First-line crizotinib versus chemotherapy in ALK-positive lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of the ALK inhibitor crizotinib as compared with standard chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. METHODS: We conducted an open-label, phase 3 trial comparing crizotinib with chemotherapy in 343 patients with advanced ALK-positive nonsquamous NSCLC who had received no previous systemic treatment for advanced disease. Patients were randomly assigned to receive oral crizotinib at a dose of 250 mg twice daily or to receive intravenous chemotherapy (pemetrexed, 500 mg per square meter of body-surface area, plus either cisplatin, 75 mg per square meter, or carboplatin, target area under the curve of 5 to 6 mg per milliliter per minute) every 3 weeks for up to six cycles. Crossover to crizotinib treatment after disease progression was permitted for patients receiving chemotherapy. The primary end point was progression-free survival as assessed by independent radiologic review. RESULTS: Progression-free survival was significantly longer with crizotinib than with chemotherapy (median, 10.9 months vs. 7.0 months; hazard ratio for progression or death with crizotinib, 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35 to 0.60; P<0.001). Objective response rates were 74% and 45%, respectively (P<0.001). Median overall survival was not reached in either group (hazard ratio for death with crizotinib, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.54 to 1.26; P=0.36); the probability of 1-year survival was 84% with crizotinib and 79% with chemotherapy. The most common adverse events with crizotinib were vision disorders, diarrhea, nausea, and edema, and the most common events with chemotherapy were nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and decreased appetite. As compared with chemotherapy, crizotinib was associated with greater reduction in lung cancer symptoms and greater improvement in quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Crizotinib was superior to standard first-line pemetrexed-plus-platinum chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated advanced ALK-positive NSCLC. (Funded by Pfizer; PROFILE 1014 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01154140.).

Effect of cross-platform gene-expression, computational methods on breast cancer subtyping in PALOMA-2 and PALLET studies.

Intrinsic breast cancer molecular subtyping (IBCMS) provides significant prognostic information for patients with breast cancer and helps determine treatment. This study compared IBCMS methods on various gene-expression platforms in PALOMA-2 and PALLET trials. PALOMA-2 tumor samples were profiled using EdgeSeq and nanostring and subtyped with AIMS, PAM50, and research-use-only (ruo)Prosigna. PALLET tumor biopsies were profiled using mRNA sequencing and subtyped with AIMS and PAM50. In PALOMA-2 (n = 222), a 54% agreement was observed between results from AIMS and gold-standard ruoProsigna, with AIMS assigning 67% basal-like to HER2-enriched. In PALLET (n = 224), a 69% agreement was observed between results from PAM50 and AIMS. Different IBCMS methods may lead to different results and could misguide treatment selection; hence, a standardized clinical PAM50 assay and computational approach should be used.Trial number: NCT01740427.

Real-World Data of Palbociclib in Combination With Endocrine Therapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer in Men.

This report examined the benefits and risks of palbociclib plus endocrine therapy (ET) in men with hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Palbociclib was evaluated using three independent data sources: real-world data from pharmacy and medical claims, a de-identified real-world data source derived from electronic health records (EHRs), and a global safety database. From medical and pharmacy records, 1,139 men with MBC were identified; in the first-line setting, median duration of treatment was longer with palbociclib plus ET (n = 37, 8.5 months, 95% confidence interval (CI), 4.4-13.0) than ET alone (n = 214, 4.3 months, 95% CI, 3.0-5.7) and specifically, was longer with palbociclib plus letrozole (n = 26, 9.4 months, 95% CI, 4.4-14.0) than letrozole alone (n = 63, 3.0 months, 95% CI, 1.8-4.8). In the EHR-derived database, 59 men received treatment for MBC; real-world response across all lines of therapy in the metastatic setting was reported in 4 of 12 patients (33.3%) in the palbociclib plus ET group vs. 1 of 8 (12.5%) patients in the ET group. Review of the global safety database did not identify any new safety signals in palbociclib-treated men. Real-world data indicated that men with MBC benefit from palbociclib plus ET, with a safety profile consistent with previous observations in women with MBC. Collective data on palbociclib in women and men in this report, including clinical trial data, real-world data, and a well-established risk/benefit profile, led to US approval of an expansion of the palbociclib indication to include men with MBC.

Phase II study of sunitinib as second-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: This phase II, open-label, multicenter study assessed the oral, multitargeted, tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma who had received prior chemotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients received sunitinib 50 mg/day on Schedule 4/2 (4 weeks on treatment, followed by 2 weeks off treatment). The primary endpoint was objective response rate; secondary endpoints included clinical benefit rate, duration of response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety and tolerability, and quality of life. RESULTS: Of 78 patients enrolled, most had gastric adenocarcinoma (93.6%) and metastatic disease (93.6%). All were evaluable for safety and efficacy. Two patients (2.6%) had partial responses and 25 patients (32.1%) had a best response of stable disease for ≥6 weeks. Median PFS was 2.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-2.6 months) and median OS was 6.8 months (95% CI, 4.4-9.6 months). Grade ≥ 3 thrombocytopenia and neutropenia were reported in 34.6% and 29.4% of patients, respectively, and the most common non-hematologic adverse events were fatigue, anorexia, nausea, diarrhea, and stomatitis. Pharmacokinetics of sunitinib and its active metabolite were consistent with previous reports. There were no marked associations between baseline soluble protein levels, or changes from baseline, and measures of clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The progression-delaying effect and manageable toxicity observed with sunitinib in this study suggest that although single-agent sunitinib has insufficient clinical value as second-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer, its role in combination with chemotherapy merits further study.

Intracranial Efficacy of Crizotinib Versus Chemotherapy in Patients With Advanced ALK-Positive Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Results From PROFILE 1014.

PURPOSE: Intracranial efficacy of first-line crizotinib versus chemotherapy was compared prospectively in the phase III PROFILE 1014 study in ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive crizotinib (250 mg twice daily; n = 172) or chemotherapy (pemetrexed 500 mg/m(2) plus cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) or carboplatin at area under the curve 5 to 6, every 3 weeks for ≤ six cycles; n = 171). Patients with stable treated brain metastases (tBM) were eligible. Intracranial efficacy was assessed at baseline and every 6 or 12 weeks in patients with or without known brain metastases (BM), respectively; intracranial time to tumor progression (IC-TTP; per protocol) and intracranial disease control rate (IC-DCR; post hoc) were measured. The intent-to-treat population was also assessed. RESULTS: Of 343 patients in the intent-to-treat population, 23% had tBM at baseline. A nonsignificant IC-TTP improvement was observed with crizotinib in the intent-to-treat population (hazard ratio [HR], 0.60; P = .069), patients with tBM (HR, 0.45; P = .063), and patients without BM (HR, 0.69; P = .323). Among patients with tBM, IC-DCR was significantly higher with crizotinib versus chemotherapy at 12 weeks (85% v 45%, respectively; P < .001) and 24 weeks (56% v 25%, respectively; P = .006). Progression-free survival was significantly longer with crizotinib versus chemotherapy in both subgroups (tBM present: HR, 0.40; P < .001; median, 9.0 v 4.0 months, respectively; BM absent: HR, 0.51; P < .001; median, 11.1 v 7.2 months, respectively) and in the intent-to-treat population (HR, 0.45; P < .001; median, 10.9 v 7.0 months, respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared with chemotherapy, crizotinib demonstrated a significantly higher IC-DCR in patients with tBM. Improvements in IC-TTP were not statistically significant in patients with or without tBM, although sensitivity to detect treatment differences in or between the two subgroups was low.

Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of brostallicin (PNU-166196), a new DNA minor-groove binder, administered intravenously every 3 weeks to adult patients with metastatic cancer.

PURPOSE: Brostallicin (PNU-166196) is a cytotoxic agent that binds to the minor groove of DNA with significant antitumor activity in preclinical studies. This trial was designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose, the toxicity profile, and the pharmacokinetics of Brostallicin in cancer patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients were treated with escalating doses of Brostallicin ranging from 0.85 to 15 mg/m(2) administered as a 10-min i.v. infusion every 3 weeks. Blood samples for pharmacokinetic analysis were collected during the first and second course, and analyzed by liquid-chromatography with tandem-mass spectrometric detection. RESULTS: Twenty-seven evaluable patients received a total of 73 courses. Grade 4 neutropenia was the only dose-limiting toxicity at 12.5 mg/m(2), whereas grade 4 thrombocytopenia (1 patient) and grade 4 neutropenia (2 patients) were the dose-limiting toxicities at 15 mg/m(2). Other side effects, including thrombocytopenia and nausea, were generally mild. The maximum tolerated dose was defined at 10 mg/m(2). The clearance and terminal half-life of Brostallicin were dose-independent, with mean (+/-SD) values of 9.33 +/- 2.38 liters/h/m(2) and 4.69 +/- 1.88 h, respectively. There was no significant accumulation of Brostallicin with repeated administration. Significant relationships were observed between systemic exposure to Brostallicin and neutrophil counts at nadir. One partial response was observed in a patient with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. CONCLUSION: Brostallicin was found to be well tolerated, with neutropenia being the principal toxicity. The recommended dose for additional evaluation in this schedule is 10 mg/m(2).

Fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan plus either sunitinib or placebo in metastatic colorectal cancer: a randomized, phase III trial.

PURPOSE: This double-blind, phase III study aimed to demonstrate that sunitinib plus FOLFIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan) was superior to placebo plus FOLFIRI in previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive FOLFIRI and either sunitinib (37.5 mg per day) or placebo (4 weeks on treatment, followed by 2 weeks off [schedule 4/2]) until disease progression. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included overall survival, safety, and patient-reported outcomes. The correlation between genotype and clinical outcomes was also analyzed. RESULTS: In all, 768 patients were randomly assigned to sunitinib plus FOLFIRI (n = 386) or placebo plus FOLFIRI (n = 382). Following a second prespecified interim analysis, the study was stopped because of potential futility of sunitinib plus FOLFIRI. Final results are reported. The PFS hazard ratio was 1.095 (95% CI, 0.892 to 1.344; one-sided stratified log-rank P = .807), indicating a lack of superiority for sunitinib plus FOLFIRI. Median PFS for the sunitinib arm was 7.8 months (95% CI, 7.1 to 8.4 months) versus 8.4 months (95% CI, 7.6 to 9.2 months) for the placebo arm. Sunitinib plus FOLFIRI was associated with more grade ≥ 3 adverse events and laboratory abnormalities than placebo (especially diarrhea, stomatitis/oral syndromes, fatigue, hand-foot syndrome, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, and febrile neutropenia). More deaths as a result of toxicity (12 v four) and significantly more dose delays, dose reductions, and treatment discontinuations occurred in the sunitinib arm. CONCLUSION: Sunitinib 37.5 mg per day (schedule 4/2) plus FOLFIRI is not superior to FOLFIRI alone and has a poorer safety profile. This combination regimen is not recommended for previously untreated mCRC.