First-line immunotherapy with or without chemotherapy versus BRAF plus MEK inhibitors in BRAFV600E-mutated metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (FRONT-BRAF): a multicentre, retrospective cohort study
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Patients with BRAFV600E (ie, Val600Glu)-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be treated with BRAF and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitors, or with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with or without chemotherapy. We aimed to investigate which initial systemic treatment should be prioritised in this population.
METHODS
In this retrospective cohort study conducted across 17 centres in the USA, Italy, France, and Brazil, clinicopathological data were collected from participants aged 18 years and older with stage IV, treatment-naive, metastatic BRAFV600E-mutated NSCLC and with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-3, who started first-line treatment with ICIs with or without chemotherapy (PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors with or without platinum-based chemotherapy) or BRAF and MEK inhibitors (dabrafenib and trametinib or encorafenib and binimetinib) between Jan 2, 2015, and July 11, 2024. The primary endpoint was overall survival with first-line ICIs with or without chemotherapy versus with BRAF and MEK inhibitors.
FINDINGS
284 participants were identified for this study, of whom 88 (31%) received ICIs with or without chemotherapy and 196 (69%) received BRAF and MEK inhibitors. The median age of participants was 68 years (IQR 61-74), and 148 (52%) participants were female and 136 (48%) male. Participants in the ICIs with or without chemotherapy group had a higher history of smoking (73 [83%] vs 118 [60%]; p=0·0002) and a higher…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 284 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study
- A new aging measure captures morbidity and mortality risk across diverse subpopulations from NHANES IV: A cohort study
- Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study
- Are noise and air pollution related to the incidence of dementia? A cohort study in London, England
- Long COVID symptoms and duration in SARS-CoV-2 positive children — a nationwide cohort study
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.