IMpower210: A phase III study of second-line atezolizumab vs. docetaxel in East Asian patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: IMpower210 (NCT02813785) explored the efficacy and safety of single-agent atezolizumab vs. docetaxel as second-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in East Asian patients. Methods: Key eligibility criteria for this phase III, open-label, randomized study included age ≥18 years; histologically documented advanced NSCLC per the Union for International Cancer Control/American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system (7th edition); Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1; and disease progression following platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced or metastatic NSCLC. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive either atezolizumab (1,200 mg) or docetaxel (75 mg/m2). The primary study endpoint was overall survival (OS) in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population with wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor expression (ITT EGFR-WT) and in the overall ITT population. Results: Median OS in the ITT EGFR-WT population (n=467) was 12.3 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 10.3-13.8] months in the atezolizumab arm (n=312) and 9.9 (95% CI, 7.8-13.9) months in the docetaxel arm [n=155; stratified hazard ratio (HR), 0.82; 95% CI, 0.66-1.03]. Median OS in the overall ITT population was 12.5 (95% CI, 10.8-13.8) months with atezolizumab treatment and 11.1 (95% CI, 8.4-14.2) months (n=377) with docetaxel treatment (n=188; stratified HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.71-1.08). Grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 18.4% of patients in the atezolizumab arm and 50.0% of patients in the docetaxel arm. Conclusions: IMpower210 did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint of OS in the ITT EGFR-WT or overall ITT populations. Atezolizumab was comparatively more tolerable than docetaxel, with a lower incidence of grade 3/4 TRAEs.

Adebrelimab or placebo plus carboplatin and etoposide as first-line treatment for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (CAPSTONE-1): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) is associated with poor prognosis and treatment options are scarce. Immunotherapy has shown robust clinical activity in ES-SCLC in previous phase 3 trials. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of adebrelimab (SHR-1316), a novel anti-PD-L1 antibody, with standard chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for ES-SCLC. METHODS: The CAPSTONE-1 study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial, done in 47 tertiary hospitals in China. Key inclusion criteria were patients aged 18-75 years, with previously untreated histologically or cytologically confirmed ES-SCLC and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive four to six cycles of carboplatin (area under the curve of 5 mg/mL per min, day 1 of each cycle) and etoposide (100 mg/m2 of body-surface area, on days 1-3 of each cycle) with either adebrelimab (20 mg/kg, day 1 of each cycle) or matching placebo, followed by maintenance therapy with adebrelimab or placebo. All treatments were given intravenously in 21-day cycles. Randomisation was done using a centralised interactive web response system with a block size of four, stratified by liver metastases, brain metastases, and lactate dehydrogenase concentration. The primary endpoint was overall survival in patients who received at least one dose of study medication. Safety was analysed in the as-treated population. This study is complete and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03711305. FINDINGS: Between Dec 26, 2018, and Sept 4, 2020, 462 eligible patients were enrolled and randomly assigned: 230 (50%) patients received adebrelimab plus chemotherapy (adebrelimab group) and 232 (50%) patients received placebo plus chemotherapy (placebo group). At data cutoff (Oct 8, 2021), median follow-up was 13·5 months (IQR 8·9-20·1). Median overall survival was significantly improved in the adebrelimab group (median 15·3 months [95% CI 13·2-17·5]) compared with the placebo group (12·8 months [11·3-13·7]; hazard ratio 0·72 [95% CI 0·58-0·90]; one-sided p=0·0017). The most common treatment-related grade 3 or 4 adverse events were decreased neutrophil count (174 [76%] patients in the adebrelimab group and 175 [75%] patients in the placebo group), decreased white blood cell count (106 [46%] and 88 [38%]), decreased platelet count (88 [38%] and 78 [34%]), and anaemia (64 [28%] and 66 [28%]). Treatment-related serious adverse events occurred in 89 (39%) patients in the adebrelimab group and 66 (28%) patients in the placebo group. Four treatment-related deaths were reported: two each in the adebrelimab group (respiratory failure and interstitial lung disease and pneumonia) and placebo group (multiple organ dysfunction and unknown cause of death). INTERPRETATION: Adding adebrelimab to chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival with an acceptable safety profile in patients with ES-SCLC, supporting this combination as a new first-line treatment option for this population. FUNDING: Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals.

Sugemalimab versus placebo after concurrent or sequential chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced, unresectable, stage III non-small-cell lung cancer in China (GEMSTONE-301): interim results of a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: A substantial proportion of patients with unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cannot either tolerate or access concurrent chemoradiotherapy, so sequential chemoradiotherapy is commonly used. We assessed the efficacy and safety of sugemalimab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, in patients with stage III NSCLC whose disease had not progressed after concurrent or sequential chemoradiotherapy. METHODS: GEMSTONE-301 is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial in patients with locally advanced, unresectable, stage III NSCLC, done at 50 hospitals or academic research centres in China. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 who had not progressed after concurrent or sequential chemoradiotherapy. We randomly assigned patients (2:1, using an interactive voice-web response system) to receive sugemalimab 1200 mg or matching placebo, intravenously every 3 weeks for up to 24 months. Stratification factors were ECOG performance status, previous chemoradiotherapy, and total radiotherapy dose. The investigators, trial coordination staff, patients, and study sponsor were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was assessed in all participants who received at least one dose of assigned study treatment. The study has completed enrolment and the results of a preplanned analysis of the primary endpoint are reported here. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03728556. FINDINGS: Between Aug 30, 2018 and Dec 30, 2020, we screened 564 patients of whom 381 were eligible. Study treatment was received by all patients randomly assigned to sugemalimab (n=255) and to placebo (n=126). At data cutoff (March 8, 2021), median follow-up was 14·3 months (IQR 6·4-19·4) for patients in the sugemalimab group and 13·7 months (7·1-18·4) for patients in the placebo group. Progression-free survival assessed by BICR was significantly longer with sugemalimab than with placebo (median 9·0 months [95% CI 8·1-14·1] vs 5·8 months [95% CI 4·2-6·6]; stratified hazard ratio 0·64 [95% CI 0·48-0·85], p=0·0026). Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 22 (9%) of 255 patients in the sugemalimab group versus seven (6%) of 126 patients in the placebo group, the most common being pneumonitis or immune-mediated pneumonitis (seven [3%] of 255 patients in the sugemalimab group vs one [<1%] of 126 in the placebo group). Treatment-related serious adverse events occurred in 38 (15%) patients in the sugemalimab group and 12 (10%) in the placebo group. Treatment-related deaths were reported in four (2%) of 255 patients (pneumonia in two patients, pneumonia with immune-mediated pneumonitis in one patient, and acute hepatic failure in one patient) in the sugemalimab group and none in the placebo group. INTERPRETATION: Sugemalimab after definitive concurrent or sequential chemoradiotherapy could be an effective consolidation therapy for patients with stage III NSCLC whose disease has not progressed after sequential or concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm this conclusion. FUNDING: CStone Pharmaceuticals and the National Key Research and Development Program of China. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

On-treatment blood TMB as predictors for camrelizumab plus chemotherapy in advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma: biomarker analysis of a phase III trial.

BACKGROUND: Camrelizumab plus chemotherapy significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to chemotherapy alone as first-line treatment in advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) in the phase III trial (CameL-sq), which has become an option of standard-of-cares for Chinese patients with advanced LUSC. However, the predictive biomarkers remain unknown. METHODS: Tumor tissue samples at baseline, and peripheral blood samples at baseline (pretreatment) and after two cycles of treatment (on-treatment) were prospectively collected from 270 LUSC patients from the CameL-sq study. Blood tumor mutation burden (bTMB) and its dynamics were analyzed to explore their predictive values. RESULTS: Pretreatment bTMB was not associated with objective response, PFS and OS in camrelizumab or placebo plus chemotherapy groups. Low on-treatment bTMB was associated with significantly better objective response (73.8% vs 27.8%, P < 0.001), PFS (median, 9.1 vs 4.1 months; P < 0.001) and OS (median, not reached vs 8.0 months; P < 0.001) in camrelizumab plus chemotherapy group whereas it did not correlate with objective response and PFS in chemotherapy alone group. Importantly, on-treatment bTMB level could discriminate patients of initially radiological stable disease who would long-term benefit from camrelizumab plus chemotherapy (low vs high, median OS, 18.2 vs 7.8 months; P = 0.001). Combing on-treatment bTMB and its dynamics improved the ability for predicting the efficacy of camrelizumab plus chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: On-treatment bTMB together with its dynamics could serve as a predictive biomarker for camrelizumab plus chemotherapy in patients with advanced LUSC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03668496.

Phase Ia/Ib Study of the Selective MET Inhibitor, Savolitinib, in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors: Safety, Efficacy, and Biomarkers.

BACKGROUND: Savolitinib has shown good tolerability and preliminary efficacy, but efficacy biomarkers require investigation. The main purpose of this study was to confirm in Chinese patients the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of savolitinib and to explore overall benefit in tumors bearing c-Met aberration. METHODS: This was an open-label, multi-center, 2-part phase I study. A starting dose of 600 mg QD was initiated in the escalation phase, utilizing a 3+3 design with repeated QD and BID dosing. In the dose expansion phase, we enrolled patients with gastric cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with documented c-met aberration into 5 cohorts to further explore biomarkers. c-Met overexpression and amplification were assessed by immunohistochemistry and FISH, respectively. RESULTS: The safety analysis set included 85 patients. Only one dose-limiting toxicity (grade 3 fatigue) was reported in the 600 mg BID dosing group. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events were nausea (29.4%), vomiting (27.1%), and peripheral edema (21.2%). Notably, in gastric cancer, response was only observed in patients with MET amplification (copy number 9.7-18.4), with an objective response rate of 35.7% and a disease control rate of 64.3%. For patients with NSCLC bearing a MET exon 14 skipping mutation, obvious target lesion shrinkage was observed in 2 of 4 patients, although PR was not achieved. CONCLUSION: The RP2D of savolitinib was established as 600 mg QD or 500 mg BID in Chinese patients. The promising response observed in patients with gastric cancer with c-met amplification and NSCLC with MET exon 14 skipping mutation warrants further investigation. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT0198555.

Peripheral Tumor Location Predicts a Favorable Prognosis in Patients with Resected Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy. Surgical resection is currently only recommended for clinical stage I patients who have been carefully staged. The clinical outcomes of patients with resected SCLCs vary because the disease is highly heterogeneous, suggesting that selected patients could be considered for surgical resection depending on their clinical and/or molecular characteristics. Methods: We collected data on a retrospective cohort of 119 limited-stage SCLC patients who underwent lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection from March 2013 to March 2020 at Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital. Correlations were derived using Fisher's exact test. Models of 2-year and 3-year survival were evaluated by deriving the area under receiver operating characteristic curves. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate significant differences between the survival curves and hazard ratios. Results: The median disease-free survival (DFS) was 35.9 months (range 0.9-105.3 months), and the median overall survival (OS) was 45.2 months (range 4.8-105.3 months). Univariate analysis showed that TNM stage was significantly correlated with DFS and OS. The 2-year disease-free rates of patients with stage I, II, and III disease were 76.4%, 50.5%, and 36.1%, respectively, and the 3-year OS rates were 75.9%, 57.7%, and 34.4%, respectively. In pN + patients, multiple (or multiple-station) lymph node involvement significantly increased recurrence and reduced survival compared with patients with single or single-station metastases. Patients with peripheral SCLCs evidenced significantly better DFS and OS than did patients with central tumors. Multivariate analysis showed that TNM stage and tumor location were independently prognostic in Chinese patients with resected limited-stage SCLC. A combination of TNM stage and tumor location was helpful for prognosis. Conclusions: TNM stage and tumor location were independently prognostic in Chinese patients with resected SCLCs. Patient stratification by tumor location should inform the therapeutic strategy. The role of surgical resection for limited-stage SCLC patients must be reevaluated, as this may be appropriate for some patients.

Randomized clinical trial of pembrolizumab vs chemotherapy for previously untreated Chinese patients with PD-L1-positive locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: KEYNOTE-042 China Study.

In the global KEYNOTE-042 study (Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02220894), pembrolizumab significantly improved overall survival (OS) vs chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive locally advanced/metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without EGFR/ALK alterations. We present results from patients in KEYNOTE-042 enrolled from China in the global or extension study (NCT03850444; protocol identical to global study). Patients were randomized 1:1 (stratified by ECOG performance status 0 vs 1, squamous vs nonsquamous histology and PD-L1 tumor proportion score [TPS] ≥50% vs 1%-49%) to 35 cycles of pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks (Q3W) or investigator's choice of 4 to 6 cycles of carboplatin plus paclitaxel or pemetrexed Q3W with optional pemetrexed maintenance for nonsquamous tumors. Primary endpoints were OS in patients with PD-L1 TPS ≥50%, ≥20% or ≥1%. Two hundred sixty-two patients (pembrolizumab, n = 128; chemotherapy, n = 134) were enrolled from China. At data cutoff (February 21, 2020; median follow-up, 33.0 [range, 25.6-41.9] months), pembrolizumab was shown to improve OS vs chemotherapy in patients with PD-L1 TPS ≥50% (hazard ratio [95% CI], 0.63 [0.43-0.94]), TPS ≥20% (0.66 [0.47-0.92]) and TPS ≥1% (0.67 [0.50-0.89]). Grade 3 to 5 treatment-related adverse events occurred less frequently with pembrolizumab vs chemotherapy (19.5% vs 68.8%). In 22 patients who completed 35 cycles of pembrolizumab, objective response rate was 77.3% and median duration of response was 27.6 months. Consistent with the global KEYNOTE-042 study, pembrolizumab improved OS vs chemotherapy in this study of Chinese patients with locally advanced/metastatic NSCLC and PD-L1 TPS ≥1%, supporting first-line pembrolizumab monotherapy for PD-L1-positive advanced/metastatic NSCLC in China.

Anlotinib vs placebo as third- or further-line treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib as a third-line and subsequent treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). METHODS: We conducted this Phase 2 trial at 11 institutions in China. Patients with pathologically confirmed SCLC who failed at least two lines of chemotherapy were enrolled. Subjects were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either anlotinib 12 mg orally once daily for 14 days every 3 weeks or placebo. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Between March 30, 2017 and June 8, 2018, a total of 82 and 38 patients were randomly assigned to receive anlotinib and placebo. The median PFS was significantly longer in the anlotinib group compared with the placebo group (4.1 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.8-4.2] vs 0.7 months [95% CI, 0.7-0.8]; hazard ratio (HR) 0.19 [95% CI, 0.12-0.32], p < 0.0001). Overall survival (OS) was significantly longer with anlotinib than placebo (7.3 months [95% CI, 6.1-10.3] vs 4.9 months [95% CI, 2.7-6.0]; HR 0.53 [95% CI, 0.34-0.81], p = 0.0029). CONCLUSIONS: Anlotinib as a third-line or subsequent treatment for Chinese patients with SCLC showed improved PFS and OS than placebo with favourable safety profile. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03059797.

A phase Ib study of the highly selective MET-TKI savolitinib plus gefitinib in patients with EGFR-mutated, MET-amplified advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are recommended first-line treatments in EGFR-mutated (EGFRm) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, acquired resistance (e.g. MET amplification) is frequently observed. Savolitinib (volitinib, HMPL-504, AZD6094) is an oral, potent, and highly selective MET-TKI. In this phase Ib, open-label, multicenter study, we enrolled Chinese patients with EGFRm advanced NSCLC, whose disease progressed following prior EGFR-TKI treatment. In the safety run-in, patients received savolitinib 600 or 800 mg plus gefitinib 250 mg orally once daily, and dose-limiting toxicities were recorded. In the expansion phase, patients with MET amplification received savolitinib plus gefitinib. The primary endpoint was safety/tolerability. Secondary endpoints included antitumor activity. Thirteen patients were enrolled in the safety phase (median age 52 years, 46% female) and 51 enrolled in the expansion phase (median age 61 years, 67% female). No dose-limiting toxicities were reported in either dose group during the safety run-in. Adverse events of grade ≥ 3 in the safety run-in and expansion phases (n = 57) were reported in 21 (37%) patients. The most frequently reported adverse events (all grades) were: vomiting (n = 26, 46%), nausea (n = 23, 40%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (n = 22, 39%). Of four deaths, none were treatment-related. The objective response rates in EGFR T790M-negative, -positive, and -unknown patients were 52% (12/23), 9% (2/23), and 40% (2/5), respectively. Savolitinib 600 mg plus gefitinib 250 mg once daily had an acceptable safety profile and demonstrated promising antitumor activity in EGFRm, MET-amplified advanced NSCLC patients who had disease progression on EGFR-TKIs. NCT02374645, Date of registration: March 2nd 2015.

A multicenter survey of first-line treatment patterns and gene aberration test status of patients with unresectable Stage IIIB/IV nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer in China (CTONG 1506).

BACKGROUND: In recent years, systemic chemotherapy and molecular targeted therapy have become standard first-line treatments for locally advanced or metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objective of this survey was to investigate first-line anticancer treatment patterns and gene aberration test status of patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC in China. METHODS: Patients included in this study had unresectable Stage IIIB/IV nonsquamous NSCLC and were admitted during August 2015 to March 2016 into one of 12 tertiary hospitals throughout China for first-line anticancer treatment. Patient data (demographics, NSCLC histologic type, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG] Performance Status [PS], gene aberration test and results [if performed], and first-line anticancer treatment regimen) were extracted from medical charts and entered into Medical Record Abstraction Forms (MERAFs), which were collated for analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 1041 MERAFs were collected and data from 932 MERAFs were included for analysis. Patients with unresectable Stage IIIB/IV nonsquamous NSCLC had a median age of 59 years, 56.4% were male, 58.2% were never smokers, 95.0% had adenocarcinoma, and 92.9% had an ECOG PS ≤1. A total of 665 (71.4%) patients had gene aberration tests; 46.5% (309/665) had epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations, 11.5% (48/416) had anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene fusions, and 0.8% (1/128) had a c-ros oncogene 1 gene fusion. The most common first-line treatment regimen for unresectable Stage IIIB/IV nonsquamous NSCLC was chemotherapy (72.5%, 676/932), followed by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs; 26.1%, 243/932), and TKIs plus chemotherapy (1.4%, 13/932). Most chemotherapy regimens were platinum-doublet regimens (93.5%, 631/676) and pemetrexed was the most common nonplatinum chemotherapy-backbone agent (70.2%, 443/631) in platinum-doublet regimens. Most EGFR mutation-positive patients (66.3%, 205/309) were treated with EGFR-TKIs. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from our survey of 12 tertiary hospitals throughout China showed an increased rate of gene aberration testing, compared with those rates reported in previous surveys, for patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. In addition, pemetrexed/platinum-doublet chemotherapy was the predominant first-line chemotherapy regimen for this population. Most patients were treated based on their gene aberration test status and results.

A randomized phase II clinical trial of nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin compared with gemcitabine and carboplatin as first-line therapy in locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of lung.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances have shown that histology and genetic biomarkers are important in patient selection, which have led to significantly better outcomes for lung cancer patients. However, most new treatments only apply to adenocarcinoma or non-squamous, and in squamous carcinoma there is little breakthrough. In a phase III trial nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin showed superior response rate over paclitaxel and carboplatin. In subgroup analysis the squamous histology appeared to be a predictive factor to nab-paclitaxel treatment. METHODS/DESIGN: This is an open-label, randomized, active controlled phase II trial. A total of 120 untreated advanced squamous lung cancer patients are randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive nab-paclitaxel (135 mg/m2, d1, 8, q3w) plus carboplatin (AUC 5, d1, q3w) or gemcitabine (1,250 mg/m2, d1, 8, q3w) and carboplatin (AUC 5, d1, q3w). The primary endpoint is objective response rate and the second endpoints are progression free survival, overall survival, safety and biomarkers associated with nab-paclitaxel. The treatment will continue up to six cycles or intolerable toxicity. DISCUSSION: This ongoing trial will be the first prospective randomized trial to explore the efficacy of nab-paclitaxel as the first-line treatment specifically in squamous carcinoma of lung. STUDY NUMBER: CTONG1002 TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov reference: NCT01236716.

Efficacy and safety of utidelone for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer who have failed standard second-line treatment: A phase 2 clinical trial (BG01-1801).

Background: Chemotherapy remains the standard-of-care for many patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but acquired resistance presents challenges. The aim of this open-label, multicenter phase 2 clinical trial was to determine the efficacy and safety of utidelone, a novel genetically engineered epothilone analog and microtubule-stabilizing agent, as a third- or later-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC. Methods: Patients who had failed standard second-line treatment (including platinum-containing chemotherapy or targeted therapy) received utidelone (40 mg/m2 via intravenous injection daily, day 1-5) every 21 days. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints were the duration of response (DoR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. Results: From March 12, 2019 to January 18, 2021, 26 pretreated patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC (100% of patients had received prior platinum and 65.4% patients had received prior taxane treatment) were enrolled (80.8% of patients had adenocarcinoma). At baseline, nine (34.6%) patients had received second-line treatment, 10 (38.5%) patients had received third-line treatment, and seven (26.9%) patients had received fourth- or later-line treatment. By the data cut-off date of August 10, 2021, the median follow-up was 7.49 months (range, 1.4-26.7 months). The ORR was 15.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.4%-34.9%) in the intention-to-treat (ITT) cohort (N = 26) and 19.0% (95% CI, 5.4%-41.9%) in the per-protocol (PP) cohort (N = 21). The disease control rate was 69.2% (95% CI, 48.2%-85.7%) and 81.0% (95% CI, 58.1%-94.6%) in the ITT and PP cohorts, respectively. The median DoR was 4.1 months (95% CI, 3.1-5.1 months) in the ITT cohort. The median PFS was 4.37 months (95% CI, 2.50-5.29 months) in the ITT cohort and 4.37 months (95% CI, 2.50-9.76 months) in the PP cohort. The median OS was not reached, and the 12-month OS rate was 69% (95% CI, 45.1%-84.1%). Grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 38.5% of patients, and the most common was peripheral neuropathy (23.1%, all Grade 3), which was manageable with dose modifications. Conclusions: In this clinical trial, utidelone showed promising efficacy and had a manageable safety profile. Further clinical studies are warranted to confirm its role in NSCLC treatment. Trial registration: No.NCT03693547; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov.

Patient-reported outcomes for the phase 3 FURLONG study of furmonertinib versus gefitinib as first-line therapy for Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Furmonertinib showed superior efficacy compared with gefitinib as first-line therapy in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the FURLONG study. Here we present prespecified secondary endpoints of patient-reported outcomes (PRO). Methods: In this multicentre, double-blind, double-dummy, randomised phase 3 study, patients were 1:1 randomly assigned to receive furmonertinib 80 mg once daily or gefitinib 250 mg once daily. PROs assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Core 30 and Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Lung Cancer 13 were analysed using a mixed model for repeated measures and time-to-event analyses. A difference in score of 10 points or more was deemed clinically relevant. Findings: Three hundred and fifty-seven patients (furmonertinib group, n = 178; gefitinib group, n = 179) received at least one dose of the study drug, all of whom completed at least one PRO assessment. Statistically significant difference of overall score changes from baseline favoured furmonertinib in physical functioning (between-group difference 2.14 [95% CI 0.25-4.04], p = 0.027), nausea/vomiting (-1.56 [95% CI -2.62 to -0.49], p = 0.004), appetite loss (-2.24 [95% CI -4.26 to -0.23], p = 0.029), diarrhoea (-3.36 [95% CI -5.19 to -1.54], p < 0.001), alopecia (-2.62 [95% CI -4.54 to -0.71], p = 0.007), and pain in other parts (-4.55 [95% CI -7.37 to -1.74], p = 0.002), but not reached clinical relevance. Time to deterioration in physical functioning (hazard ratio 0.63 [95% CI 0.42-0.94], p = 0.021), cognitive functioning (0.73 [95% CI 0.54-0.98], p = 0.034), nausea/vomiting (0.64 [95% CI 0.41-0.99], p = 0.042), appetite loss (0.63 [95% CI 0.43-0.92], p = 0.016), diarrhoea (0.63 [95% CI 0.46-0.85], p = 0.002), dyspnoea (0.72 [95% CI 0.53-0.98], p = 0.034), cough (0.67 [95% CI 0.44-1.00], p = 0.049), dysphagia (0.54 [95% CI 0.35-0.83], p = 0.004), and alopecia (0.62 [95% CI 0.42-0.90], p = 0.012) was longer with furmonertinib versus gefitinib. Interpretation: In patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC, furmonertinib showed improved scores and delayed deterioration in several functioning and symptoms compared to gefitinib. Funding: Shanghai Allist Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd and the National Science and Technology Major Project for Key New Drug Development (2017ZX09304015).

First-line penpulimab combined with paclitaxel and carboplatin for metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer in China (AK105-302): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Penpulimab is a novel programmed death (PD)-1 inhibitor. This study aimed to establish the efficacy and safety of first line penpulimab plus chemotherapy for advanced squamous non-small-cell lung cancer. METHODS: This multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 clinical trial enrolled patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer from 74 hospitals in China. Eligible participants were aged 18-75 years, had histologically or cytologically confirmed locally advanced (stage IIIb or IIIc) or metastatic (stage IV) squamous non-small-cell lung cancer, were ineligible to complete surgical resection and concurrent or sequential chemoradiotherapy, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1, did not have previous systemic chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, and had one or more measurable lesions according to RECIST (version 1.1). Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intravenous penpulimab 200 mg or placebo (excipient of penpulimab injection), plus paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC of 5 intravenously on day 1 every 3 weeks for four cycles, followed by penpulimab or placebo as maintenance therapy. Stratification was done according to the PD-L1 tumour proportion score (<1% vs 1-49% vs ≥50%) and sex (male vs female). The participants, investigators, and other research staff were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was progression-free survival assessed by the masked Independent Radiology Review Committee in the intention-to-treat population and patients with a PD-L1 tumour proportion score of 1% or more (PD-L1-positive subgroup). The primary analysis was based on the intention-to-treat analysis set (ie, all randomly assigned participants) and the PD-L1-positive subgroup. The safety analysis included all participants who received at least one dose of study drug after enrolment. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03866993). FINDINGS: Between Dec 20, 2018, and Oct 10, 2020, 485 patients were screened, and 350 participants were randomly assigned (175 in the penpulimab group and 175 in the placebo group). Of 350 participants, 324 (93%) were male and 26 (7%) were female, and 347 (99%) were of Han ethnicity. In the final analysis (June 1, 2022; median follow-up, 24·7 months [IQR 0-41·4]), the penpulimab group showed an improved progression-free survival compared with the placebo group, both in the intention-to-treat population (median 7·6 months, 95% CI 6·8--9·6 vs 4·2 months, 95% CI 4·2-4·3; HR 0·43, 95% CI 0·33-0·56; p<0·0001) and in the PD-L1-positive subgroup (8·1 months, 5·7-9·7 vs 4·2 months, 4·1-4·3; HR 0·37, 0·27-0·52, p<0·0001). Grade 3 or worse treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 120 (69%) 173 patients in the penpulimab group and 119 (68%) of 175 in the placebo group. INTERPRETATION: Penpulimab plus chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with advanced squamous non-small-cell lung cancer compared with chemotherapy alone. The treatment was safe and tolerable. Penpulimab combined with paclitaxel and carboplatin is a new option for first-line treatment in patients with this advanced disease. FUNDING: The National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical, Akeso.

Central nervous system efficacy of aumolertinib versus gefitinib in patients with untreated, EGFR-mutated, advanced non-small cell lung cancer: data from a randomized phase III trial (AENEAS).

BACKGROUND: The initial randomized, double-blinded, actively controlled, phase III ANEAS study (NCT03849768) demonstrated that aumolertinib showed superior efficacy relative to gefitinib as first-line therapy in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Metastatic disease in the central nervous system (CNS) remains a challenge in the management of NSCLC. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of aumolertinib versus gefitinib among patients with baseline CNS metastases in the ANEAS study. METHODS: Eligible patients were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to orally receive either aumolertinib or gefitinib in a double-blinded fashion. Patients with asymptomatic, stable CNS metastases were included. Follow-up imaging of the same modality as the initial CNS imaging was performed every 6 weeks for 15 months, then every 12 weeks. CNS response was assessed by a neuroradiological blinded, independent central review (neuroradiological-BICR). The primary endpoint for this subgroup analysis was CNS progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Of the 429 patients enrolled and randomized in the ANEAS study, 106 patients were found to have CNS metastases (CNS Full Analysis Set, cFAS) at baseline by neuroradiological-BICR, and 60 of them had CNS target lesions (CNS Evaluable for Response, cEFR). Treatment with aumolertinib significantly prolonged median CNS PFS compared with gefitinib in both cFAS (29.0 vs. 8.3 months; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-0.56; P < 0.001) and cEFR (29.0 vs. 8.3 months; HR = 0.26; 95% CI, 0.11-0.57; P < 0.001). The confirmed CNS overall response rate in cEFR was 85.7% and 75.0% in patients treated with aumolertinib and gefitinib, respectively. Competing risk analysis showed that the estimated probability of CNS progression without prior non-CNS progression or death was consistently lower with aumolertinib than with gefitinib in patients with and without CNS metastases at baseline. No new safety findings were observed. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate a potential advantage of aumolertinib over gefitinib in terms of CNS PFS and the risk of CNS progression in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC with baseline CNS metastases. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03849768.

Third-line or above anlotinib in relapsed and refractory small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases: A post hoc analysis of ALTER1202, a randomized, double-blind phase 2 study.

Background: The prognosis of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and brain metastases (BM) was poor. This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of anlotinib as third-line or above treatment in SCLC with BM. Methods: This was a subgroup analysis of the ALTER1202 trial, which was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial aimed to evaluate the role of anlotinib as third-line treatment or above in patients with SCLC. This study included patients with BM at baseline. The efficacy and safety outcomes included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), central nervous system (CNS), objective response rate (ORR), CNS disease control rate (DCR), time to CNS progression, and adverse events (AEs). Results: Twenty-one and nine patients with BM were included in the anlotinib and placebo groups, respectively. The median PFS and OS were 3.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8-6.1) and 6.1 months (95% CI: 4.1-8.0) in the anlotinib group. Anlotinib was associated with a significant improvement in PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.04-0.51, p = 0.0005) and OS (HR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.09-0.73, p = 0.0061) than placebo. Anlotinib significantly prolonged the time to CNS progression (p < 0.0001). The anlotinib group had a higher CNS DCR than placebo (95.2% vs. 22.2%, p = 0.0001). The most common grade 3 or higher AEs were increased lipase (19.0%), hypertension (14.3%), and hyponatremia (14.3%) in the anlotinib group. Conclusions: Anlotinib proved to have potential CNS activity and a manageable toxicity profile in patients with SCLC and BM, significantly delaying CNS progression.

HLA-I Evolutionary Divergence Confers Response to PD-1 Blockade plus Chemotherapy in Untreated Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE: PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy has become the new standard of care in patients with untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whereas predictive biomarkers remain undetermined. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We integrated clinical, genomic, and survival data of 427 NSCLC patients treated with first-line PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy from two phase III trials (CameL and CameL-sq) and investigated the predictive and prognostic value of HLA class I evolutionary divergence (HED). RESULTS: High HED could predict significantly improved objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in those who received PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy [in the CameL trial, ORR: 81.8% vs. 53.2%; P = 0.032; PFS: hazard ratio (HR), 0.47; P = 0.012; OS: HR, 0.40; P = 0.014; in the CameL-sq trial, ORR: 89.2% vs. 62.3%; P = 0.007; PFS: HR, 0.49; P = 0.005; OS: HR, 0.38; P = 0.002], but not chemotherapy. In multivariate analysis adjusted for PD-L1 expression and tumor mutation burden, high HED was independently associated with markedly better ORR, PFS, and OS in both trials. Moreover, the joint utility of HED and PD-L1 expression showed better performance than either alone in predicting treatment benefit from PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy. Single-cell RNA sequencing of 58,977 cells collected from 11 patients revealed that tumors with high HED had improved antigen presentation and T cell-mediated antitumor immunity, indicating an inflamed tumor microenvironment phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that high HED could portend survival benefit in advanced NSCLC treated with first-line PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy. See related commentary by Dimou, p. 4706.

Befotertinib (D-0316) versus icotinib as first-line therapy for patients with EGFR-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: a multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: Befotertinib (D-0316) is a novel, selective oral third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine-kinase inhibitor. This phase 3 trial compared the efficacy and safety of befotertinib with icotinib as a first-line treatment for patients with EGFR mutation-positive locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: This study was a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled phase 3 study at 39 hospitals in China. Eligible patients were 18 years of age or older, had histologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic stage IIIB, IIIC, or IV unresectable NSCLC, and had confirmed exon 19 deletions or exon 21 Leu858Arg mutation. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) via an interactive web response system to receive either oral befotertinib (75-100 mg once daily) or oral icotinib (125 mg three times per day) in 21-day cycles until disease progression or withdrawal criteria were met. Randomisation was stratified by type of EGFR mutation, CNS metastasis status, and gender, and participants, investigators, and data analysts were not masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was independent review committee (IRC)-assessed progression-free survival in the full analysis set, which comprised all randomly assigned patients. All patients who received at least one dose of the study drug were included in safety analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04206072, and the overall survival follow-up is still in progress. FINDINGS: Between Dec 24, 2019, and Dec 18, 2020, 568 patients were screened, of whom 362 were randomly assigned to the befotertinib (n=182) or icotinib (n=180) group; all 362 patients were included in the full analysis set. Median follow-up was 20·7 months (IQR 10·2-23·5) in the befotertinib group and 19·4 months (10·3-23·5) in the icotinib group. Median IRC-assessed progression-free survival was 22·1 months (95% CI 17·9-not estimable) in the befotertinib group and 13·8 months (12·4-15·2) in the icotinib group (hazard ratio 0·49 [95% CI 0·36-0·68], p<0·0001). Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events occurred in 55 (30%) of 182 patients in the befotertinib group and in 14 (8%) of 180 patients in the icotinib group. Treatment-related serious adverse events were reported in 37 (20%) patients in the befotertinib group and in five (3%) patients in the icotinib group. Two (1%) patients in the befotertinib group and one (1%) patient in the icotinib group died due to treatment-related adverse events. INTERPRETATION: Befotertinib demonstrated superior efficacy compared with icotinib in first-line treatment for patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC. Although serious adverse events were more common in the befotertinib than the icotinib arm, the safety profile of befotertinib was manageable overall. FUNDING: Betta Pharmaceuticals (China). TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Real-world evidence of osimertinib in Chinese patients with EGFR T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer: a subgroup analysis from ASTRIS study.

PURPOSE: ASTRIS study aimed the largest to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of second- or higher-line osimertinib in patients with advanced/metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the real-world setting. Here we report the results of Chinese patients in ASTRIS study. METHODS: Adults with EGFR T790M-positive advanced NSCLC pretreated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), having a WHO performance status score of 0-2 and asymptomatic, stable central nervous system (CNS) metastases were included. All patients received once-daily osimertinib 80 mg orally. The outcomes included investigator-assessed clinical response, progression-free survival (PFS), time-to-treatment discontinuation (TTD), and safety. RESULTS: A total of 1350 patients were included. Response rate was 55.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-0.58). The median PFS and the median TTD were 11.7 months (95% CI 11.1-12.5) and 13.9 months (95% CI 13.1-15.2), respectively. Overall, 389 patients (28.8%) had at least one protocol-specified adverse event (AE); AEs of interstitial lung diseases/pneumonitis-like events and QT prolongation were reported in 3 (0.2%) and 59 (4.4%) patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Osimertinib was effective in Chinese patients with T790M-positive NSCLC who had progressed after first- or second-generation EGFR-TKI in real-word setting and the results were consistent with ASTRIS study overall population and AURA studies. No new safety signals or events were identified. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT02474355.

Camrelizumab Plus Carboplatin and Pemetrexed as First-Line Treatment for Advanced Nonsquamous NSCLC: Extended Follow-Up of CameL Phase 3 Trial.

INTRODUCTION: In CameL phase 3 study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03134872), addition of camrelizumab to first-line chemotherapy significantly improved the progression-free survival in patients with stages IIIB to IV nonsquamous NSCLC. Here, we present outcomes after a minimum follow-up of 43.9 months since last patient randomization. METHODS: Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to 4 to 6 cycles of camrelizumab plus carboplatin and pemetrexed or chemotherapy alone every 3 weeks, followed by maintenance camrelizumab plus pemetrexed or pemetrexed only (n = 205 and 207, respectively). Total camrelizumab exposure was up to 2 years. RESULTS: As of January 31, 2022, camrelizumab plus chemotherapy exhibited substantially improved overall survival over chemotherapy alone (median, 27.1 versus 19.8 mo; hazard ratio = 0.72 [95% confidence interval: 0.57-0.92]). In the chemotherapy-alone group, 95 patients (45.9%) crossed over to camrelizumab monotherapy. After adjustment for crossover, the survival benefit with camrelizumab plus chemotherapy was more pronounced (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.55 [95% confidence interval: 0.42-0.71]). In camrelizumab plus chemotherapy group, 33 patients completed 2 years of camrelizumab. Objective response rate was 97.0%, with ongoing responses in 17 of the 32 responses (53.1%), and 93.9% (31 of 33) of the patients were alive at data cutoff. Safety profiles were consistent with the previous report, and no obvious evidence of cumulative toxicity was found with long exposure to camrelizumab. CONCLUSIONS: Camrelizumab plus carboplatin and pemetrexed provides long-term survival benefit over chemotherapy, with manageable toxicity and remarkable and durable response in patients receiving 2 years of camrelizumab, further supporting camrelizumab combination as first-line treatment for advanced nonsquamous NSCLC.