Purpose
The on-body injector (OBI) automatically delivers pegfilgrastim the day after chemotherapy (CTx), thus eliminating the need of return visits to the medical office for guideline-compliant ...pegfilgrastim administration. The CONVENIENCE study aimed to evaluate patient, nurse, and physician preferences as well as health economics for pegfilgrastim administration either with OBI or manually using a pre-filled syringe (PS).
Methods
Patients with early breast cancer, receiving two or three weekly anthracycline/cyclophosphamide or three weekly taxane-based CTx, and patients with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) receiving first-line R-CHOP-14 or -21 were randomized 1:1 to receive both pegfilgrastim application forms for four consecutive CTx cycles in an alternating sequence starting either with OBI or PS. Primary endpoint was patient preference, assessed by questionnaires.
Results
A total of 308 patients were evaluable in the per-protocol analysis. Patients slightly preferred OBI over PS (OBI,
n
= 133, 43.2%; vs. PS,
n
= 111, 36.0%;
p
-value = 0.159), while study nurses slightly preferred PS (
n
= 19, 46.3%) over OBI (
n
= 18, 43.9%) and physicians clearly preferred PS (
n
= 24, 58.8%) over OBI (
n
= 15, 36.6%). Among patients with preference for OBI, saving of time was their major reason for preference (53.4%). Pegfilgrastim was administered 24–72 h after each CTx cycle in 97.6% of OBI and 63.1% of PS applications.
Conclusion
The OBI was slightly preferred by patients and saving time was the major reason for their preference. PS was physicians’ most preferable choice and slightly preferred by nurses. Using OBI, pegfilgrastim was almost always administered within the time period recommended by current guidelines, while it was often not applied as specified using PS.
Trial registration
No: ClinicalTrials.gov No. NCT03619993. Registered on June 25, 2018
Treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors and endocrine therapy (CDK4/6i + ET) is a standard for patients with advanced hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative (HR + HER2–) breast cancer (BC). However, ...real-world data on the implementation of therapy usage, efficacy, and toxicity have not yet been reported.
The PRAEGNANT registry was used to identify advanced HR + HER2– BC patients (n = 1136). The use of chemotherapy, ET, everolimus + ET, and CDK4/6i + ET was analyzed for first-line, second-line, and third-line therapy. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were also compared between patients treated with CDK4/6i + ET and ET monotherapy. Also toxicity was assessed.
CDK4/6i + ET use increased from 38.5% to 62.7% in the first 2 years after CDK4/6i treatment became available (November 2016). Chemotherapy and ET monotherapy use decreased from 2015 to 2018 from 42.2% to 27.2% and from 53% to 9.5%, respectively. In this early analysis no statistically significant differences were found comparing CDK4/6i + ET and ET monotherapy patients with regard to PFS and OS. Leukopenia was was seen in 11.3% of patients under CDK4/6i + ET and 0.5% under ET monotherapy.
In clinical practice, CDK4/6i + ET has been rapidly implemented. A group of patients with a more unfavorable prognosis was possibly treated in the real-world setting than in the reported randomized clinical trials. The available data suggest that longer follow-up times and a larger sample size are required in order to identify differences in survival outcomes. Studies should be supported that investigate whether chemotherapy can be avoided or delayed in this patient population by using CDK4/6i + ET.
•CDK4/6i + ET use increased from 39% to 63% after becoming available.•Chemotherapy and ET monotherapy use decreased from 42% to 27% and 53%–10%.•There was no difference between CDK4/6i + ET and ET monotherapy regarding PFS and OS.
The topic of trastuzumab therapy without chemotherapy in early breast cancer (EBC) has been repeatedly discussed at international consensus meetings, but is compromised by the lack of solid evidence ...from clinical studies.
An observational study database of patients with EBC receiving trastuzumab-containing (neo)adjuvant therapy was screened to identify those patients who did not receive cytostatic agents.
Of 3935 patients, 232 (6%) were identified who received no chemotherapy, being characterized by older age, worse performance status, and/or less aggressive histology. Relapse-free survival in this cohort was 84% (95% confidence interval CI 78-89%) at 3 years and 80% (95% CI 74-87%) at 5 years. However, these rates were significantly worse than those in the group of patients who received chemotherapy (hazard ratio 1.49; 95% CI 1.06-2.09; P = 0.022). A similar pattern was observed for overall survival, with marginally non-significant inferiority in the group receiving no chemotherapy (hazard ratio 1.56; 95% CI 1.00-2.44; P = 0.052). Survival rates in patients receiving no chemotherapy were 93% (95% CI 88-97%) and 87% (95% CI 81-93%) at 3 and 5 years, respectively. These findings were confirmed by a propensity score analysis accounting for selection bias.
Trastuzumab plus chemotherapy should remain the preferred option in all patients with HER2-positive EBC with an indication for adjuvant treatment. However, a limited proportion of patients will need an alternative treatment approach, either because of contraindications or the patient's preference. In these selected patients, trastuzumab monotherapy, eventually combined with endocrine agents, might be a reasonable option offering favorable long-term outcomes by addressing the high-risk profile associated with HER2-positive disease.
This study presents comprehensive real-world data on the use of anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) therapies in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). ...Specifically, it describes therapy patterns with trastuzumab (H), pertuzumab + trastuzumab (PH), lapatinib (L), and trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). The PRAEGNANT study is a real-time, real-world registry for MBC patients. All therapy lines are documented. This analysis describes the utilization of anti-HER2 therapies as well as therapy sequences. Among 1936 patients in PRAEGNANT, 451 were HER2-positive (23.3%). In the analysis set (417 patients), 53% of whom were included in PRAEGNANT in the first-line setting, 241 were treated with H, 237 with PH, 85 with L, and 125 with T-DM1 during the course of their therapies. The sequence PH → T-DM1 was administered in 51 patients. Higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores, negative hormone receptor status, and visceral or brain metastases were associated with more frequent use of this therapy sequence. Most patients received T-DM1 after treatment with pertuzumab. Both novel therapies (PH and T-DM1) are utilized in a high proportion of HER2-positive breast cancer patients. As most patients receive T-DM1 after PH, real-world data may help to clarify whether the efficacy of this sequence is similar to that in the approval study.
The approval of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) was conducted without pertuzumab as previous therapy. Efficacy data on T-DM1 following pertuzumab treatment are therefore limited. This study explores ...this issue in a real-world setting. Within the prospective PRAEGNANT (Prospective Academic Translational Research Network for the Optimization of the Oncological Health Care Quality in the Advanced Setting) metastatic breast cancer registry (NCT02338167), patients in all therapy lines receiving any kind of treatment were eligible for inclusion. This report describes patient characteristics and progression-free survival (PFS) in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive patients receiving T-DM1 after pertuzumab treatment. Seventy-six patients were identified, 39 of whom received T-DM1 as second-line therapy, 25 as third-line, and 12 as fourth-line therapy or higher. Pertuzumab was mostly administered as a first-line treatment (n = 61; 80.3%). The median PFS in all patients was 3.5 months (95% CI: 2.8–7.8); in second-line treatment, 7.7 months (95% CI: 2.8–11.0); in third-line, 3.4 months (95% CI: 2.3–not reached (NR)); and in fourth-line therapy or higher, 2.7 months (95% CI: 1.2–NR). T-DM1 was mainly administered second-line after pertuzumab, but also in more heavily pretreated patients. The PFS in higher therapy lines appears to be shorter than in second-line.
Abstract only
12095
Background: NEPA is a fixed combination antiemetic of the NK
1
-receptor-antagonist (RA) netupitant and the 5-HT
3
-RA palonosetron. Primary objective of this prospective ...non-interventional study in Germany was to assess quality of life of cancer patients (pts) undergoing moderately (MEC) or highly (HEC) emetogenic chemotherapy (CT) who received NEPA for prophylaxis of nausea and vomiting (CINV). Secondary objectives were patient reported outcomes as well as effectiveness and safety of NEPA. Here we report final data of the quality of life analysis. Methods: The study included 2.405 pts in 162 centers receiving 3 consecutive cycles of CT as one or two day MEC or HEC. Primary endpoint was impact of quality of life (QoL) due to vomiting or nausea, documented by Functional Living Index–Emesis (FLIE) questionnaires. Effectiveness was reported in patient diaries. Complete response (CR) was defined as no emesis and no rescue medication (RM). Non-significant nausea (NSN) was no or mild nausea. Adverse events (AEs) were reported on d1–21 of each cycle. Results: 2.173 patients were included in the final analysis (full analysis set; FAS). The majority of patients (n = 1976; 91%) received 1-day chemotherapy, 64% HEC, 36% MEC. Median age was 58 years and the majority (85%) was female. Cancer diagnoses: breast 66%, gastrointestinal 10%, ovarian 7% or lung 5%, other 12%. Chemotherapy: AC 57%, carboplatin 19%, cisplatin 8%, oxaliplatin 8% and other 8%. 84% of pts with HEC and 82% with MEC felt no impact on daily life due to vomiting in cycle 1 remaining constant in C2 and C3. 54% HEC patients and 59% MEC patients reported no impact on daily life due to nausea in cycle 1. CR rates ranged between 81-84% and were comparable between different HEC or MEC. NSN rates in MEC ranged from 75% (MEC) to 62% (HEC). Drug-related AEs were rare with constipation, fatigue, insomnia, and nausea as the most common (in > 1% pts). Conclusions: NEPA was highly effective in the prevention of CINV and maintenance of QoL in this real world study. Over 80% of pts reported that their daily live was not influenced by emesis while nausea was more difficult to control. Effectiveness was high and patients and physicians estimate was comparable.
State-of-the art therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer suitable for platinum-based re-treatment includes bevacizumab-containing combinations (eg, bevacizumab combined with carboplatin–paclitaxel or ...carboplatin–gemcitabine) or the most active non-bevacizumab regimen: carboplatin–pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. The aim of this head-to-head trial was to compare a standard bevacizumab-containing regimen versus carboplatin–pegylated liposomal doxorubicin combined with bevacizumab.
This multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial, was done in 159 academic centres in Germany, France, Australia, Austria, and the UK. Eligible patients (aged ≥18 years) had histologically confirmed epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube carcinoma with first disease recurrence more than 6 months after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2. Patients were stratified by platinum-free interval, residual tumour, previous antiangiogenic therapy, and study group language, and were centrally randomly assigned 1:1 using randomly permuted blocks of size two, four, or six to receive six intravenous cycles of bevacizumab (15 mg/kg, day 1) plus carboplatin (area under the concentration curve AUC 4, day 1) plus gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2, days 1 and 8) every 3 weeks or six cycles of bevacizumab (10 mg/kg, days 1 and 15) plus carboplatin (AUC 5, day 1) plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (30 mg/m2, day 1) every 4 weeks, both followed by maintenance bevacizumab (15 mg/kg every 3 weeks in both groups) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. There was no masking in this open-label trial. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1. Efficacy data were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was analysed in all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. This completed study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01837251.
Between Aug 1, 2013, and July 31, 2015, 682 eligible patients were enrolled, of whom 345 were randomly assigned to receive carboplatin–pegylated liposomal doxorubicin–bevacizumab (experimental group) and 337 were randomly assigned to receive carboplatin–gemcitabine–bevacizumab (standard group). Median follow-up for progression-free survival at data cutoff (July 10, 2018) was 12·4 months (IQR 8·3–21·7) in the experimental group and 11·3 months (8·0–18·4) in the standard group. Median progression-free survival was 13·3 months (95% CI 11·7–14·2) in the experimental group versus 11·6 months (11·0–12·7) in the standard group (hazard ratio 0·81, 95% CI 0·68–0·96; p=0·012). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were hypertension (88 27% of 332 patients in the experimental group vs 67 20% of 329 patients in the standard group) and neutropenia (40 12% vs 73 22%). Serious adverse events occurred in 33 (10%) of 332 patients in the experimental group and 28 (9%) of 329 in the standard group. Treatment-related deaths occurred in one patient in the experimental group (<1%; large intestine perforation) and two patients in the standard group (1%; one case each of osmotic demyelination syndrome and intracranial haemorrhage).
Carboplatin–pegylated liposomal doxorubicin–bevacizumab is a new standard treatment option for platinum-eligible recurrent ovarian cancer.
F Hoffmann-La Roche.
Assessment of HER2 overexpression using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or in situ hybridisation (ISH) for the detection of HER2 amplifications is standard to identify patients for established ...HER2-directed treatments. Patients with lower HER2 expression levels have recently also become candidates for novel therapies targeting HER2. This study aimed to assess tumour and patient characteristics and prognosis in patients with advanced breast cancer (aBC), relative to low HER2 expression levels.
PRAEGNANT is a prospective aBC registry (NCT02338167), focusing on molecular biomarkers. Patients in all therapy lines receiving any kind of treatment are eligible. This analysis includes patients with conventionally HER2-negative aBC. Clinical outcome was compared in the groups with no (IHC score 0) or with low HER2 expression (IHC 1+, or IHC 2+/ISH negative).
Low HER2 expression levels in triple-negative aBC patients did not influence progression-free survival. Overall survival appeared poorer in patients with IHC 2+ compared with patients with no HER2 expression in the unadjusted analysis (hazard ratio 2.24, 95% confidence interval 0.1.12–4.47). However, this effect was not maintained in the adjusted analysis. In HER2-negative, hormone receptor–positive patients, low HER2 expression appeared to have no effect on prognosis, neither progression-free survival nor overall survival.
We could not demonstrate that HER2 expression at a low level and assessed in clinical routine can differentiate patients into prognostic groups. However, the prevalence of patients with a low expression makes this population interesting for clinical trials with potentially active treatments using HER2 as a target.
•PRAEGNANT registry real-life data of advanced breast cancer patients.•Patients with low HER2 expression (IHC +1/+2 and ISH-negative).•Disease characteristics and prognosis relative to low HER2 expression levels.•Substantial number of low HER2 patients could benefit from anti-HER2 treatments.
The multicenter, randomized, phase IV, intergroup AGO-B WSG PreCycle trial (NCT03220178) evaluated the impact of CANKADO-based electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) assessment on quality of life ...(QoL) in hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients receiving palbociclib and an aromatase inhibitor or palbociclib + fulvestrant. CANKADO PRO-React, a European Union-registered medical device, is an interactive autonomous application reacting to patient self-reported observations.
Between 2017 and 2021, 499 patients (median age 59 years) from 71 centers were randomized (2 : 1, stratified by therapy line) between an active version of CANKADO PRO-React (CANKADO-active arm) and a version with limited functionality (CANKADO-inform arm). A total of 412 patients (271 CANKADO-active; 141 CANKADO-inform) were available for analysis of the primary endpoint, time to deterioration (TTD) of QoL 10-point drop on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—General (FACT-G) score, using an Aalen–Johansen estimator for cumulative incidence function of TTD DQoL (QoL deterioration) with 95% pointwise confidence intervals (CIs). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and DQoL.
In all patients intention-to-treat (ITT)-ePRO, cumulative incidence of DQoL was significantly more favorable (lower) in the CANKADO-active arm (hazard ratio 0.698, 95% CI 0.506-0.963). Among first-line patients (n = 295), the corresponding hazard ratio was 0.716 (0.484-1.060; P = 0.09), and in second-line patients (n = 117) it was 0.661 (0.374-1.168; P = 0.2). Absolute patient numbers declined in later visits; FACT-G completion rates were 80% and higher until about visit 30. Mean FACT-G scores showed a steady decline from baseline and an offset in favor of CANKADO-active. No significant differences in clinical outcome were observed between arms: median PFS (ITT population) was 21.4 (95% CI 19.4-23.7) (CANKADO-active) and 18.7 (15.1-23.5) months (CANKADO-inform); median OS was not reached (CANKADO-active) and 42.6 months (CANKADO-inform).
PreCycle is the first multicenter randomized eHealth trial demonstrating a significant benefit for MBC patients receiving oral tumor therapy when using an interactive autonomous patient empowerment application.
•PreCycle evaluated the impact of an autonomous symptom monitoring application on TTD of QoL.•Primary endpoint was TTD of QoL in HR+/HER2- MBC treated with endocrine therapy + palbociclib.•Deterioration of QoL was significantly delayed with interactive CANKADO PRO-React-based ePRO assessment.