Evaluation of potential biomarkers for lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab among patients with advanced endometrial cancer: results from Study 111/KEYNOTE-146.

BACKGROUND: Lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab demonstrated clinically meaningful benefit in patients with previously treated advanced endometrial carcinoma in Study 111/KEYNOTE-146 (NCT02501096). In these exploratory analyses from this study, we evaluated the associations between clinical outcomes and gene expression signature scores and descriptively summarized response in biomarker subpopulations defined by tumor mutational burden (TMB) and DNA variants for individual genes of interest. METHODS: Patients with histologically confirmed metastatic endometrial carcinoma received oral lenvatinib 20 mg once daily plus intravenous pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks for 35 cycles. Archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue was obtained from all patients. T-cell-inflamed gene expression profile (TcellinfGEP) and 11 other gene signatures were evaluated by RNA sequencing. TMB, hotspot mutations in PIK3CA (oncogene), and deleterious mutations in PTEN and TP53 (tumor suppressor genes) were evaluated by whole-exome sequencing (WES). RESULTS: 93 and 79 patients were included in the RNA-sequencing-evaluable and WES-evaluable populations, respectively. No statistically significant associations were observed between any of the RNA-sequencing signature scores and objective response rate or progression-free survival. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for response ranged from 0.39 to 0.54; all 95% CIs included 0.50. Responses were seen regardless of TMB (≥175 or <175 mutations/exome) and mutation status. There were no correlations between TcellinfGEP and TMB, TcellinfGEP and microvessel density (MVD), or MVD and TMB. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis demonstrated efficacy for lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab regardless of biomarker status. Results from this study do not support clinical utility of the evaluated biomarkers. Further investigation of biomarkers for this regimen is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02501096.

A Phase Ib/II Study of Lenvatinib and Pembrolizumab in Advanced Endometrial Carcinoma (Study 111/KEYNOTE-146): Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Update.

Clinical trials frequently include multiple end points that mature at different times. The initial report, typically based on the primary end point, may be published when key planned co-primary or secondary analyses are not yet available. Clinical Trial Updates provide an opportunity to disseminate additional results from studies, published in JCO or elsewhere, for which the primary end point has already been reported.The open-label phase Ib/II Study 111/KEYNOTE-146 of daily lenvatinib 20 mg plus pembrolizumab 200 mg once every 3 weeks showed promising efficacy and tolerable safety in patients with previously treated advanced endometrial carcinoma (EC; primary data cutoff date: January 10, 2019). This updated analysis reports long-term follow-up efficacy and safety data from 108 patients with previously treated EC included in the primary analysis. End points included objective response rate, duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Investigators performed tumor assessments per immune-related RECIST. At the updated data cutoff date (August 18, 2020), the median study follow-up duration was 34.7 months (95% CI, 30.9 to 41.2), the objective response rate was 39.8% (95% CI, 30.5 to 49.7), and the median duration of response was 22.9 months (95% CI, 10.2 to not estimable). The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 7.4 months (95% CI, 5.2 to 8.7) and 17.7 months (95% CI, 15.5 to 25.8), respectively. Treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade occurred in 104 (96.3%) patients. The most common grade ≥ 3 treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events were hypertension (33.3%), elevated lipase (9.3%), fatigue (8.3%), and diarrhea (7.4%). The results demonstrate extended efficacy and tolerability of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in this cohort of patients with previously treated advanced EC.

A Phase II, open-label study evaluating pazopanib in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The progression-free and median survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer has not appreciably improved over the last decade. Novel targeted therapies, particularly antiangiogenic agents, may potentially improve clinical outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer. This phase II, open-label study evaluated oral pazopanib monotherapy in patients with low-volume recurrent ovarian cancer. METHODS: Patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma with complete CA-125 response to initial platinum-based chemotherapy and subsequent elevation of CA-125 to ≥ 42 U/mL (> 2 × ULN) were treated with pazopanib 800 mg once daily until PD or unacceptable toxicity. This Green-Dahlberg study required 2 CA-125 responses in stage I (20 patients) to proceed to stage II (15 patients). The primary endpoint was CA-125 response (≥ 50% decrease from baseline, confirmed ≥ 21 days after initial evaluation). RESULTS: Eleven of 36 patients (31%) had a CA-125 response to pazopanib, with median time to response of 29 days and median response duration of 113 days. Overall response rate was 18% in patients with measurable disease at baseline. The most common adverse events leading to discontinuation of study drug were grade 3 ALT (8%) and AST (8%) elevation. Only 1 grade 4 toxicity (peripheral edema) was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Pazopanib monotherapy was relatively well tolerated, with toxicity similar to other small-molecule, oral angiogenesis inhibitors, and demonstrated promising single-agent activity in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Further studies evaluating the potential role of pazopanib in patients with ovarian cancer are ongoing.

Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab in Patients With Advanced Endometrial Cancer.

PURPOSE: Patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma have limited treatment options. We report final primary efficacy analysis results for a patient cohort with advanced endometrial carcinoma receiving lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in an ongoing phase Ib/II study of selected solid tumors. METHODS: Patients took lenvatinib 20 mg once daily orally plus pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously once every 3 weeks, in 3-week cycles. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) at 24 weeks (ORRWk24); secondary efficacy end points included duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Tumor assessments were evaluated by investigators per immune-related RECIST. RESULTS: At data cutoff, 108 patients with previously treated endometrial carcinoma were enrolled, with a median follow-up of 18.7 months. The ORRWk24 was 38.0% (95% CI, 28.8% to 47.8%). Among subgroups, the ORRWk24 (95% CI) was 63.6% (30.8% to 89.1%) in patients with microsatellite instability (MSI)-high tumors (n = 11) and 36.2% (26.5% to 46.7%) in patients with microsatellite-stable tumors (n = 94). For previously treated patients, regardless of tumor MSI status, the median DOR was 21.2 months (95% CI, 7.6 months to not estimable), median PFS was 7.4 months (95% CI, 5.3 to 8.7 months), and median OS was 16.7 months (15.0 months to not estimable). Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 83/124 (66.9%) patients. CONCLUSION: Lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab showed promising antitumor activity in patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma who have experienced disease progression after prior systemic therapy, regardless of tumor MSI status. The combination therapy had a manageable toxicity profile.

Phase II evaluation of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel in platinum-sensitive patients with recurrent ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer.

PURPOSE: Patients with recurrent ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer have limited therapeutic options. There are no reports of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) in patients with recurrent platinum-sensitive disease. We report efficacy and toxicity with nab-paclitaxel in this group. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients enrolled (44 assessable patients). Main inclusion criteria were histologically or cytologically confirmed epithelial cancer of the ovary, fallopian tube, or peritoneum (any stage, grade 2 to 3 if stage I) and measurable disease according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) or elevated CA-125 (> 70 U/mL) in patients without measurable disease. Patients received nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m(2) administered intravenously for 30 minutes on day 1 of a 21-day cycle for six cycles or until disease progression. RESULTS: Median age was 65.5 years; 76% of patients had stage IIIC or IV disease, 81% had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0, and 94% had prior surgery. For assessable patients, the objective response rate (ORR) was 64% (15 complete responses [CR] and 13 partial responses [PR] among 44 assessable patients). In patients evaluated with RECIST only, the ORR was 45% (one CR and four PR of 11 patients). In patients with only elevated CA-125, ORR was 82% (seven CRs and two PRs of 11 patients). In patients meeting both RECIST and CA-125 criteria, the ORR was 64% (seven CRs and seven PRs of 22 patients). Median time to response was 1.3 months (range, 0.5 to 4.8 months). Estimated median progression-free survival was 8.5 months. The most frequent grade 3 to 4 treatment-related toxicities were neutropenia (24%) and neuropathy (9%). CONCLUSION: Nab-paclitaxel is active in this group of patients with recurrent ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer. The ORR was 64%. Toxicities were manageable. Further studies of nab-paclitaxel in combination with platinum are warranted.

Phase II study of sequential doublets: topotecan and carboplatin, followed by paclitaxel and carboplatin, in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Incorporating topotecan into standard platinum/taxane chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer has been complicated by myelosuppression. This study evaluated sequential doublets of topotecan and carboplatin, followed by paclitaxel and carboplatin, in newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer patients. METHODS: Forty-five patients (median age, 56 years; range, 38-77 years) with stage III/IV disease and GOG performance status <2 were enrolled and received four cycles of topotecan (1.0 mg/m(2)/day on days 1 to 3) and carboplatin (AUC 4 on day 1), followed by four cycles of paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2) via 3-h IV infusion on day 1) and carboplatin (AUC 5 on day 1). All cycles were 21 days. Antitumor response was assessed after four and eight cycles; patients with clinical complete response (CR) underwent second-look laparotomy for determination of pathologic CR (PCR). Dose reductions were instituted for grade 4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, and for grade 3/4 nonhematologic toxicity. RESULTS: Among 41 CA-125 evaluable patients, complete and partial responses were observed in 29 (70.7%) and 11 (26.8%) patients, respectively. Of the 12 clinical CRs (43%) in 28 evaluable patients, 10 patients underwent second-look laparotomy, with 3 PCRs (30%). Median time to progression was 14 months and actuarial survival was 23 months. Neutropenia was the primary toxicity and cause of dose adjustments and delays, including two deaths. CONCLUSION: The antitumor activity observed is comparable with other series, although neutropenic complications were increased. Progression-free and actuarial survivals were slightly inferior. A Phase III trial (GOG 182) of sequential doublets in the reverse sequence is ongoing.

Phase I study of alternating doublets of topotecan/carboplatin and paclitaxel/carboplatin in patients with newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate topotecan with carboplatin in an alternating doublet with carboplatin and paclitaxel in first-line ovarian cancer. METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed stage III/IV ovarian cancer were studied. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of topotecan (cycles 1, 3, 5, 7) in an alternating doublet regimen was determined through standard dose escalation in cohorts of three; doses of carboplatin (area under the curve [AUC] 4 to 5) and paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2), cycles 2, 4, 6, 8) were fixed. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined only for cycle 1 as febrile neutropenia, prolonged grade 4 granulocytopenia, grade 4 thrombocytopenia, > or =grade 3 nonhematologic toxicity, or failure to recover in < or =7 days. The use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to permit further dose escalation was also studied. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients received 142 cycles of topotecan/carboplatin. Hematologic DLTs included grade 4 neutropenia (59 events, 42% of cycles) and thrombocytopenia (32 events, 23% of cycles). Granulocytopenia was generally short-lived, and only 2 cases of febrile neutropenia occurred. The MTD was 1.0 mg/m(2)/day topotecan and carboplatin AUC 4, alternating with 175 mg/m(2) paclitaxel and carboplatin AUC 4. Although G-CSF effectively managed myelosuppression, thrombocytopenia developed in later cycles, limiting further topotecan dose escalation. The median progression-free survival was 20.5 months, and elevated pretreatment CA-125 levels normalized in 29 of 34 (85%) patients. CONCLUSION: The establishment of a reasonably well-tolerated alternating doublet regimen, coupled with evidence of antitumor activity, provides the basis for further investigation of topotecan in first-line therapy of ovarian cancer. Topotecan (1.0 mg/m(2) daily for 3 days) was chosen for further evaluation in a phase II study.