Outcomes of First-Generation EGFR-TKIs Against Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Harboring Uncommon EGFR Mutations: A Post Hoc Analysis of the BE-POSITIVE Study.

BACKGROUND: Beyond progression after tyrosine kinase inhibitor in EGFR-positive non-small-cell lung cancer patients (BE-POSITIVE) was the first Italian multicenter observational study that reported the outcomes of first-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in a "real-life" Caucasian EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population. The sharing of multi-institutional experiences represents a crucial strategy to enrich knowledge about uncommon EGFR mutations. Therefore, we performed a post hoc analysis of the BE-POSITIVE study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data of advanced NSCLC patients with uncommon EGFR mutations who received first-line first-generation EGFR-TKIs in 24 Italian Hospitals were collected. In this analysis we aimed to evaluate overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall response rate (ORR) of EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC patients harboring uncommon EGFR mutations. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients harboring uncommon EGFR mutations (any mutation other than deletion 19 or substitution of leucine by arginine at codon 858) were included of the original 312 EGFR-mutated cases. Most of them were female (n = 20, 57.1%), former smokers (n = 23, 65.7%), with adenocarcinoma (n = 31, 88.6%). The most frequent EGFR mutations were G719X (n = 6, 17.2%) and L861Q (n = 5, 14.2%). The population presented an ORR of 25.7%, a median PFS of 5.19 months, and a median OS of 14.49 months. When stratified according to type of EGFR mutation, median OS ranged from 3.65 months for unspecified mutations to 21.29 for double EGFR mutations. Median PFS ranged from 1.77 months for unspecified mutations to 20.83 months for concomitant EGFR-anaplastic lymphoma kinase alteration. ORR varied from 0% in exon 18, 20 and double gene alteration to 66.6% in exon 19. CONCLUSION: Our study supports the existence of a strong outcome heterogeneity within patients harboring uncommon EGFR mutations, which needs to be clarified to achieve a real personalized treatment strategy.

Eribulin for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) treatment: a retrospective, multicenter study based in Campania, south Italy (Eri-001 trial).

BACKGROUND: On the basis of the results of two pivotal phase III clinical trials, eribulin mesylate is currently approved in EU for the treatment of advanced breast cancer (aBC) in patients who have previously received an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or the metastatic setting, and at least one chemotherapeutic regimen for metastatic disease. METHODS: In our study, we investigated the efficacy and tolerability of eribulin as second or further line chemotherapy in 137 women affected by aBC. RESULTS: Eribulin as monotherapy provided benefit in terms of progression-free survival (PFS), response rate (RR) and disease control rate (DCR) independently of its use as second or late-line therapy. The overall RR and DCR were 17.5% and 64%, respectively. In particular, DCR and overall RR were 50% and 13.6%, 65.4% and 21.1%, 70.4% and 14.8% and 66.7% and 16.7% in second, third, fourth and further lines of treatment, respectively. Median PFS (mPFS) according to the line of therapy was 5.7, 6.3, 4.5 and 4.0 months in patients treated with eribulin in second, third, fourth and over the fourth line, respectively. No significant difference in terms of mPFS was found between the various BC subtypes. Overall, eribulin resulted safe and most adverse events were of grade 1 or 2 and easily manageable. Grades 3-4 toxicities were neutropaenia and neurotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: With the limitations due to the observational nature of our findings, eribulin was shown to be an effective and safe therapeutic option in heavily pretreated patients with aBC.

The safety of second-line treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after first-line therapy ultimately suffer progression. At this time, many patients still have a good performance status and can be considered for further active treatment. Two chemotherapeutic agents, docetaxel and pemetrexed (only in non-squamous histology), and the biological drug anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) erlotinib, were approved for clinical use in the second-line treatment of NSCLC patients. In the last few years further new second-line therapies have become available in the clinical practice. Areas covered: This review will discuss the adverse events of the pivotal trials ledding to the approval of second-line therapies for the treatment of not oncogene-addicted NSCLC patients. Expert opinion: In recent years, new second-line options for NSCLC are: the anti-EGFR, afatinib (only in squamous NSCLC); the anti-angiogenics, nintedanib (only in lung adenocarcinoma) and ramucirumab, in combination with docetaxel; the immunotherapeutics, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and atezolizumab. In the second-line approach, the main endpoint of treatment should always be survival, but with great respect for symptoms palliation and preserving patients' quality of life. Therefore, differing toxicity profiles of the available therapeutic options are often a deciding factor in second-line setting for NSCLC.

BE-POSITIVE: Beyond progression after tyrosine kinase inhibitor in EGFR- positive non small cell lung cancer patients: Results from a multicenter Italian observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC) patients harbouring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations develop drug resistance after 9-12 months of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) therapy pointing out the issue of the second-line treatment choice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2009 until May 2013 patients affected by advanced NSCLC harbouring EGFR mutations receiving first-line TKI were collected mainly retrospectively in 24 Italian Centers. Primary objective was to describe the percentage of EGFR mutated patients receiving second-line therapy after progression to first-line EGFR-TKIs assessing the type, the activity in terms of objective response rate (ORR), efficacy in terms of progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and safety of second-line treatment. Secondary objective was to describe the efficacy of first-line EGFR-TKIs. RESULTS: 312 patients were included. Most of them were females (203, 65.1%), never smokers (200, 64.1%), with adenocarcinoma histology (290, 92.9%). The most common mutations were EGFR exon 19 deletion and L858R, detected in 186 and 97 cases (59.6% and 31.1%), respectively. At data cut-off, 274 patients (95.1%) received any second-line treatment (including best supportive care or local treatments only). A total of 163 patients received second-line systemic therapy with an ORR of 20.9% (95% CI:14.62-27.10), a median PFS and OS of 4.7 (95% CI:3.81-5.26) and 24.5 (95% CI:21.65-27.37) months, respectively. Grade 3-4 hematological and non-hematological toxicities were reported in 9% and 6.3% of 144 patients treated with chemotherapy while non-hematological toxicity was reported in 4 cases of the 17 patients receiving second-line target agents. CONCLUSIONS: BE-Positive is the first multicenter observational study reporting outcomes of therapies in a "real-life Caucasian EGFR-mutated population", highlighting the need of further researches about new treatment strategies in this setting.

[Experimental prospective cognitive study on the evaluation of connection of fatigue perception and depression among caregivers and team treating cancer patients receiving oral chemotherapy to systemic chemotherapy. Equi-Car 10 study]. / Studio sperimentale prospettico conoscitivo di valutazione della relazione della percezione di fatigue e depressione tra caregiver, equipe curante e pazienti oncologici in trattamento chemioterapico con terapie somministrate per via orale verso terapie somministrate per via sistemica Studio Equipe-Caregivers 10 (Studio Equi-Car 10).

OBJECTIVE: The Equi-Car 10 is an spontaneous, observational study. The objective was to assess the connection of fatigue perception and depression of caregivers, oncological team and oncological patients in oral chemotherapy to intravenous METHOD: The study recruited 60 patients and 60 caregivers. The study was carried out on patients with lung, breast and colon cancer requiring chemotherapy, and family members were chosen as caregivers. Patients, caregivers and doctors filled in FACT-F and Zung questionnaires at the opening day of the medical record, after three and six cycles of chemotherapy, and three months after the end of the treatment. RESULTS: The Zung depression and Functional Assessment of Cancer therapy-Fatigue (FACT-F) showed: (a) on patients treated with intravenous therapy showed significantly higher levels of fatigue and depression than those of patients treated with oral therapy, even when the latter were treated for advanced disease; (b) on caregivers of patients treated with systemically administered therapies showed elevated levels of Fatigue and depression which proved to be significantly higher than those of caregivers of patients treated with oral therapies, even when treated for advanced disease; (c) on three oncologist has highlighted low levels of Fatigue and depression, for both types of patients, higher for patients with systemic therapy related to the management of side effects. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that cancer patients and caregivers have high levels of fatigue and depression both related to the disease stage and to the mode of drug administration. It is necessary to provide cancer patients and caregivers with appropriate psychological support and preventive programs for secondary and relapse prevention.

Pretreatment quality of life and functional status assessment significantly predict survival of elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer receiving chemotherapy: a prognostic analysis of the multicenter Italian lung cancer in the elderly study.

PURPOSE: To study the prognostic value for overall survival of baseline assessment of functional status, comorbidity, and quality of life (QoL) in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 566 patients enrolled onto the phase III randomized Multicenter Italian Lung Cancer in the Elderly Study (MILES) study were analyzed. Functional status was measured as activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL). The presence of comorbidity was assessed with a checklist of 33 items; items 29 and 30 of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire QLQ-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) were used to estimate QoL. ADL was dichotomized as none versus one or more dependency. For IADL and QoL, three categories were defined using first and third quartiles as cut points. Comorbidity was summarized using the Charlson scale. Analysis was performed by Cox model, and stratified by treatment arm. RESULTS: Better values of baseline QoL (P = .0003) and IADL (P = .04) were significantly associated with better prognosis, whereas ADL (P = .44) and Charlson score (P = .66) had no prognostic value. Performance status 2 (P = .006) and a higher number of metastatic sites (P = .02) also predicted shorter overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment global QoL and IADL scores, but not ADL and comorbidity, have significant prognostic value for survival of elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer who were treated with chemotherapy. Using these scores in clinical practice might improve prognostic prediction for treatment planning.

Gefitinib as salvage therapy in pretreated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Data from a compassionate use program.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the tolerabiliy and activity of gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with pretreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2001 to August 2003, we analysed, retrospectively, the data of 125 previously treated advanced NSCLC patients receiving gefitinib 250 mg, orally once daily in a compassionate use program. RESULTS: Main toxicity was (% of patients): grade 1-2 skin changes in 7 (5.0%) and 8 (6.4%) patients, respectively. Grade 1 diarrhea in 16 (12.8%) patients. Grade 1 and 2 hypertransaminasemia in 1 (0.8%) patient, respectively. Grade 2 onychopathy in 1 (0.8%) patient and epistaxis in 1 (0.8%) case. There were 1 complete response (0.8%), 6 partial responses (4.8%) and 22 (17.6%) stable disease with an overall control of disease in 23.2% of cases. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 8.8 and 21.5 weeks, respectively. CONCLUSION: Gefitinib is active, feasible and well-tolerated in pretreated patients affected by advanced NSCLC.

Supportive care in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

The present study describes supportive care (SC) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), evaluating whether it is affected by concomitant chemotherapy, patient's performance status (PS) and age. Data of patients enrolled in three randomised trials of first-line chemotherapy, conducted between 1996 and 2001, were pooled. The analysis was limited to the first three cycles of treatment. Supportive care data were available for 1185 out of 1312 (90%) enrolled patients. Gastrointestinal drugs (45.7%), corticosteroids (33.4%) and analgesics (23.8%) were the most frequently observed categories. The mean number of drugs per patient was 2.43; 538 patients (45.4%) assumed three or more supportive drugs. Vinorelbine does not produce substantial variations in the SC pattern, while cisplatin-based treatment requires an overall higher number of supportive drugs, with higher use of antiemetics (41 vs 27%) and antianaemics (10 vs 4%). Patients with worse PS are more exposed to corticosteroids (42 vs 30%). Elderly patients require drugs against concomitant diseases significantly more than adults (20 vs 7%) and are less frequently exposed to antiemetics (12 vs 27%). In conclusion, polypharmacotherapy is a relevant issue in patients with advanced NSCLC. Chemotherapy does not remarkably affect the pattern of SC, except for some drugs against side effects. Elderly patients assume more drugs for concomitant diseases and receive less antiemetics than adults.