A video summary of the DeLLphi-301 study: tarlatamab as a treatment option for small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a very fast-growing lung cancer with few treatment options when standard treatments fail. The DeLLphi-301 study tested a medicine called tarlatamab to see if it shrinks SCLC in patients who had received previous treatments for SCLC. Tarlatamab works by directing the immune system’s T cells to link to and attack cancer cells. The DeLLphi-301 study tested whether a 10 or 100 mg dose would shrink SCLC better and have fewer side effects. It also assessed whether a post-treatment monitoring period could be shortened without compromising safety.

Results showed the 10 mg dose was more effective with 40% of patients responding to treatment. The most common side effect was cytokine release syndrome (CRS), which led to symptoms such as fever, low blood pressure, and low blood oxygen levels. Another immune system-related side effect called immune effector cell-associated neurologic syndrome (ICANs) can occur. ICANS is an immune reaction that affects the brain and may cause symptoms like confusion, shaking, seizures, and nerve issues. These side effects were more common with the higher dose.
Because the tarlatamab 10 mg dose was effective and had fewer side effects, it was chosen for future clinical trials.

Original article

Ahn MJ, Cho BC, Felip E, et al. Tarlatamab for Patients with Previously Treated Small-Cell Lung Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(22):2063-2075. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2307980

Plain Language Summary of Publication

Ahn MJ, Cho BC, Felip E, et al. Plain language summary: tarlatamab for patients with previously treated small cell lung cancer. Future Oncol. 2024;20(40):3355-3364. doi:10.1080/14796694.2024.2402152