Introducing COPERNICUS: Clinical Gaps and the Rationale for a New First-Line Strategy

This opening section introduces the COPERNICUS study and frames it within the evolving treatment landscape for EGFR-mutated metastatic non–small cell lung cancer. Edgardo Santos, MD, FACP, FASCO, outlines the major advances achieved in recent years, particularly through the MARIPOSA trial findings, which demonstrated significant improvements in progression-free and overall survival with amivantamab plus lazertinib. Despite these gains, he emphasizes that meaningful gaps remain in real-world care, including treatment burden, infusion-related reactions, and prolonged clinic chair time.

The discussion establishes COPERNICUS as a pragmatic phase 2 study designed to address these challenges by focusing not only on efficacy but also on feasibility and patient experience. Subcutaneous administration of amivantamab is introduced as a key innovation, offering comparable exposure and clinical activity with fewer administration-related reactions and shorter treatment time.