ASCO 2026 Day 1: CROWN Trial 7-Year Data — 60% of ALK+ NSCLC Patients Progression-Free at 5 Years on Lorlatinib

On May 29, 2026, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting opened at McCormick Place in Chicago under the presidential theme 'The Science and Practice of Translation: Improving Cancer Outcomes Worldwide' (ASCO President Dr. Eric Small). Among the most anticipated presentations on Day 1 was the 7-year updated analysis of the CROWN Phase 3 trial evaluating lorlatinib (Lorbrena) versus crizotinib as first-line therapy in ALK-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The updated data showed approximately 60% of patients on lorlatinib remained progression-free at 5 years — a landmark outcome for a disease where median PFS with older-generation TKIs was 12–18 months. The 5-year median PFS for lorlatinib was not reached (NR), versus approximately 9.3 months for crizotinib. Critically, lorlatinib demonstrated 92% CNS protection — preventing brain metastases in 92% of patients versus 53% on crizotinib — addressing the historically feared progression pattern in ALK+ NSCLC where CNS is the primary relapse site. Seven-year OS data continued to favor lorlatinib. These results establish lorlatinib as the definitive standard-of-care first-line treatment for ALK+ NSCLC, potentially curing a meaningful fraction of patients with a targetable lung cancer subtype. ASCO 2026 includes 7,000+ abstracts across 23 oral abstract sessions, with the marquee daraxonrasib pancreatic cancer Phase 3 plenary scheduled for May 31.