A therapeutic vaccine for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) added to combination chemotherapy improved progression-free survival compared with combination chemotherapy alone in early trials, researchers said.
More patients given the immunotherapy TG4010 plus cisplatin and gemcitabine achieved six-month progression-free survival than those given the chemotherapy combination alone (43.2% versus 35.1%), Elisabeth Quoix, MD, of the University of Strasbourg in France, and colleagues reported online in The Lancet Oncology.
Response appeared to be modified by a specific natural killer cell biomarker, they added.
Currently, there are five immunotherapies for NSCLC under development. TG4010 is comprised of a recombinant modified vaccinia virus strain Ankara (MVA) that codes for MUC1 tumor-associated antigen and interleukin 2.