This phase III trial was conducted to test whether the novel vascular disrupting agent ASA404 (vadimezan), when combined with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, improves survival in patients ...with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) versus chemotherapy alone.
Patients with advanced stage IIIB or IV NSCLC, stratified by sex and tumor histology, were randomly assigned 1:1 to paclitaxel (200 mg/m(2)) and carboplatin (area under the curve, 6.0) with or without ASA404 (1,800 mg m(2)), given intravenously once every 3 weeks for six cycles followed by maintenance ASA404 or placebo. Primary end point was overall survival (OS); secondary end points included overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS).
One thousand two hundred ninety-nine patients were randomly assigned. The trial was stopped for futility at interim analysis. At final analysis, there was no difference in OS seen between ASA404 (n = 649) and placebo (n = 650) arms: median OS was 13.4 and 12.7 months respectively (hazard ratio HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.19; P = .535). Similarly, no OS difference was seen in the histologic (squamous or nonsquamous) and sex (male or female) strata. Median PFS was 5.5 months in both arms (HR, 1.04; P = .727), while ORR was 25% in both arms (P = 1.0). Overall rate of adverse events (AEs) was comparable between the ASA404 and placebo arms. Grade 4 neutropenia (27% v 19%) and infusion site pain (10% v 0.5%) were reported more frequently in the ASA404 arm.
The addition of ASA404 to carboplatin and paclitaxel, although generally well tolerated, failed to improve frontline efficacy in advanced NSCLC.
The news that caught the attention of Korean cancer patients recent months was not about new anti-cancer drug development but about “animal anthelmintics.” A YouTube video of a US patient diagnosed ...with small cell lung cancer claimed he had been cured by fenbendazole (animal anthelmintic), while attending a clinical trial with other anti-cancer drug at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. When fenbendazole became difficult to obtain on the market, even the human anthelmintic (albendazole) was sold out. KCI Citation Count: 0
This randomized, open-label trial compared dacomitinib (PF-00299804), an irreversible inhibitor of human epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR)/HER1, HER2, and HER4, with erlotinib, a reversible ...EGFR inhibitor, in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Patients with NSCLC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 2, no prior HER-directed therapy, and one/two prior chemotherapy regimens received dacomitinib 45 mg or erlotinib 150 mg once daily.
One hundred eighty-eight patients were randomly assigned. Treatment arms were balanced for most clinical and molecular characteristics. Median progression-free survival (PFS; primary end point) was 2.86 months for patients treated with dacomitinib and 1.91 months for patients treated with erlotinib (hazard ratio HR = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.91; two-sided P = .012); in patients with KRAS wild-type tumors, median PFS was 3.71 months for patients treated with dacomitinib and 1.91 months for patients treated with erlotinib (HR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.85; two-sided P = .006); and in patients with KRAS wild-type/EGFR wild-type tumors, median PFS was 2.21 months for patients treated with dacomitinib and 1.84 months for patients treated with erlotinib (HR = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.99; two-sided P = .043). Median overall survival was 9.53 months for patients treated with dacomitinib and 7.44 months for patients treated with erlotinib (HR = 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56 to 1.13; two-sided P = .205). Adverse event-related discontinuations were uncommon in both arms. Common treatment-related adverse events were dermatologic and gastrointestinal, predominantly grade 1 to 2, and more frequent with dacomitinib.
Dacomitinib demonstrated significantly improved PFS versus erlotinib, with acceptable toxicity. PFS benefit was observed in most clinical and molecular subsets, notably KRAS wild-type/EGFR any status, KRAS wild-type/EGFR wild-type, and EGFR mutants.
Circulating soluble programmed death-1 ligand (sPD-L1) is measurable in the serum of cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate the significance of sPD-L1 in cancer patients receiving immune ...checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Blood samples were obtained before and after immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (January 2015 to January 2019). The study cohort consisted of 128 patients who were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (n = 50), melanoma (n = 31), small cell lung cancer (n = 14), urothelial carcinoma (n = 13), and other cancers (n = 20). Patients with a high level (> 11.0 pg/μL) of sPD-L1 were more likely to exhibit progressive disease compared with those with a low level (41.8% versus 20.7%, p = 0.013). High sPD-L1 was also associated with worse prognosis; the median PFS was 2.9 (95% confidence interval CI 2.1-3.7) months versus 6.3 (95% CI 3.0-9.6) months (p = 0.023), and the median OS was 7.4 (95% CI 6.3-8.5) months versus 13.3 (95% CI 9.2-17.4) months (p = 0.005). In the multivariate analyses, high sPD-L1 was an independent prognostic factor for both decreased PFS (HR 1.928, p = 0.038) and OS (HR 1.788, p = 0.004). sPD-L1 levels did not correlate with tissue PD-L1 expression. However, sPD-L1 levels were positively correlated with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios and negatively correlated with both the proportion and the total number of lymphocytes. We found that high pretreatment sPD-L1 levels were associated with progressive disease and were an independent prognostic factor predicting lower PFS and OS in these patients.
Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising anti-cancer treatment, however, little is known about the genetic characteristics that dictate response to immunotherapy. We develop a transcriptional ...predictor of immunotherapy response and assess its prediction in genomic data from ~10,000 human tissues across 30 different cancer types to estimate the potential response to immunotherapy. The integrative analysis reveals two distinct tumor types: the mutator type is positively associated with potential response to immunotherapy, whereas the chromosome-instable type is negatively associated with it. We identify somatic mutations and copy number alterations significantly associated with potential response to immunotherapy, in particular treatment with anti-CTLA-4 antibody. Our findings suggest that tumors may evolve through two different paths that would lead to marked differences in immunotherapy response as well as different strategies for evading immune surveillance. Our analysis provides resources to facilitate the discovery of predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy that could be tested in clinical trials.
Summary Background Afatinib, an irreversible ErbB-family blocker, has shown preclinical activity when tested in EGFR mutant models with mutations that confer resistance to EGFR tyrosine-kinase ...inhibitors. We aimed to assess its efficacy in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma with previous treatment failure on EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors. Methods In this phase 2b/3 trial, we enrolled patients with stage IIIB or IV adenocarcinoma and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance (ECOG) performance score of 0–2 who had received one or two previous chemotherapy regimens and had disease progression after at least 12 weeks of treatment with erlotinib or gefitinib. We used a computer-generated sequence to randomly allocate patients (2:1) to either afatinib (50 mg per day) or placebo; all patients received best supportive care. Randomisation was done in blocks of three and was stratified by sex and baseline ECOG performance status (0–1 vs 2). Investigators, patients, and the trial sponsor were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was overall survival (from date of randomisation to death), analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT00656136. Findings Between May 26, 2008, and Sept 21, 2009, we identified 697 patients, 585 of whom were randomly allocated to treatment (390 to afatinib, 195 to placebo). Median overall survival was 10·8 months (95% CI 10·0–12·0) in the afatinib group and 12·0 months (10·2–14·3) in the placebo group (hazard ratio 1·08, 95% CI 0·86–1·35; p=0·74). Median progression-free survival was longer in the afatinib group (3·3 months, 95% CI 2·79–4·40) than it was in the placebo group (1·1 months, 0·95–1·68; hazard ratio 0·38, 95% CI 0·31–0·48; p<0·0001). No complete responses to treatment were noted; 29 (7%) patients had a partial response in the afatinib group, as did one patient in the placebo group. Subsequent cancer treatment was given to 257 (68%) patients in the afatinib group and 153 (79%) patients in the placebo group. The most common adverse events in the afatinib group were diarrhoea (339 87% of 390 patients; 66 17% were grade 3) and rash or acne (305 78% patients; 56 14% were grade 3). These events occurred less often in the placebo group (18 9% of 195 patients had diarrhoea; 31 16% had rash or acne), all being grade 1 or 2. Drug-related serious adverse events occurred in 39 (10%) patients in the afatinib group and one (<1%) patient in the placebo group. We recorded two possibly treatment-related deaths in the afatinib group. Interpretation Although we recorded no benefit in terms of overall survival with afatinib (which might have been affected by cancer treatments given after progression in both groups), our findings for progression-free survival and response to treatment suggest that afatinib could be of some benefit to patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma who have failed at least 12 weeks of previous EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor treatment. Funding Boehringer Ingelheim Inc.
Intratumoral heterogeneity has been suggested to be an important resistance mechanism leading to treatment failure. We hypothesized that radiologic images could be an alternative method for ...identification of tumor heterogeneity. We tested heterogeneity textural parameters on pretreatment FDG-PET/CT in order to assess the predictive value of target therapy. Recurred or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) subjects with an activating EGFR mutation treated with either gefitinib or erlotinib were reviewed. An exploratory data set (n = 161) and a validation data set (n = 21) were evaluated, and eight parameters were selected for survival analysis. The optimal cutoff value was determined by the recursive partitioning method, and the predictive value was calculated using Harrell's C-index. Univariate analysis revealed that all eight parameters showed an increased hazard ratio (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS). The highest HR was 6.41 (P<0.01) with co-occurrence (Co) entropy. Increased risk remained present after adjusting for initial stage, performance status (PS), and metabolic volume (MV) (aHR: 4.86, P<0.01). Textural parameters were found to have an incremental predictive value of early EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) failure compared to that of the base model of the stage and PS (C-index 0.596 vs. 0.662, P = 0.02, by Co entropy). Heterogeneity textural parameters acquired from pretreatment FDG-PET/CT are highly predictive factors for PFS of EGFR TKI in EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients. These parameters are easily applicable to the identification of a subpopulation at increased risk of early EGFR TKI failure. Correlation to genomic alteration should be determined in future studies.
Current guidelines recommend both epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs as standard treatment options for patients with wild-type ...(WT) EGFR who were previously treated for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it is not clear that EGFR TKIs are as efficacious as chemotherapy in patients with WT EGFR.
To determine the association between first-generation EGFR TKI vs chemotherapy and survival in advanced NSCLC patients with WT EGFR.
PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane database, and meeting abstracts of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and European Society of Medical Oncology through December 2013.
Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials comparing EGFR TKI with conventional chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. Out of 1947 retrieved articles, 11 trials incorporating 1605 patients with WT EGFR were included.
Two reviewers extracted trial characteristics and outcomes. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane tool. All measures were pooled using random-effects models and 95% CIs were calculated.
The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS), measured as hazard ratios (HRs). The secondary outcomes were objective response rate and overall survival, expressed as relative risks and HRs, respectively.
Among patients with WT EGFR tumors, chemotherapy was associated with improvement of PFS, compared with TKI (HR for TKI, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.10-1.81). No statistically significant subgroup difference was identified in terms of line of treatment (first-line vs second- or later-line), experimental drug, dominant ethnicity, or EGFR mutation analysis method. Trials using more sensitive platforms than direct sequencing were associated with a significant PFS benefit with chemotherapy (HR for TKI, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.35-2.52). The association of chemotherapy with improvement in PFS was also significant in second- or later-line trials (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.09-1.65). The objective response rate was higher with chemotherapy (92/549, 16.8%, vs 39/540, 7.2%, for TKI; relative risk for TKI, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02-1.21); however, no statistically significant difference was observed with respect to overall survival (HR for TKI, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.96-1.22).
Among patients with advanced NSCLC harboring WT EGFR, conventional chemotherapy, compared with first-generation EGFR TKI, was associated with improvement in PFS but not overall survival.
Extranodal NK/T‐cell lymphoma (NTCL) is characterized by clinical heterogeneity based on clinical prognostic factors and survival outcome. NTCL subsets are classified as upper aerodigestive tract ...(UAT) NTCL or non‐UAT NTCL; non‐UAT has pathologic similarity to UAT‐NTCL but is a clinically distinct subtype. Due to the clinical heterogeneity of NTCL, optimal treatment modalities and prognostic factors have been difficult to determine. Ann Arbor staging for lymphomas and the International Prognostic Index (IPI) have been used to predict prognosis for UAT‐NTCL; however, local tumor invasiveness (bony invasion or perforation or invasion of the overlying skin) is the most significant factor for poor outcomes in localized UAT‐NTCL. Thus, a new staging system is proposed: limited disease (stage I/II UAT‐NTCL without local tumor invasiveness) and extensive disease (stage I/II with local invasiveness or stage III/IV disease of UAT NTCL, and non‐UAT NTCL) based on treatment outcomes. NTCL is resistant to anthracycline‐based chemotherapy, whereas non‐anthracycline combination chemotherapy (such as ifosfamide, methotrexate, etoposide, and prednisolone) has an activity against NTCL as either a front‐line or as a second‐line treatment. The effectiveness of radiotherapy is evident in limited disease, but questionable in extensive disease. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 2242–2248)
We aimed to compare intra- and extracranial responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in lung cancer with brain metastases (BM), and to explore tumor microenvironments of the brain and lungs ...focusing on the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) pathway.
Two cohorts of lung cancer patients with BM were analyzed. Cohort 1 included 18 patients treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab, and intra- and extracranial responses were assessed. Cohort 2 comprised 20 patients who underwent both primary lung surgery and brain metastasectomy. Specimens from cohort 2 were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis for the following markers: CD3, CD4, CD8, FOXP3, and PD-1 on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and PD-L1 on tumor cells.
Seven patients (38.9%) in cohort 1 showed progressive disease in both primary and intracranial lesions. Although the other 11 patients exhibited a partial response or stable disease in the primary lesion, eight showed a progression in BM. Interestingly, PD-1
TILs were significantly decreased in BM (P = 0.034). For fifteen patients with adenocarcinoma, more distinctive patterns were observed in CD3
(P = 0.078), CD8
(P = 0.055), FOXP3
(P = 0.016), and PD-1
(P = 0.016) TILs.
There may be discordant responses to an ICI of lung cancer between primary lung lesion and BM based on discrepancies in the tumor microenvironment. The diminished infiltration of PD-1
TILs in tumor tissue within the brain may be one of the major factors that hinder the response to anti-PD-1 antibody in BM.
PDF
