Survival, Toxicity, and Economic Outcomes of Osimertinib Versus Second-Generation Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Metastatic Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Abstract

Direct real-world comparisons between osimertinib and second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are lacking, particularly regarding the comparative effectiveness, safety, and economic implications of different treatment sequencing strategies. We emulated a target trial using the TriNetX database to study adults with newly diagnosed metastatic EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). After 1:1 propensity score matching, 777 patients in the first-line osimertinib arm were compared with 777 patients in the second-generation TKI arm. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), with secondary outcomes including health care utilization and toxicity. First-line osimertinib demonstrated significantly longer median OS compared with second-generation TKIs (53.4 <i>v</i> 33.2 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.618). Although sequential therapy (second-generation TKI followed by osimertinib) achieved similar OS, it was associated with significantly higher toxicity. Patients with brain metastases derived greater benefit from osimertinib (HR, 0.563). Osimertinib also significantly reduced rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and severe infections, generating substantial health care savings ($5.73 million per 1,000 patients) despite higher drug costs. First-line osimertinib provides prolonged OS and meaningful economic benefits over second-generation TKIs. Given the higher toxicity burden of sequential therapy despite similar survival outcomes, our findings support the implementation of first-line osimertinib to optimize patient experience and reduce health care utilization in metastatic EGFR-mutant NSCLC.