The 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), taking place from September 7-10 in San Diego, USA, will showcase key findings from Chinese researchers, including a phase III randomized controlled trial comparing plinabulin plus docetaxel versus docetaxel alone for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after progression on platinum-based chemotherapy. The results of this study will be presented during the "OA08 – New Generation of Cytotoxic Agents" session and published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine on the same day.

Abstract Number: OA08.04

Title: Plinabulin/Docetaxel vs. Docetaxel in 2L/3L NSCLC after Platinum Regimens (DUBLIN-3): A Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trial

Principal Investigators: Academician Yan Sun, Professor Baohui Han, and Professor Yuankai Shi

In the context of unmet clinical needs for second- and third-line treatments for EGFR wild-type advanced NSCLC, the DUBLIN-3 study, a multicenter, single-blind (patient-blinded), randomized phase III trial, was conducted across 58 medical centers in the US, China, and Australia. The trial enrolled patients with disease progression following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, who were then randomly assigned to treatment groups. The control group received docetaxel on day 1 and a placebo on day 8, while the experimental group received plinabulin on both day 1 and day 8, in 21-day cycles.

The final analysis showed that the combination of plinabulin and docetaxel was well tolerated and significantly improved overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR). Additionally, it reduced the incidence of grade 4 neutropenia. The treatment demonstrated sustained anti-cancer benefits over time with increasing treatment cycles. Although some adverse events were observed, this combination therapy is poised to offer a new treatment option in light of the current unmet clinical needs in this patient population.