Tislelizumab in Asian patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Tislelizumab, an anti-programmed death protein-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody, was engineered to minimize binding to the FcγR on macrophages to abrogate antibody-dependent phagocytosis, a mechanism of T-cell clearance and potential resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. This single-arm phase 2 trial (NCT04004221/CTR20170071) assessed the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of tislelizumab in patients with PD-L1-positive urothelial carcinoma who progressed during/following platinum-containing therapy and had no prior PD-(L)1 inhibitor treatment. Patients were considered PD-L1 positive if ≥ 25% of tumor/immune cells expressed PD-L1 when using the VENTANA™ PD-L1 (SP263) assay. The primary endpoint was objective response rate by independent review committee. As of September 16, 2019, 113 patients had a median study follow-up time of 9.4 mo. Most patients (76%) had visceral metastases, including 24% with liver and 23% with bone metastases. Among 104 efficacy-evaluable patients, confirmed objective response rate was 24% (95% confidence interval, 16, 33), including 10 complete and 15 partial responses. Median duration of response was not reached. Among 25 responders, 17/25 (68%) had ongoing responses. Median progression-free survival and overall survival times were 2.1 and 9.8 mo, respectively. The most common treatment-related adverse events were anemia (27%) and pyrexia (19%). Anemia (7%) and hyponatremia (5%) were the only grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events and occurred in ≥ 5% of patients. Three investigator-assessed deaths were considered to be possibly related to study treatment (hepatic failure, n = 2; respiratory arrest, n = 1). Tislelizumab demonstrated meaningful clinical benefits in patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic PD-L1-positive urothelial carcinoma and had a manageable safety profile.

Examining the Impact of Tislelizumab Added to Chemotherapy on Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Previously Untreated Patients With Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE: This study assessed the effects of tislelizumab, a programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor, in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone as first-line treatment on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (nSQ-NSCLC). METHODS: Patients in this randomized, open-label, multicenter phase III study RATIONALE 304 (NCT03663205) with histologically confirmed stage IIIB/IV nSQ-NSCLC were randomized 2:1 to tislelizumab plus platinum-pemetrexed (arm T + PP) or platinum-pemetrexed alone (arm PP). Health-related QoL was measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 items and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Lung Cancer. Key patient-reported outcome endpoints include mean score change from baseline at weeks 12 (during chemotherapy) and 18 (following chemotherapy) in the 30-item Quality of Life Questionnaire Core's global health status/quality of life (GHS/QoL) and time to deterioration in GHS/QoL. RESULTS: Three hundred thirty-two patients received at least 1 dose of study drug and completed at least 1 HRQoL assessment. Global health status/QoL score improved in arm T + PP at week 18 (between-group least square mean difference, 5.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-10.5; P = 0.018). Patients in arm T + PP experienced greater reduction in coughing (-5.9; 95% CI, -11.6 to -0.1; P = 0.044), dyspnea (-3.8; 95% CI, -7.8 to 0.1; P = 0.059), chest pain (-6.2; 95% CI, -10.8 to -1.6; P = 0.008), and peripheral neuropathy (-2.6; 95% CI, -5.5 to 0.2; P = 0.066). Median time to deterioration in GHS/QoL was not achieved for either arm. DISCUSSION: The addition of tislelizumab to platinum-based chemotherapy was associated with improvements in nSQ-NSCLC patients' HRQoL as well as the important disease-specific symptoms of coughing, chest pain, and dyspnea.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03663205.

Tislelizumab Plus Chemotherapy as First-Line Treatment for Locally Advanced or Metastatic Nonsquamous NSCLC (RATIONALE 304): A Randomized Phase 3 Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Tislelizumab, an anti-programmed cell death protein-1 antibody, was specifically engineered to minimize FcÉ£R macrophage binding to abrogate antibody-dependent phagocytosis. Compared with chemotherapy alone, tislelizumab plus chemotherapy may improve clinical outcomes in patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC (nsq-NSCLC). METHODS: In this open-label phase 3 trial (RATIONALE 304; NCT03663205), patients with histologically confirmed stage IIIB or IV nsq-NSCLC were randomized (2:1) to receive either arm A: tislelizumab plus platinum (carboplatin or cisplatin) and pemetrexed every 3 weeks (Q3Ws) or arm B: platinum and pemetrexed alone Q3W during induction treatment, followed by intravenous maintenance pemetrexed Q3W. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) assessed by an independent review committee; clinical response and safety and tolerability were secondary end points. RESULTS: Overall, 332 patients (n = 222 [A]; n = 110 [B]) received treatment. With a median study follow-up of 9.8 months, PFS was significantly longer with tislelizumab plus chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone (median PFS: 9.7 versus 7.6 mo; hazard ratio = 0.645 [95% confidence interval: 0.462-0.902], p = 0.0044). In addition, response rates were higher and response duration was longer with combination therapy versus chemotherapy alone. Hematologic adverse events (AEs) were common in both treatment arms; the most reported AEs were grades 1 to 2 in severity. The most common grade greater than or equal to 3 AEs were associated with chemotherapy and included neutropenia (44.6% [A]; 35.5% [B]) and leukopenia (21.6% [A]; 14.5% [B]). CONCLUSIONS: Addition of tislelizumab to chemotherapy resulted in significantly prolonged PFS, higher response rates, and longer response duration compared with chemotherapy alone, identifying a new potential option for first-line treatment of advanced nsq-NSCLC irrespective of disease stage.