Left at the ALTAR.

Another Chinese study, the phase 3 ALTAR 0303 trial, is the first to demonstrate activity of anlotinib. This -nib is a multi-TKI targeting everything from 4 types of EGFRs, 3 FGFRs, 2 PDGFRs, and a stem cell receptor in a pear tree. It enrolled 439 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) refractory to two systemic therapies including at least one chemo and (ifEGFR-mutant and/or ALK-rearranged) at least one TKI. In other words, those with NSCLC left hangin’ without many options. They were then randomized to anlotinib versus placebo. The primary endpoint of overall survival was improved from a median of 6 months without anlotinib to 10 months with, which is pretty remarkable in such heavily pre-treated patients. TBL: A new class of targeted agents may save the day (or at least several) for patients with NSCLC that become resistant to other first-line treatments. | Han, JAMA Oncol 2018