Seven authors reported serving in advisory roles and receiving honoraria, travel support, or research funding from AstraZeneca and various other sources. Four authors reported having employment and stock or stock options with AstraZeneca.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.