WCLC 2025: Brigatinib with local therapy can potentially improve outcomes for advanced NSCLC
MD Anderson Research Highlight September 08, 2025
Almost all patients with ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) end up with an incomplete response to targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), leading to residual disease which may result in acquired resistance to treatment. Adding local consolidative therapy (LCT), such as radiation or surgery, after initial treatment with ALK-TKIs can potentially eliminate residual disease, delaying the emergence of drug resistance and therefore improving clinical outcomes. In the BRIGHTSTAR trial led by , researchers explored the safety and efficacy of brigatinib, an oral ALK-TKI, along with LCT in 34 patients with advanced ALK-rearranged NSCLC. Across all patients, 32 patients (94%) completed the planned LCT, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 66 months and a five-year PFS rate of 51. Notably, the researchers identified new biomarkers of treatment benefit that could help stratify patients into high- and low-risk groups. These findings show that brigatinib with LCT is safe and improves outcomes in this patient population. Elamin presented the findings at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) on .
For patients with ALK-positive lung cancer, we often see that targeted therapies alone don¡¯t completely eliminate the disease. The approach used in this trial potentially gives us a way to better control the cancer and may extend survival, especially when we tailor treatment based on biomarkers like ctDNA and tumor volume.