Metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer without driver mutations: projections by therapy line in Western Europe, 2021-2026

Aim: To estimate the incidence, prevalence and treated prevalence by line of therapy (LOT) for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients without driver mutations from 2021 to 2026. Materials & methods: Country-specific registry data for Western Europe were used to project incidence and prevalence of NSCLC; LOT information was obtained from CancerMPact((R)) Treatment Architecture physician surveys. Results: Incidence, prevalence and treated prevalence across LOTs for NSCLC are projected to increase across five WE countries, including for Stage IV patients without driver mutations (184,966 cases [2021] to 197,925 [2026]). Pembrolizumab monotherapy is utilized by similar to 50% of NSCLC patients with programmed death-ligand 1 expression >= 50%. Conclusion: Improved treatment options for NSCLC patients without known driver mutations are important for combating the projected increase in prevalence. Plain language summary: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Europe. This study estimated how the number of patients living with, and being treated for, lung cancer is projected to change between 2021 and 2026 in Western Europe by collecting past data on lung cancer in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, and analyzing the trends to create estimates for the future. The number of new cases of lung cancer is projected to increase each year from 2021 to 2026, and in line with this, the number of patients receiving treatment for their disease will increase. Improving treatment options for lung cancer will be an important step to combat the expected increase in cancer cases. Tweetable abstract: This RWE-based study projects an increase in incidence, prevalence, and treated prevalence of Stage IIIB/C and Stage IV NSCLC, including difficult-to-treat patients w/o driver mutations, in W. Europe (2021-2026).