Central nervous system disease in patients receiving selpercatinib for RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer

Central nervous system (CNS) metastases develop in nearly half of patients with RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The selective RET inhibitor selpercatinib treats existing intracranial disease, but no studies have investigated whether early initiation of selpercatinib is associated with decreased development of CNS metastases. Analysis among patients receiving selpercatinib for RET fusion-positive NSCLC in the LIBRETTO-001 trial or the LIBRETTO-201 expanded access program suggests that early initiation of selpercatinib was associated with decreased rates of CNS metastasis formation and progression, and might play a preventive role.