
Novocure Presents Data on Patient Tolerability/Quality of Life Data for NSCLC at ESMO from LUNAR Trial
Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) has announced new data presentations at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023, taking place from October 20 to 24 in Madrid. During the event, Novocure will present three posters on Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy, including a notable analysis of patient-reported health-related global and functional quality of life scores from the randomized phase 3 LUNAR clinical trial in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The analysis of LUNAR data involved the use of The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire-C30. Results from the analysis indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between patients who received TTFields therapy alongside standard systemic treatments and patients who received standard systemic therapies alone in the median time to deterioration for global health status and all five functional scales, including physical functioning, role functioning, emotional functioning, cognitive functioning, and social functioning.
Novocure’s presentations at the ESMO Congress also include global post-marketing surveillance data from patients with high-grade gliomas, affirming the well-tolerated safety profile of TTFields therapy in a subgroup of patients aged 70 and older in real-world settings. This is consistent with data from Novocure’s EF-14 clinical trial. Furthermore, survey data from patients with glioblastoma (GBM) in the United States and the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) revealed high patient satisfaction with TTFields therapy, with most patients indicating they would recommend it to others with GBM.
Pritesh Shah, Novocure’s Chief Growth Officer, expressed enthusiasm about the new data supporting the use of TTFields therapy in the management of metastatic NSCLC and the continued validation of its safety and patient satisfaction profiles for those with aggressive central nervous system tumors. Novocure aims to share these insights with leading medical oncologists at ESMO 2023 and beyond.
Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) represent a different, noninvasive approach to combat cancer by employing electric fields to selectively disrupt multiple cancer cell processes while sparing healthy cells. Notably, cancer cells contain polar cellular components that can be influenced by electric fields, making TTFields a potential approach for solid tumor treatment. The unique aspect of TTFields lies in its specific frequency range, operating at 100 kHz to 500 kHz. This relatively high frequency range and low intensity allow TTFields to avoid depolarizing nerves or muscles or causing significant heating effects. Furthermore, this frequency range enables TTFields to penetrate cancer cell membranes effectively, whereas lower frequencies would be unable to do so.
TTFields selectively target cancer cells and spare healthy ones due to the inherent differences between them. These distinctions encompass various factors, including division rate, morphology, and electrical properties. The unique properties of TTFields therapy make it clinically versatile. It can be customized by adjusting frequencies based on the cell type to effectively target a diverse range of solid tumors. Additionally, TTFields therapy can be delivered noninvasively and locoregionally through a portable device. Novocure has received FDA approval for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma and malignant pleural mesothelioma using the Novocure technology. The company also received approval for the treatment of mesothelioma in May 2019 under the Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) pathway. The technology is currently in clinical trials in non-small cell lung cancer, brain metastasis, and several abdominal cancers.