Innovative Immunotherapy Approach Shows Long-Term Benefits in Advanced NSCLC Patients
A groundbreaking viral immunotherapy, CAN-2409, shows significant promise in extending survival for advanced NSCLC patients resistant to standard treatments, highlighting potential for future cancer immunotherapy strategies.
A recent study has demonstrated promising results for a novel viral immunotherapy, known as CAN-2409, in extending survival among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had previously shown limited response to standard immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Presented at the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the Phase IIa clinical trial explored the safety and efficacy of intratumoral injections of CAN-2409 combined with the oral prodrug valacyclovir.
The trial involved 76 patients with unresectable stage III/IV NSCLC, divided into cohorts based on their disease status despite ICI treatment: either stable disease or progressive disease. Out of these, 46 patients were eligible for detailed analysis. Remarkably, with a median follow-up of over 32 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 24.5 months in the per protocol population, with over one-third of patients surviving beyond two years post-treatment. Patients with non-squamous NSCLC benefited the most, experiencing a median OS of 25.4 months, compared to 13.3 months for squamous tumors. The improved outcomes were associated with increased cytotoxic T cell activity and other favorable immune responses.
Systemic immune activation was evident, with 69% of patients with multiple lesions showing abscopal responses, indicating that the local treatment elicited a systemic anti-tumor immune response. Dr. Charu Aggarwal from the Abramson Cancer Center emphasized the potential of CAN-2409, noting that these findings underscore its promise as a treatment option for patients who have exhausted other therapies.
The safety profile of CAN-2409 remained favorable throughout the extended follow-up period. Experts advocate for moving forward with larger, randomized trials to further validate these findings, especially in patients with non-squamous NSCLC.
This study suggests that CAN-2409 could provide a durable survival benefit and enhance systemic anti-tumor immunity in advanced NSCLC cases resistant to existing immunotherapies.
[Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-immunotherapy-strategy-term-survival-advanced.html]
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