Several strategies have been investigated to improve the 4% survival advantage of adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this investigator-initiated study we ...aimed to evaluate the predictive utility of the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of excision repair cross complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and thymidylate synthase (TS) as assessed in resected tumor.
Seven hundred and seventy-three completely resected stage II-III NSCLC patients were enrolled and randomly assigned in each of the four genomic subgroups to investigator’s choice of platinum-based chemotherapy (C, n = 389) or tailored chemotherapy (T, n = 384). All anticancer drugs were administered according to standard doses and schedules. Stratification factors included stage and smoking status. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival (OS).
Six hundred and ninety patients were included in the primary analysis. At a median follow-up of 45.9 months, 85 (24.6%) and 70 (20.3%) patients died in arms C and T, respectively. Five-year survival for patients in arms C and T was of 65.4% (95% CI (confidence interval): 58.5% to 71.4%) and 72.9% (95% CI: 66.5% to 78.3%), respectively. The estimated hazard ratio (HR) was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.56-1.06, P value: 0.109) for arm T versus arm C. HR for recurrence-free survival was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.69-1.14, P value: 0.341) for arm T versus arm C. Grade 3-5 toxicities were more frequently reported in arm C than in arm T.
In completely resected stage II-III NSCLC tailoring adjuvant chemotherapy conferred a non-statistically significant trend for OS favoring the T arm. In terms of safety, the T arm was associated with better efficacy/toxicity ratio related to the different therapeutic choices in the experimental arm.
•Adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy is accepted as standard of care in stage II and III (NSCLC) patients.•Several studies addressed the question of whether molecular tumor markers may serve as predictive biomarkers.•ITACA was planned to evaluate the predictive utility of ERCC1 and TS mRNA expression levels in completely resected NSCLC.•ITACA results indicate that adjuvant chemotherapy customization based on ERCC1 and TS mRNA levels did not improve efficacy.•In terms of safety, the pharmacogenomic-driven arm was associated with better efficacy/toxicity ratio.
Background: Brain metastases are a common occurrence in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is the standard therapy; more aggressive approaches such as ...surgery or radiosurgery are indicated in a subset of patients only. The role of systemic treatments remains controversial. Gefitinib is an oral, highly tolerable, specific inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor-associated tyrosine kinase, which has shown activity in chemotherapy pre-treated NSCLC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity and safety of gefitinib in NSCLC patients with brain metastases. Patients and methods: From January 2001 to May 2003, 41 consecutive NSCLC patients with measurable brain metastases were treated with gefitinib, given orally at daily dose of 250 mg. Thirty-seven patients had received previous chemotherapy and 18 patients had been treated previously with WBRT, completed at least 3 months before entering the trial. Results: A partial response (PR) was observed in four patients (10%), with stable disease (SD) in seven cases, for an overall disease control (DC) rate (DC=PR+SD) of 27% (95% confidence interval 13% to 40%). Median duration of PR was 13.5 months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) of the whole population was 3 months. DC rate was higher in patients pre-treated with WBRT (P=0.05) and with adenocarcinoma histological type (P=0.08); adenocarcinoma patients had also a longer PFS (P=0.04). Toxicity was mild and consisted of grade 1/2 skin toxicity and diarrhoea, occurring in 24% and 10% of patients, respectively. Conclusions: Gefitinib can be active on brain disease in NSCLC patients. Since the results of standard therapy for brain metastases in this clinical setting are particularly disappointing, gefitinib appears to be a possible new treatment option.
ABCC2 (MRP2, cMOAT) expression has been implicated in cisplatin resistance in vitro. In mice, cisplatin disposition and toxicity were unaffected by Abcc2 knockout (Abcc2−/−). Moreover, in cancer ...patients (n = 237), cisplatin pharmacokinetics (P > 0.12) and efficacy (P > 0.41) were not associated with seven of the single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ABCC2. These SNPs were also not correlated with ABCC2 expression in the NCI60 panel (P > 0.26) or with cisplatin‐induced cytotoxicity (P = 0.21). These findings highlight the importance of verifying drug–transporter interactions with in vitro tests in humans.
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2012); 91 6, 1022–1026. doi:10.1038/clpt.2011.330
Asparagine-glycine-arginine-human tumour necrosis factor (NGR-hTNF) is a vascular targeting agent exploiting a tumour-homing peptide (NGR) that selectively binds to aminopeptidase N/CD13, ...overexpressed on tumour blood vessels. Significant preclinical synergy was shown between low doses of NGR-TNF and doxorubicin.
The primary aim of this phase I trial was to verify the safety of low-dose NGR-hTNF combined with doxorubicin in treating refractory/resistant solid tumours. Secondary objectives included pharmacokinetics (PKs), pharmacodynamics, and clinical activity. In all 15 patients received NGR-hTNF (0.2-0.4-0.8-1.6 microg m(-2)) and doxorubicin (60-75 mg m(-2)), both given intravenously every 3 weeks.
No dose-limiting toxicity occurred and the combination was well tolerated. Around two cases of neutropenic fevers, lasting 2 days, and two cases of cardiac ejection-fraction drops, one asymptomatic and the other symptomatic, were registered. Only 11% of the adverse events were related to NGR-hTNF and were short-lasting and mild-to-moderate in severity. There was no apparent PK interaction and the shedding of soluble TNF-receptors did not increase to 0.8 microg m(-2). One partial response (7%), at dose level 0.8 microg m(-2), and 10 stable diseases (66%), lasting for a median duration of 5.6 months, were observed.
NGR-hTNF plus doxorubicin was administered safely and showed promising activity in patients pre-treated with anthracyclines. The dose level of 0.8 microg m(-2) NGR-hTNF plus doxorubicin 75 mg m(-2) was selected for phase II development.
Purpose
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement confers sensitivity to ALK inhibitors (ALKis) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although several drugs provided an impressive outcome ...benefit, the most effective sequential strategy is still unknown. We describe outcomes of real-life patients according to the treatment strategy received.
Patients
We retrospectively collected 290 ALK rearranged advanced NSCLC diagnosed between 2011 and 2017 in 23 Italian institutions.
Results
After a median follow-up of 26 months, PFS for crizotinib and a new generation ALKis were 9.4 CI 95% 7.9–11.2 and 11.1 months CI 95% 9.2–13.8, respectively, while TTF were 10.2 CI 95% 8.5–12.6 and 11.9 months CI 95% 9.7–17.4, respectively, being consistent across the different settings. The composed outcomes (the sum of PFS or TTF) in patients treated with crizotinib followed by a new generation ALKis were 27.8 months CI 95% 24.3–33.7 in PFS and 30.4 months CI 95% 24.7–34.9 in TTF. The median OS from the diagnosis of advanced disease was 39 months CI 95% 31.8–54.5. Patients receiving crizotinib followed by a new generation ALKis showed a higher median OS 57 months (CI 95% 42.0–73.8) compared to those that did not receive crizotinib 38 months (CI 95% 18.6–NR) and those who performed only crizotinib as target agent 15 months (CI 95% 11.3–34.0) (
P
< 0.0001).
Conclusion
The sequential administration of crizotinib and a new generation ALKis provided a remarkable clinical benefit in this real-life population, being an interesting option to consider in selected patients.
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