This in-depth safety analysis from the RELAY trial supports that ramucirumab plus erlotinib (RAM + ERL), irrespective of an increased incidence of adverse events (AEs), did not affect the possibility of a patient benefiting from treatment.

RAM+ERL did not lead to more treatment discontinuation due to AEs, despite an overall higher incidence of grade ≥ 3 AEs, including in the subgroup of patients aged ≥ 70 years. Overall, the AEs were manageable and the safety profile of RAM + ERL was consistent with expectations based on the established safety profile of the individual treatment components. The safety profile by race (Asian and non-Asian) was similar to that of the overall population.

RAM + ERL offers a tolerable and effective option for the first-line treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor exon 19 deletion or exon 21 (L858R) mutation-positive metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.