Phase III study of second-line chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with weekly compared with 3-weekly docetaxel.

PURPOSE: A phase III study to determine whether a weekly docetaxel schedule improves the therapeutic index compared with the classic 3-weekly schedule. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with stage IIIB-IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were randomly assigned to docetaxel 75 mg/m2 on day 1 every 3 weeks (3-weekly) and 35 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 (weekly) for < or = eight cycles. End points included survival (primary), toxicity, and response. RESULTS: Of 215 patients enrolled, 208 (103 in the 3-weekly arm and 105 in the weekly arm) were assessable for response. At baseline, 24.5% of patients (51 out of 208) had received prior paclitaxel therapy and 43.3% of patients (90 out of 208) had been progression-free for more than 3 months after first-line therapy. After 12 months' follow-up, median survival was 6.3 months (95% CI, 4.68 to 7.84 months) with 3-weekly docetaxel and 9.2 months (95% CI, 5.83 to 12.59 months) with weekly docetaxel (P = .07) after a median of four (range, one to eight) and two (range, one to eight) treatment cycles, respectively. Overall, response rates were 12.6% v 10.5% with 3-weekly versus weekly docetaxel. Significantly fewer patients reported grade 3 to 4 toxicities with weekly docetaxel versus 3-weekly docetaxel (P < or = .05). There were significantly lower rates of grade 3 to 4 anemia (P < or = .05), leucopenia (P < .0001), and neutropenia (P < or = .001) with weekly versus 3-weekly treatment. No grade 3 to 4 thrombocytopenia or mucositis was reported. CONCLUSION: Weekly docetaxel 35 mg/m2 demonstrated similar efficacy and better tolerability than standard 3-weekly docetaxel 75 mg/m2 and can be recommended as a feasible alternative second-line treatment option for patients with advanced NSCLC.

Phase II trial of gemcitabine/irinotecan in refractory or relapsed small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gemcitabine and irinotecan have shown a broad range of activity in solid tumors, including small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), with a synergistic effect on SCLC cell lines. The objective of this phase II trial was to evaluate the activity of gemcitabine/irinotecan in patients with relapsed SCLC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients (15 with refractory disease and 20 with sensitive disease) who had experienced treatment failure with 1 previous chemotherapy regimen were recruited. Treatment consisted of gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) and irinotecan 100 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle for a maximum of 6 cycles. Eligibility criteria included an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, adequate organ function, and signed informed consent. RESULTS: All 35 patients were assessable for response, survival, and toxicity. Best objective responses exhibited were as follows: complete response in 2 patients (6%), partial response in 4 (11%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 21%-61%), stable disease in 7 (20%; 95% CI, 9%-45%), and progressive disease in 22 (63%; 95% CI, 17%-57%). Median time to disease progression was 3.4 months and median survival was 5.8 months. The 1-year survival rate was 34%. Toxicity was mainly hematologic. Grade 3/4 nausea and vomiting occurred in 9% of patients, neuropathy occurred in 2.8%, and diarrhea occurred in 14.3%. Survival was not significantly different for patients with refractory versus sensitive disease. CONCLUSION: The combination of gemcitabine/irinotecan was shown to be active as second-line chemotherapy, especially in patients with refractory disease.

A Prospective Phase I/II Study: Combination Chemotherapy with Docetaxel and Pemetrexed as Second-Line Treatment in Patients with Stage IIIB/IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Two standard single-agent chemotherapy treatments (docetaxel and pemetrexed) were combined in this trial and administered as second-line treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of combining docetaxel with pemetrexed. METHODS: Six patients were enrolled between August 2007 and March 2009 with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. The dose-escalation model included a pemetrexed infusion on day 1 of 200-300 mg/m(2) followed by infusion of docetaxel on days 1, 8 and 15 at doses from 20 to 30 mg/m(2). Primary study endpoints included efficacy and safety variables, also progression-free, overall and 1-year survival and time to progression. RESULTS: The study was abandoned due to adverse effects defined in the protocol. The major toxicities were all of grade 3 and included fatigue, stomatitis/mucositis, diarrhea and in one case, an episode of febrile neutropenia. Two patients died during the study, but not as a direct result of the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that docetaxel or pemetrexed monotherapies should continue to be considered the standard second-line chemotherapy treatment against NSCLC. The results of this study warrant no further investigation into this particular combination treatment due to the severe toxicity effects encountered.

Addition of darbepoetin alfa to dose-dense chemotherapy: results from a randomized phase II trial in small-cell lung cancer patients receiving carboplatin plus etoposide.

Darbepoetin alfa, an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA), is used in cancer patients as a supportive care for anemia. For small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), several studies have shown that the administration of ESAs does not affect survival but decreases the need for blood transfusions and improves the quality of life (QOL) of patients receiving chemotherapy. The present randomized phase II study assessed the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of the administration of darbepoetin alfa to patients with SCLC receiving dose-dense (every 2 weeks) standard chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin plus etoposide, pegfilgrastim prophylactically. Seventy-four chemotherapy-naive patients with limited or extensive SCLC received combination chemotherapy for 6 cycles, and half of the patients additionally received darbepoetin to achieve a target hemoglobin concentration of 12-13 g/dL. The primary study outcome, progression-free survival, showed no difference between the 2 arms of the study. Among the secondary endpoints, objective response was similar in the presence and absence of darbepoetin (best response rates = 75.0% vs. 77.8%). Likewise, 1-year survival rates were not different between the 2 treatment arms (40.1% vs. 45.9%). There were no significant differences in grade 3/4 toxicities. As expected, the need for blood transfusions differed significantly: 19.4% of patients in the darbepoetin arm received transfusions versus 38.9% in the control arm. Analysis of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) scales at different time points showed that the darbepoetin group's QOL was significantly better for certain readouts and never significantly worse than that of the control group. Thus, the combination of darbepoetin alfa with dose-dense carboplatin plus etoposide was feasible and well tolerated. Addition of darbepoetin alfa to chemotherapy lowered the need for blood transfusions and did not affect measures of survival and objective response.

Randomized phase III trial of docetaxel plus carboplatin with or without levofloxacin prophylaxis in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: the APRONTA trial.

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of levofloxacin prophylaxis on infection rates during chemotherapy with docetaxel plus carboplatin in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind, phase III study, patients (≥65 years) with untreated, histologically/cytologically proven stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer received docetaxel (75 mg/m) plus carboplatin (area under the curve 6) on day 1 every 3 weeks, plus once-daily levofloxacin (500 mg orally) or placebo on days 5 to 11. The primary end point was the rate of grade 3/4 infections or grade 1/2 infections treated with additional antibiotics. Secondary end points included overall infection rate, toxicity, overall survival, and progression-free survival. RESULTS: In total, 187 patients were randomized to levofloxacin (n = 95) or placebo (n = 92). The rate of grade 3/4 infections or grade 1/2 infections treated with additional antibiotics (intent-to-treat population) was 27.5% (95% confidence interval, 19.3-39.0%) for levofloxacin versus 36.7% (95% confidence interval, 27.1-48.0%) for placebo. Median time to first infection was 67 days for levofloxacin versus 46 days for placebo. Grade 3/4 infections occurred in 8.8% of patients in the levofloxacin group versus 26.7% for placebo. There was one grade 5 infection in each group. Grade ≥3 toxicities (levofloxacin versus placebo) included leukopenia (63.2 versus 52.2%), neutropenia (62.1 versus 51.1%), dyspnea (12.6 versus 8.7%), and pain (10.5 versus 9.8%). There was no significant difference in overall survival or progression-free survival between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Levofloxacin prophylaxis reduces the rate of infection compared with placebo and is well tolerated in elderly patients receiving docetaxel plus carboplatin.

Gemcitabine and carboplatin in combination for the treatment of advanced, metastatic, non-small cell lung cancer.

The universally accepted first-line treatment for advanced (stage IIIB effusion/IV) non-small-cell lung cancer in patients with a good performance status is a platinum drug in combination with one of gemcitabine, paclitaxel, vinorelbine or docetaxel. Although cisplatin is generally the favoured platinum agent, gemcitabine partnered with carboplatin is convenient to administer and has a favourable toxicity profile. Here, the pharmacology, preclinical and clinical data to support the use of this regimen for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer is evaluated.

Clinical benefit in NSCLC: advanced-stage patients require symptom-improving palliation. Experiences from the 'Iressa' expanded access program.

BACKGROUND: The molecular genesis of lung cancer and its treatment remain hot spots of medical research because of the high mortality rates especially associated with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). New agents are required. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway inhibitor gefitinib (Iressa) has been the first approved drug for NSCLC within this new therapeutic class. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The anti-tumor activity of gefitinib in a monocentric and prospective case series of 72 patients with refractory NSCLC is analyzed. Patients who had histologically confirmed NSCLC with one or more previous chemotherapies were eligible for enrollment. Patients received 250 mg gefitinib orally once daily for at least 28 days. RESULTS: An 8% response rate (PR) and an additional 42% rate of disease stabilizations (SD) have been found in our patient collective. The median survival of all patients was 8.6 weeks (95% CI 5.9-11.2). Comparing responders, patients with stable disease, and progressive patients it becomes evident that patients sensitive to gefitinib get a clinical benefit in terms of palliation and overall survival. Adenocarcinoma histology and former nicotine abstention seem to favor sensitivity to gefitinib. CTC grade 3/4 toxicities were observed in only one patient in form of skin reactions. Mild toxicities (CTC grade 1/2) were diarrhea, conjunctivitis and elevation of transaminases. CONCLUSION: These prospective data suggest an activity of gefitinib in pre-treated NSCLC patients without relevant toxicities. They are in agreement with other published data.