Roche's IMforte Trial Shows Survival Gains in ES-SCLC Therapy

• 46% reduced progression risk with Tecentriq-lurbinectedin combo

• 27% lower mortality than Tecentriq maintenance alone

• Favorable safety profile; potential new ES-SCLC treatment standard

Roche has reported favorable outcomes from the phase III IMforte trial involving Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in conjunction with lurbinectedin (Zepzelca®) as a first-line maintenance therapy for individuals diagnosed with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), subsequent to induction treatment with carboplatin, etoposide, and Tecentriq.

The findings indicated that this combination therapy decreased the likelihood of disease progression or mortality by 46%, and the probability of death by 27%, in comparison to maintenance therapy with Tecentriq alone. The safety profile was in line with the established safety records of both Tecentriq and lurbinectedin. These results were shared during an oral presentation at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting and were concurrently published in The Lancet.

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"Small cell lung cancer is an aggressive and devastating disease. At the time of diagnosis, the large majority of patients have already progressed to extensive-stage disease and only one out of five survive longer than two years”, said Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, Head of Medical Oncology at the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre in Madrid, Spain, and IMforte trial principal investigator. “The IMforte results are very encouraging showing a potentially practice-changing option that could improve survival for patients with a very high unmet need.”

"In the IMforte study, the Tecentriq and lurbinectedin maintenance regimen significantly extended survival for people living with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer,” said Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “This study builds on Tecentriq’s well-established safety and efficacy profile as the first immunotherapy for this cancer type and may provide another approach to help physicians and patients better manage this aggressive disease."