“Compared to standard reactive care, this strategy halved the incidence of grade ≥2 dermatologic AEs (38.6% vs. 76.5%) and reduced grade ≥3 events and treatment discontinuations.”
BUFFALO, NY — April 3, 2026 — A new research perspective was published in Volume 13 of Oncoscience on March 11, 2026, titled “ Early success of the COCOON trial: Preventing dermatologic adverse events in first-line EGFR-mutant NSCLC .”
Led by first and corresponding author Bishal Tiwari from the Nassau University Medical Center and Asmita Koirala from the Western Regional Hospital in Nepal , the commentary summarizes interim findings from the phase II COCOON trial, which tested whether a structured dermatologic prophylaxis regimen could reduce skin toxicities in patients receiving first-line amivantamab plus lazertinib.
The commentary describes a prophylactic protocol that included oral doxycycline or minocycline, ceramide-based moisturization, chlorhexidine nail care, and topical clindamycin. In the interim analysis, the COCOON regimen reduced moderate-to-severe dermatologic adverse events, with the incidence of grade ≥2 events falling from 76.5% with standard reactive care to 38.6% with prophylaxis. The paper also reports reductions in grade ≥3 events and treatment discontinuations, underscoring the practical value of proactive supportive care for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.
“The COCOON results emphasize the clinical value of anticipating EGFR inhibitor-related toxicities through multidisciplinary supportive care.”
The authors conclude that these results reinforce the need to integrate dermatologic prevention into first-line treatment planning for EGFR-mutant NSCLC. They note that straightforward, low-cost interventions can improve tolerability and maintain dose intensity, while future clinical practice updates will likely incorporate this kind of proactive supportive care approach more broadly.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/oncoscience.648
Correspondence to: Bishal Tiwari – btiwari@numc.edu
Abstract video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNIER2880uE
Keywords: cancer, EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer, amivantamab, lazertinib, dermatologic adverse events, COCOON trial
Click here to sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article.
About Oncoscience :
Oncoscience is a peer-reviewed, open-access, traditional journal covering the rapidly growing field of cancer research, especially emergent topics not currently covered by other journals. This journal has a special mission: freeing oncology from publication costs. It is free to readers and authors.
Oncoscience is indexed and archived by PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).
To learn more about Oncoscience , visit Oncoscience.us and connect with us on social media:
For media inquiries, please contact media@impactjournals.com .
Oncoscience
Commentary/editorial
Not applicable
Early success of the COCOON trial: Preventing dermatologic adverse events in first-line EGFR-mutant NSCLC
11-Mar-2026
Author has no conflicts of interest to declare.