Evofosfamide is a hypoxia-activated prodrug of bromo-isophosphoramide mustard. We aimed to assess the benefit of adding evofosfamide to doxorubicin as first-line therapy for advanced soft-tissue ...sarcomas.
We did this international, open-label, randomised, phase 3, multicentre trial (TH CR-406/SARC021) at 81 academic or community investigational sites in 13 countries. Eligible patients were aged 15 years or older with a diagnosis of an advanced unresectable or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma, of intermediate or high grade, for which no standard curative therapy was available, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–1, and measurable disease by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive doxorubicin alone (75 mg/m2 via bolus injection administered over 5–20 min or continuous intravenous infusion for 6–96 h on day 1 of every 21-day cycle for up to six cycles) or doxorubicin (given via the same dose procedure) plus evofosfamide (300 mg/m2 intravenously for 30–60 min on days 1 and 8 of every 21-day cycle for up to six cycles). After six cycles of treatment, patients in the single-drug doxorubicin group were followed up expectantly whereas patients with stable or responsive disease in the combination group were allowed to continue with evofosfamide monotherapy until documented disease progression. A web-based central randomisation with block sizes of two and four was stratified by extent of disease, doxorubicin administration method, and previous systemic therapy. Patients and investigators were not masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was overall survival, analysed in the intention-to-treat population. Safety analyses were done in all patients who received any amount of study drug. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01440088.
Between Sept 26, 2011, and Jan 22, 2014, 640 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to a treatment group (317 to doxorubicin plus evofosfamide and 323 to doxorubicin alone), all of whom were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. The overall survival endpoint was not reached (hazard ratio 1·06, 95% CI 0·88–1·29; p=0·527), with a median overall survival of 18·4 months (95% CI 15·6–22·1) with doxorubicin plus evofosfamide versus 19·0 months (16·2–22·4) with doxorubicin alone. The most common grade 3 or worse adverse events in both groups were haematological, including anaemia (150 48% of 313 patients in the doxorubicin plus evofosfamide group vs 65 21% of 308 in the doxorubicin group), neutropenia (47 15% vs 92 30%), febrile neutropenia (57 18% vs 34 11%), leucopenia (22 7% vs 17 6%), decreased neutrophil count (31 10% vs 41 13%), and decreased white blood cell count (39 13% vs 33 11%). Grade 3–4 thrombocytopenia was more common in the combination group (45 14%) than in the doxorubicin alone group (four 1%), as was grade 3–4 stomatitis (26 8% vs seven 2%). Serious adverse events were reported in 145 (46%) of 313 patients in the combination group and 99 (32%) of 308 in the doxorubicin alone group. Five (2%) patients died from treatment-related causes in the combination group (sepsis n=2, septic shock n=1, congestive cardiac failure n=1, and unknown cause n=1) versus one (<1%) patient in the doxorubicin alone group (lactic acidosis n=1).
The addition of evofosfamide to doxorubicin as first-line therapy did not improve overall survival compared with single-drug doxorubicin in patients with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic soft-tissue sarcomas and so this combination cannot be recommended in this setting.
Threshold Pharmaceuticals.
Atezolizumab, a humanised monoclonal antibody targeting PD-L1, is approved for locally advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma. SAUL evaluated atezolizumab in a broader, pretreated population, ...including patients ineligible for the pivotal IMvigor211 phase 3 trial of atezolizumab.
To determine the safety and efficacy of atezolizumab in an international real-world setting.
Between November 2016 and March 2018 (median follow-up 12.7mo), 1004 patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial or nonurothelial urinary tract carcinoma who experienced progression during or after one to three prior therapies for inoperable, locally advanced, or metastatic disease were enrolled. Patients with renal impairment, treated central nervous system metastases, or stable controlled autoimmune disease were eligible; 10% had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) 2 and 98% were platinum pretreated (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02928406).
Atezolizumab 1200mg every 3wk until progression or unacceptable toxicity.
The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary efficacy endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall response rate (ORR).
The median treatment duration was 2.8mo (range 0–19); 22% remained on treatment and 8% discontinued because of toxicity. Grade ≥3 adverse events occurred in 45% of patients. The most common grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events were fatigue, asthenia, colitis, and hypertension (each in 1%). Median OS was 8.7mo (95% confidence interval CI 7.8–9.9). The 6-mo OS rate was 60% (95% CI 57–63%), median PFS was 2.2mo (95% CI 2.1–2.4), and the ORR was 13% (95% CI 11–16%; 3% complete responses). Among IMvigor211-like patients (excluding ECOG PS 2 and other IMvigor211 exclusion criteria), median OS was 10.0mo (95% CI 8.8–11.9) and 6-mo OS was 65% (95% CI 61–69%).
SAUL confirms the tolerability of atezolizumab in a real-world pretreated population with urinary tract carcinoma. Efficacy overall and in the IMvigor211-like subgroup is consistent with previous pivotal anti-PD-L1/PD-1 urothelial carcinoma trials. These results support the use of atezolizumab in urinary tract carcinoma, including patients with limited treatment options.
In this international study we investigated the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab treatment for advanced urinary tract cancer in a large population of pretreated patients, including those who would not normally be candidates for clinical trials. Patients tolerated the treatment well, even if they had autoimmune disease, were being treated with corticosteroids, or had disease that had spread to their brain. Life expectancy in this study for patients typical of everyday clinical practice was similar to that seen in trials that enrolled only selected fitter patients.
SAUL confirms the tolerability of atezolizumab in real-world patients with urinary tract carcinoma. Efficacy in the IMvigor211-like subgroup and the broader unselected population was consistent with previous anti-PD-L1/PD-1 pivotal trials, supporting the use of atezolizumab in these patients.
Summary Background Maintenance therapy improves outcomes in various tumour types, but cumulative toxic effects limit the choice of drugs. We investigated whether maintenance therapy with vinflunine ...would delay disease progression in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma who had achieved disease control with first-line chemotherapy. Methods We did a randomised, controlled, open-label, phase 2 trial in 21 Spanish hospitals. Eligible patients had locally advanced, surgically unresectable, or metastatic transitional-cell carcinoma of the urothelial tract, adequate organ function, and disease control after four to six cycles of cisplatin and gemcitabine (carboplatin allowed after cycle four). Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive vinflunine or best supportive care until disease progression. We initially used block randomisation with a block size of six. Four lists were created for the two stratification factors of starting dose of vinflunine and presence of liver metastases. After a protocol amendment, number of cisplatin and gemcitabine cycles was added as a stratification factor, and eight lists were created, still with a block size of six. Finally, we changed to a minimisation procedure to reduce the risk of imbalance between groups. Vinflunine was given every 21 days as a 20 min intravenous infusion at 320 mg/m2 or at 280 mg/m2 in patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 1, age 75 years or older, previous pelvic radiotherapy, or creatinine clearance lower than 60 mL/min. The primary endpoint was median progression-free survival longer than 5·3 months in the vinflunine group, assessed by modified intention to treat. Comparison of progression-free survival between treatment groups was a secondary endpoint. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT01529411. Findings Between April 12, 2012, and Jan 29, 2015, we enrolled 88 patients, of whom 45 were assigned to receive vinflunine and 43 to receive best supportive care. One patient from the vinflunine group was lost to follow-up immediately after randomisation and was excluded from the analyses. One patient in the best supportive care group became ineligible for the study and did not receive treatment due to a delay in enrolment, but was included in the intention-to-treat efficacy analysis. After a median follow-up of 15·6 months (IQR 8·5–26·0), 29 (66%) of 44 patients in the vinflunine group had disease progression and 24 (55%) had died, compared with 36 (84%) of 43 patients with disease progression and 32 (74%) deaths in the best supportive care group. Median progression-free survival was 6·5 months (95% CI 2·0–11·1) in the vinflunine group and 4·2 months (2·1–6·3) in the best supportive care group (hazard ratio 0·59, 95% CI 0·37–0·96, p=0·031). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were neutropenia (eight 18% of 44 in the vinflunine group vs none of 42 in the best supportive care group), asthenia or fatigue (seven 16% vs one 2%), and constipation (six 14% vs none). 18 serious adverse events were reported in the vinflunine group and 14 in the best supportive care group. One patient in the vinflunine group died from pneumonia that was deemed to be treatment related. Interpretation In patients with disease control after first-line chemotherapy, progression-free survival exceeded the acceptable threshold with vinflunine maintenance therapy. Moreover, progression-free survival was longer with vinflunine maintenance therapy than with best supportive care. Vinflunine maintenance had an acceptable safety profile. Further studies of the role of vinflunine are warranted. Funding Pierre-Fabre Médicament.
Angiogenesis is the result of the combined activity of the tumor microenvironment and signaling molecules. The angiogenic switch is represented as an imbalance between pro- and anti-angiogenic ...factors and is a rate-limiting step in the development of tumors. Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their membrane-anchored ligands, known as ephrins, constitute the largest receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) subfamily and are considered a major family of pro-angiogenic RTKs. Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a highly aggressive bone and soft tissue tumor affecting children and young adults. As other solid tumors, EWS are reliant on a functional vascular network for the delivery of nutrients and oxygen and for the removal of waste. Based on the biological roles of EphA2 in promoting angiogenesis, we explored the functional role of this receptor and its relationship with caveolin-1 (CAV1) in EWS angiogenesis. We demonstrated that lack of CAV1 results in a significant reduction in micro vascular density (MVD) on 3 different in vivo models. In vitro, this phenomenon correlated with inactivation of EphA2 receptor, lack of AKT response and downregulation of bFGF. We also demonstrated that secreted bFGF from EWS cells acted as chemoattractant for endothelial cells. Furthermore, interaction between EphA2 and CAV1 was necessary for the right localization and signaling of the receptor to produce bFGF through AKT and promote migration of endothelial cells. Finally, introduction of a dominant-negative form of EphA2 into EWS cells mostly reproduced the effects occurred by CAV1 silencing, strongly suggesting that the axis EphA2-CAV1 participates in the promotion of endothelial cell migration toward the tumors favoring EWS angiogenesis.
The primary analysis of IMvigor130 showed a significant progression-free survival benefit with first-line atezolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy (group A) versus placebo plus platinum-based ...chemotherapy (group C) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer. However, this finding did not translate into significant overall survival benefit for group A versus group C at the final analysis, precluding formal statistical testing of outcomes with atezolizumab monotherapy (group B) versus group C. Here we report the final overall survival results for group B versus group C; this report is descriptive and should be considered exploratory due to the study's statistical design.
In this global, partially blinded, randomised, controlled, phase 3 study, patients (aged ≥18 years) who had locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer previously untreated in the metastatic setting and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 were enrolled at 221 hospitals and oncology centres in 35 countries. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1), using a permuted block method (block size of six) and an interactive voice and web response system, stratified by PD-L1 status, Bajorin score, and investigator's choice of platinum-based chemotherapy, to receive either atezolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy (group A), atezolizumab alone (group B), or placebo plus platinum-based chemotherapy (group C). Sponsors, investigators, and patients were masked to assignment to atezolizumab or placebo in group A and group C; atezolizumab monotherapy in group B was open label. For groups B and C, atezolizumab (1200 mg) or placebo was administered intravenously every 3 weeks. Chemotherapy involved 21-day cycles of gemcitabine (1000 mg/m
body surface area on day 1 and day 8 of each cycle) plus the investigator's choice of carboplatin (area under the curve 4·5 mg/mL per min or 5 mg/mL per min) or cisplatin (70 mg/m
body surface area), administered intravenously. Co-primary endpoints were progression-free survival and overall survival in group A versus group C, and overall survival in group B versus group C, tested hierarchically, in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, and then the populations with high PD-L1 tumour expression (immune cell IC expression score of IC2/3) if the results from group A versus group C were significant. Here, we report the co-primary endpoint of overall survival for group B versus group C in the ITT and IC2/3 populations. The ITT population for this analysis comprised concurrently enrolled patients in groups B and C who were randomly assigned to treatment. For the safety analysis, all patients enrolled in group B and group C who received any study treatment were included. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02807636, and is active but no longer recruiting.
Between July 15, 2016, and July 20, 2018, 1213 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to treatment, of whom 362 patients were assigned to group B and 400 to group C, of whom 360 and 359, respectively, were enrolled concurrently (ITT population). 543 (76%) of 719 patients were male, 176 (24%) were female, and 534 (74%) were White. As of data cutoff (Aug 31, 2022), after a median follow-up of 13·4 months (IQR 6·2-30·8), median overall survival was 15·2 months (95% CI 13·1-17·7; 271 deaths) in group B and 13·3 months (11·9-15·6; 275 deaths) in group C (stratified hazard ratio 0·98 95% CI 0·82-1·16). The most common grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events were anaemia (two 1% in patients who received atezolizumab monotherapy vs 133 34% in those who received placebo plus chemotherapy), neutropenia (one <1% vs 115 30%), decreased neutrophil count (0 vs 95 24%), and decreased platelet count (one <1% vs 92 24%). Serious adverse events occurred in 163 (46%) patients versus 196 (50%). Treatment-related deaths occurred in three (1%; n=1 each, pneumonia, interstitial lung disease, large intestinal obstruction) patients who received atezolizumab monotherapy and four (1%; n=1 each, diarrhoea, febrile neutropenia, unexplained death, toxic hepatitis) who received placebo plus chemotherapy.
The final analysis from IMvigor130 did not show a significant improvement in overall survival with first-line atezolizumab monotherapy compared with platinum-based chemotherapy in the intention-to-treat population. The safety profile of atezolizumab monotherapy remained acceptable after extended follow-up, with no new safety signals.
F Hoffmann-La Roche.
Few treatments with a distinct mechanism of action are available for patients with platinum-refractory advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. We assessed the efficacy and safety of treatment ...with docetaxel plus either ramucirumab—a human IgG1 VEGFR-2 antagonist—or placebo in this patient population.
We did a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial in patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were enrolled from 124 sites in 23 countries. Previous treatment with one immune-checkpoint inhibitor was permitted. Patients were randomised (1:1) using an interactive web response system to receive intravenous docetaxel 75 mg/m2 plus either intravenous ramucirumab 10 mg/kg or matching placebo on day 1 of repeating 21-day cycles, until disease progression or other discontinuation criteria were met. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival, analysed by intention-to-treat in the first 437 randomised patients. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02426125.
Between July, 2015, and April, 2017, 530 patients were randomly allocated either ramucirumab plus docetaxel (n=263) or placebo plus docetaxel (n=267). Progression-free survival was prolonged significantly in patients allocated ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel (median 4·07 months 95% CI 2·96–4·47 vs 2·76 months 2·60–2·96; hazard ratio HR 0·757, 95% CI 0·607–0·943; p=0·0118). A blinded independent central analysis was consistent with these results. An objective response was achieved by 53 (24·5%, 95% CI 18·8–30·3) of 216 patients allocated ramucirumab and 31 (14·0%, 9·4–18·6) of 221 assigned placebo. The most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse events, regardless of causality, in either treatment group (any grade) were fatigue, alopecia, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, and nausea. These events occurred predominantly at grade 1–2 severity. The frequency of grade 3 or worse adverse events was similar for patients allocated ramucirumab and placebo (156 60% of 258 vs 163 62% of 265 had an adverse event), with no unexpected toxic effects. 63 (24%) of 258 patients allocated ramucirumab and 54 (20%) of 265 assigned placebo had a serious adverse event that was judged by the investigator to be related to treatment. 38 (15%) of 258 patients allocated ramucirumab and 43 (16%) of 265 assigned placebo died on treatment or within 30 days of discontinuation, of which eight (3%) and five (2%) deaths were deemed related to treatment by the investigator. Sepsis was the most common adverse event leading to death on treatment (four 2% vs none 0%). One fatal event of neutropenic sepsis was reported in a patient allocated ramucirumab.
To the best of our knowledge, ramucirumab plus docetaxel is the first regimen in a phase 3 study to show superior progression-free survival over chemotherapy in patients with platinum-refractory advanced urothelial carcinoma. These data validate inhibition of VEGFR-2 signalling as a potential new therapeutic treatment option for patients with urothelial carcinoma.
Eli Lilly and Company.
Abstract Gastrointestinal stromal sarcomas (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumours originating in the digestive tract. They have a characteristic morphology, are generally positive for CD117 ...(c-kit) and are primarily caused by activating mutations in the KIT or PDGFRA genes (1) . On rare occasions, they occur in extravisceral locations such as the omentum, mesentery, pelvis and retroperitoneum. GISTs have become a model of multidisciplinary work in oncology: the participation of several specialties (oncologists, pathologists, surgeons, molecular biologists, radiologists…) has forested advances in the understanding of this tumour and the consolidation of a targeted therapy, imatinib, as the first effective molecular treatment in solid tumours. Following its introduction, median survival of patients with advanced or metastatic GIST increased from 18 to more than 60 months. Sunitinib and Regorafenib are two targeted agents with worldwide approval for second- and third-line treatment, respectively, in metastatic GIST.
Summary Background Adjuvant imatinib mesylate prolongs recurrence-free survival (RFS) after resection of localised primary gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST). We aimed to develop a nomogram to ...predict RFS after surgery in the absence of adjuvant therapy to help guide patient selection for adjuvant imatinib therapy. Methods A nomogram to predict RFS based on tumour size (cm), location (stomach, small intestine, colon/rectum, or other), and mitotic index (<5 or ≥5 mitoses per 50 high-power fields) was developed from 127 patients treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, NY, USA. The nomogram was tested in patients from the Spanish Group for Research on Sarcomas (GEIS; n=212) and the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA (Mayo; n=148). The nomogram was assessed by calculating concordance probabilities and testing calibration of predicted RFS with observed RFS. Concordance probabilities were also compared with those of three commonly used staging systems. Findings The nomogram had a concordance probability of 0·78 (SE 0·02) in the MSKCC dataset, and 0·76 (0·03) and 0·80 (0·02) in the validation cohorts. Nomogram predictions were well calibrated. Inclusion of tyrosine kinase mutation status in the nomogram did not improve its discriminatory ability. Concordance probabilities of the nomogram were better than those of the two NIH staging systems (0·76 0·03 vs 0·70 0·04, p=0·04 and 0·66 0·04, p=0·01 in the GEIS validation cohort; 0·80 0·02 vs 0·74 0·02, p=0·04 and 0·78 0·02, p=0·05 in the Mayo cohort) and similar to those of the AFIP-Miettinen staging system (0·76 0·03 vs 0·73 0·004, p=0·28 in the GEIS cohort; 0·80 0·02 vs 0·76 0·003, p=0·09 in the Mayo cohort). Nomogram predictions of RFS seemed better calibrated than predictions made with the AFIP-Miettinen system. Interpretation The nomogram accurately predicts RFS after resection of localised primary GIST and could be used to select patients for adjuvant imatinib therapy. Funding National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Purpose Palifosfamide is the active metabolite of ifosfamide and does not require prodrug activation, thereby avoiding the generation of toxic metabolites. The PICASSO III trial compared doxorubicin ...plus palifosfamide with doxorubicin plus placebo in patients who had received no prior systemic therapy for metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. Patients and Methods Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive doxorubicin 75 mg/m
intravenously day 1 plus palifosfamide 150 mg/m
/d intravenously days 1 to 3 or doxorubicin plus placebo once every 21 days for up to six cycles. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) by independent radiologic review. Results In all, 447 patients were randomly assigned to receive doxorubicin plus palifosfamide (n = 226) or doxorubicin plus placebo (n = 221). Median PFS was 6.0 months for doxorubicin plus palifosfamide and 5.2 months for doxorubicin plus placebo (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.68 to 1.08; P = .19). Median overall survival was 15.9 months for doxorubicin plus palifosfamide and 16.9 months for doxorubicin plus placebo (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.39; P = .74). There was a higher incidence of grade 3 to 4 adverse events in the doxorubicin plus palifosfamide arm (63.6% v 50.9%) including a higher rate of febrile neutropenia (21.4% v 12.6%). Conclusion No significant difference in PFS was observed in patients receiving doxorubicin plus palifosfamide compared with those receiving doxorubicin plus placebo. The observed median PFS and overall survival in this large, international study can serve as a benchmark for future studies of doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma.
To confirm the efficacy of a risk-adapted treatment approach for patients with clinical stage I seminoma. The aim was to reduce both the risk of relapse and the proportion of patients receiving ...adjuvant chemotherapy while maintaining a high cure rate.
From 2004 to 2008, 227 patients were included after orchiectomy in a multicenter study. Eighty-four patients (37%) presented no local risk factors, 44 patients (19%) had tumors larger than 4 cm, 25 patients (11%) had rete testis involvement, and 74 patients (33%) had both criteria. Only the latter group received two courses of adjuvant carboplatin, whereas the rest were managed by surveillance.
After a median follow-up time of 34 months, 16 relapses (7%) have been documented (15 9.8% among patients on surveillance and one 1.4% among those treated with carboplatin). All relapses occurred in retroperitoneal lymph nodes, except for one case in pelvic nodes. Median node size was 25 mm, and median time to recurrence was 14 months. All patients were rendered disease-free with chemotherapy. The actuarial 3-year disease-free survival rate was 88.1% (95% CI, 82.3% to 93.9%) for patients on surveillance and 98.0% (95% CI, 94.0% to 100%) for those treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Overall 3-year survival was 100%.
With the limitations of the short follow-up duration, we confirm that a risk-adapted approach is effective for stage I seminoma. Adjuvant carboplatin seems adequate treatment for patients with 2 risk criteria, as is active surveillance for those with 0 to one risk factors. More reliable predictive factors are needed to improve the applicability of this model.
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