How ALUNBRIG® (brigatinib) May Help as Your First Targeted Treatment for ALK+ Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Hear From Barbara, a First-Line ALUNBRIG Patient
Barbara's Story
Learn more about Barbara’s ALK+ mNSCLC diagnosis, treatment with ALUNBRIG in the first line, and experience living with lung cancer.
Barbara is a real ALUNBRIG patient
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[Barbara]
When I do watercolor, I don't think about anything else. I just fall into the painting itself and in this way, I don't have to think about anything negative that's happened in my life. I don't think about my cancer. I don't think about the loss of my husband. I just have a wonderful time relaxing and enjoying the moment.
Hi, I'm Barbara. I was diagnosed with ALK positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in 2019.
In late 2015, I caught a cold. It developed into a very bad cough, which I thought might be pneumonia, so I went to have an X-ray and they discovered that there was something in my lung. They decided to send me for surgery. I had surgery on my right, upper lung and they discovered that it was a malignant tumor.
It was unbelievable that I had lung cancer because I had never smoked a day in my life. I just didn't understand how that was even possible. Most people in my family have passed away from heart-related diseases. Nobody had cancer in my family, so I was doubly shocked that I had cancer, and particularly that it was lung cancer.
They treated me with four rounds of chemotherapy, which seemed to work for a while.
When my cancer came back, I was absolutely devastated.
I underwent four rounds of chemotherapy concurrently with 37 days of radiation. That was to be followed by immunotherapy. Before the immunotherapy started, my oncologist tested my tumor, and that's when I found out that I had the ALK positive mutation.
The fact that I was ALK positive meant that immunotherapy was not going to be called for in my case, and so I guess I was kind of happy that he discovered that I had this mutation, and that was even before I found out that there was a medication that could benefit me.
My doctor mentioned that there was a pill that I would be eligible to take called Alunbrig.
ALUNBRIG is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): that has a certain type of abnormal anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene, and that has spread to other parts of your body.
It is not known if ALUNBRIG is safe and effective in children.
He said that I would take this once daily in pill form.
When I first started, I was taking 90 milligrams daily. Once I tolerated that, they switched me to 180 milligrams a day, and I've been taking that ever since.
Once I started taking Alunbrig, it just fit so nicely into my lifestyle.
I really like the once daily dosing. I take it in the morning with breakfast and some other medications that I'm taking, and then I don't have to think about it for the rest of the day. That's it.
I have a very active lifestyle. I have loads of hobbies, and I love to travel. Taking one pill once a day works for me.
I have experienced diarrhea, nausea, pains in my legs and hands, as well as changes in the foods I enjoy eating while taking Alunbrig, but these are not all the possible side effects and everyone is different.
Speak to your healthcare provider about all the potential side effects with Alunbrig.
Alunbrig has worked for me, but everyone is different. To anyone living with the same diagnosis, I suggest you speak with your physician to see what would be the best treatment plan for you.
ALUNBRIG was evaluated in a broad range of patients, including those with ALK+ NSCLC that had spread to other parts of their body
The ALUNBRIG study included 275 patients with ALK+ NSCLC whose lung cancer had spread to other parts of their body.
137 patients received the recommended dosing regimen of 90 mg of ALUNBRIG orally once daily for 7 days, followed by an increase to 180 mg orally once daily. The other 138 patients received a different medicine called crizotinib (250 mg orally twice daily).
- Patient ages ranged from 27 years to 89 years (median age was 59 years) and about half (55%) were female
- 58% of patients in the study had never smoked
Patients taking ALUNBRIG lived twice as long without their disease getting worse or spreading versus those taking crizotinib
BLINDED INDEPENDENT REVIEW COMMITTEE RESULTS
MEDIANa TIME TO PROGRESSION
aMedian is not the same as average. Please see glossary for definition
BLINDED INDEPENDENT REVIEW COMMITTEE
This was a group of independent researchers who objectively reviewed and evaluated the results from the trial.
OVERALL TUMOR RESPONSE
Overall, 3 out of 4 patients (74%) taking ALUNBRIG had their tumors shrink, vs 62% of patients taking crizotinib
101 of 137 patients (74%) taking ALUNBRIG had their tumors shrink vs 85 of 138 patients (62%) taking crizotinib.
ALUNBRIG Helped Shrink Tumors in the Brain
Additional Study Results
- The Blinded Independent Review Committee also evaluated a smaller group of 41 patients with brain metastases.
Overall, 14 of 18 patients (78%) achieved a response while taking ALUNBRIG vs 6 of 23 patients (26%) taking crizotinib
- 3 out of every 4 patients with cancer that spread to their brain saw their tumors shrink when they were treated with ALUNBRIG
More than half of all patients (9 out of 14) who responded to ALUNBRIG maintained that response for 2 years or longer
- Researchers could not estimate the results for the 6 patients who responded to treatment with crizotinib
During the Same Study, 131 People Completed a Quality of Lifea Questionnaire
ALK+ mNSCLC patients reported on how they functioned physically, emotionally, and socially, and on the severity of their symptoms.
Both groups reported that their cancer eventually impacted their quality of life, but ALUNBRIG patients reported a longer time until their symptoms worsened.
The median time to symptoms getting worse was 26.7 months for patients taking ALUNBRIG compared with 8.3 months for patients taking crizotinib.
The results of this survey weren't originally part of the study. People also knew which medicine they were taking during the study. This means they may have marked their quality-of-life improvements higher than they actually were.
Every patient is different. Always talk to your doctor if you have any questions about ALUNBRIG.
aQuality of life was assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, or EORTC QLQ-C30. This 30-item questionnaire is used to measure health-related quality of life in people with cancer—specifically, how their disease and treatment are affecting them physically (eg, side effects and ability to be active), psychologically (eg, mental and emotional challenges), and socially (eg, impact on interacting with family and friends).
It's normal to have questions as you begin your treatment on ALUNBRIG.
We have additional resources for you to discuss with your healthcare provider as you get started.
Glossary
- Median – The middle number in a set of measurements arranged from lowest to highest.