June Lung Cancer Highlights: Top 5 Updates Patients Should Know

During June, investigators reported new data that has advanced the treatment landscape for lung cancer, including new FDA approvals and priority reviews.

During the month of June, investigators reported new data that has advanced the treatment landscape for lung cancer. These updates include new FDA approvals, priority reviews and expanded treatment options that may improve patient outcomes.

Moreover, June brought insights from clinical trials such as the COCOON trial, which showed how a new skin care regimen can reduce the negative impact of dermatologic side effects in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additionally, investigators highlighted the phase 3 LAURA trial, which established a new standard treatment for patients with unresectable, locally advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC.

As these developments and treatment breakthroughs continue to provide hope and improved care for patients, be sure to read on for more detailed information on these important updates below.

A New Regimen Eases Dermatologic Side Effects After Treatment

A new skin regimen, entitled COCOON dermatologic management (DM), helped reduce the negative impact on quality of life caused by side effects from the treatment combination of Rybrevant (amivantamab-vmjw) and Lazcluze (lazertinib) for those with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These results come from the phase 2 COCOON trial, which was presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.

By day 15 of treatment cycle three, patients who followed the COCOON DM routine had lower Skindex-16 scores — indicating fewer skin-related quality-of-life issues — compared with those who received standard skin care. Patients using COCOON DM also showed improvements in emotional well-being, daily functioning, and symptom control.

“At this analysis, which evaluated the first 12 weeks of treatment, [patients] in the COCOON DM arm experienced lower severity of dermatologic symptoms and a reduced impact on quality of life in the standard-of-care dermatologic management arm,” lead study author Jill Feldman, founder of EGFR Registers, a patient advocacy group in Deerfield, Illinois, wrote with coauthors. “Most [patients] in the COCOON DM arm reported mild or no dermatologic symptoms. This benefit was consistently observed across the first [approximately] 10 weeks of treatment.”

The LAURA Trial May Lead to a New Era of Care

The drug osimertinib (Tagrisso) has emerged as a new standard treatment for patients with unresectable, locally advanced NSCLC that has an EGFR mutation. This is based on improved survival outcomes seen in the phase 3 LAURA trial, according to Dr. Suresh Ramalingam, a medical oncologist and executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University.

To share more details, Ramalingam participated in an interview with CURE where he explained the most important results from the LAURA trial and what they mean for patients. He also discussed how Tagrisso is leading to new treatment strategies for this group of patients, as well as what types of side effects patients may experience with this therapy.

“While we have good treatments now and still have work to do, our current position offers much more hope to patients than where we were five to ten years ago,” Ramalingam emphasized the interview.

Ramalingam also serves as the associate vice president for cancer of Woodruff Health Sciences Center and holds the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research. Recently, in May of 2025, Ramalingam was also listed on the TIME100 Health 2025 list for his contributions to lung cancer research.

FDA Grants Priority Review to A New Drug Combo

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing a new drug application for the combination of Zepzelca (lurbinectedin) and Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as a first-line maintenance treatment for people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. This would apply to patients whose cancer has not worsened after initial treatment with Tecentriq, Paraplatin (carboplatin), and Vepesid (etoposide), according to a news release from Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

The FDA has granted the application priority review, which is given to treatments that may offer meaningful improvements for serious conditions. A decision from the FDA is expected by October 7, 2025.

“The FDA's Priority Review designation for Zepzelca in combination with Tecentriq as a first-line maintenance treatment highlights the urgent need for new approaches and the potential benefit of Zepzelca for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, a disease with limited therapeutic options and high unmet need,” Dr. Rob Lannone, executive vice president, global head of research and development, and chief medical officer of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, said in the news release. “We are pleased to have received this review designation after presenting the IMforte trial data at ASCO 2025 with simultaneous publication in The Lancet. Together, these milestones bring us a step closer to potentially offering patients a new first-line maintenance option that could help extend the time they live without their disease progressing.”

FDA Approves Ibtrozi for ROS1+ Advanced NSCLC

The FDA, on June 11, has approved Ibtrozi (taletrectinib) for adults with NSCLC that is locally advanced or has spread (metastatic) and tests positive for a ROS1 gene change, according to a news release from the regulatory agency.

The approval is based on results from two clinical trials, called TRUST-I and TRUST-II, which studied the drug in patients with ROS1-positive NSCLC. Both trials were conducted at multiple centers and did not include a placebo or comparison treatment.

For patients who had not received any prior treatment, the overall response rate — meaning how many people saw their tumors shrink — was 90% in TRUST-I and 85% in TRUST-II. In these groups, 72% and 63% of patients, respectively, had responses that lasted at least 12 months. For those who had previously received a ROS1-targeted treatment, the response rate was 52% in TRUST-I and 62% in TRUST-II. Among these patients, 74% and 83%, respectively, had responses that lasted at least 6 months.

FDA Approves Datroway for EGFR+ Advanced Lung Cancer

On June 23, the FDA granted accelerated approval to Datroway (datopotamab deruxtecan-dlnk) for adults with NSCLC that is locally advanced or metastatic and has an EGFR mutation. This approval is for patients whose cancer has worsened after receiving both an EGFR-targeted treatment and platinum-based chemotherapy.

The effectiveness of Datroway was studied in a combined group of 114 patients from two clinical trials: TROPION-Lung05 and TROPION-Lung01. All patients had advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC and had already been treated with the therapies mentioned above. They received Datroway at the recommended dose.

The main goals of the study were to see how many patients responded to treatment (overall response rate) and how long those responses lasted (duration of response). The results showed that 45% of patients had their tumors shrink, and the median length of response was 6.5 months. These outcomes were assessed by an independent review team using standard criteria.

References:

• “Dermatologic prophylaxis and impact on patient-reported outcomes in first-line EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC treated with amivantamab plus lazertinib: Results from the phase 2 COCOON trial” by Dr. J. Feldman, et al., 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.
• “Tagrisso demonstrated overwhelming efficacy benefit for patients with unresectable, Stage III EGFR-mutated lung cancer in LAURA Phase III trial.” News release. AstraZeneca. Accessed June 30, 2025.
• “Zepzelca® (lurbinectedin) and Atezolizumab (Tecentriq®) Combination Granted U.S. FDA Priority Review for First-Line Maintenance Treatment of Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.” News release. Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Accessed June 30, 2025.
• “FDA Approves Taletrectinib for ROS1-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed June 30, 2025.
• “Datopotamab Deruxtecan in Advanced or Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer With Actionable Genomic Alterations: Results From the Phase II TROPION-Lung05 Study,” by Dr. Jacob Sands, et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology.
• “FDA grants Accelerated Approval to Datopotamab Deruxtecan-dlnk for EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed June 30, 2025.

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