Real-World Evidence on Lung Cancer Treatment Guidelines

This research brief presents an analysis of the treatment patterns for lung cancer patients with both PD-L1 expression and EGFR mutations, focusing on adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. The study indicates that 40% of dual expressor patients received immunotherapy as a first-line treatment contrary to NCCN recommendations, which advise the use of targeted therapy first. The findings reveal that patients treated in accordance with these guidelines had a significantly longer survival rate, averaging 51 days more than those who were treated against the guidelines. The analysis, based on real-world evidence from approximately 520 patients, also highlights disparities in treatment based on race, with Black patients being twice as likely to receive treatment against NCCN guidelines compared to White patients. The brief discusses the implications of these findings and the need for further research to understand the reasons behind the deviations from established treatment protocols.