Novel immunotherapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancers remain the principal cause of death cancer-related worldwide with a poor survival rate at five years from diagnosis. In patients with NSCLC harboring specific genetic alterations the anti EGFR TKIs and the ALK TKIs have improved the response rate and the quality of life compared to standard platinum-based chemotherapy. New approaches possibly applicable at the major of patients are needed. Areas covered: The discovery that the immune system plays a fundamental role in the fight against cancer. The cancer cells use mechanisms able to avoid the immune control has led to the development of drugs able to overcome this escape route. The best known checkpoint pathways are the CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1; they suppress T-cell activity in different ways: CTLA-4 regulates T-cell activity at an early stage whereas PD-1 regulates later effector T-cell activity within tissue and tumors. The best characterized checkpoint inhibitors in advanced NSCLC setting are ipilimumab and tremelimumab, (anti-CTLA-4 antibodies), nivolumab and pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1 antibodies), atezolizumab and durvalumab (anti-PD-L1 antibodies). Nivolumab and pembrolizumab have received the FDA and EMA approval for the treatment of NSCLC in second-line setting. Expert commentary: The role played by tumor microenvironment may be the next area of research to overcome the resistance at the checkpoint inhibitors as well as the identification of biomarkers to better select patients. In addition checkpoint inhibitors are investigate in combination with other agent involved in immune control with promising results in solid tumors.

The role of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the first-line treatment of advanced non small cell lung cancer patients harboring EGFR mutation.

Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Among lung cancers, 80% are classified as nonsmall- cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and are mostly diagnosed at an advanced stage (either locally advanced or metastatic disease). In the last years, the discovery of the pivotal role in tumorigenesis of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) has provided a new class of targeted therapeutic agents: the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). Since the first reports of an association between somatic mutations in EGFR exons 19 and 21 and response to EGFR-TKIs, treatment of advanced NSCLC has changed dramatically. Histologic profile, clinical characteristics, and mutational profile of lung carcinoma have all been reported as predictive factors of response to EGFR-TKIs and other targeted therapies. In advanced NSCLC patients harboring EGFR mutations, the use of EGFR TKIs in first-line treatment has provided an unusually large progression-free survival (PFS) benefit with a negligible toxicity when compared with cytotoxic chemotherapy in phase III randomized trials. Considering the findings regarding the excellent benefit and better safety profile of EGFR TKIs in EGFR mutation positive patients, these targeted therapeutic agents can be now considered as first-line treatment in this setting of patients. This review will discuss the new evidences in the role of EGFR-TKIs in the first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC and their implication in the current clinical decision-making.

Targeting angiogenesis for treatment of NSCLC brain metastases.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of all new lung cancer diagnosis. The majority of people with NSCLC are unsuitable for surgery since most patients have metastatic disease at diagnosis. About 60% of brain metastases arise from lung cancer. Therapeutic approaches to brain metastases include surgery, whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), stereotactic radiosurgery, chemotherapy and new biologic agents. Angiogenesis is essential for the development and progression of cancer, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a critical mediator of tumour angiogenesis. One of the targeted approaches most widely studied in the treatment of NSCLC is the inhibition of angiogenesis. Bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody, is the first targeted agent which, when combined with chemotherapy, has shown superior efficacy versus chemotherapy alone as first-line treatment of advanced non-squamous NSCLC patients. Patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases have initially been excluded from bevacizumab trials for the risk of cerebral haemorrhage as a result of the treatment. Nevertheless, the available data suggest an equal risk of intracranial bleeding in patients with CNS metastases treated with or without bevacizumab therapy. Several other anti-angiogenetic drugs are being investigated in the treatment of advanced NSCLC patients, but results of their activity specifically in CNS metastases are still lacking. This review will focus on the potential role of bevacizumab and other anti-angiogenetic agents in the treatment of brain metastases from NSCLC.

The role of antiangiogenetic agents in the treatment of breast cancer.

Angiogenesis is known to be essential for the development and progression of cancer. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a critical mediator in tumor angiogenesis for many solid malignancies, including breast cancer. Increased levels of VEGF have been associated with poor clinical outcomes, including reduced survival. VEGF has become an attractive target for cancer therapy in view of its pivotal role in angiogenesis. The primary approaches for inhibiting angiogenesis have focused on inhibiting the activity of VEGF, either by targeting the VEGF ligand itself with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) or by interfering with the signaling events downstream of VEGF through the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Bevacizumab is a recombinant, humanized monoclonal IgG1, anti-VEGF antibody that has demonstrated significant clinical benefit in several solid tumors. Bevacizumab has been approved for use in combination with paclitaxel for the first line treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) based on the results of the randomized phase III E2100 trial in which it improves response rate and time to progress when administered with weekly paclitaxel until disease progression. Several trials to define the role of bevacizumab in different setting of disease and in combination with different chemotherapy regimens and targeted therapy in breast cancer patients are ongoing. Other small molecule inhibitors of VEGF tyrosine kinase activity (TKIs) such as sunitinib, vandetanib and sorafenib are being tested in MBC. This review will focus on bevacizumab and on the developements of the main antiangiogenic agents in the treatment of breast cancer.

Sorafenib in combination with erlotinib or with gemcitabine in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a randomized phase II study.

BACKGROUND: Sorafenib is a small-molecule multitargeted kinase inhibitor that blocks the activation of C-RAF, B-RAF, c-KIT, FLT-3, RET, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2), VEGFR-3 and platelet-derived growth factor receptor ß. The aim of this multicenter, randomized phase II study was to evaluate clinical activity and safety of sorafenib in combination with erlotinib or gemcitabine in unselected untreated elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The trial was designed to select the most promising sorafenib-containing combination in previously untreated elderly (≥70 years) stage IIIB or IV NSCLC patients, with performance status of zero to two. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the following combinations: gemcitabine, 1200 mg/m(2) days 1 and 8, every 21 days, for a maximum of six cycles, plus sorafenib, 800 mg/day, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity (arm 1); or erlotinib, 150 mg/day, plus sorafenib, 800 mg/day, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity (arm 2). A selection design was applied with 1-year survival rate as the primary end point of the study, requiring 58 patients. RESULTS: Sixty patients were randomly allocated to the study (31 patients in arm 1 and 29 patients in arm 2). After a median follow-up of 15 months, 10 patients [32%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 16% to 49%] in arm 1 and 13 patients (45%, 95% CI 27% to 63%) in arm 2 were alive at 1 year. Median overall survival was 6.6 and 12.6 months in arm 1 and arm 2, respectively. Observed toxic effects were consistent with the expected drug profiles. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of erlotinib and sorafenib was feasible in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC and was associated with a higher 1-year survival rate than the other arm. According to the selection design, this combination warrants further investigation in phase III trials.

Angiogenesis inhibitors and vascular disrupting agents in non-small cell lung cancer.

Most patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have advanced disease. Chemotherapy has apparently reached a plateau of effectiveness in improving survival in this subgroup of patients. Considerable efforts have been initiated to identify novel targets for new biological agents which may be safely and effectively administered to NSCLC patients. New blood vessel formation, known as angiogenesis, is a fundamental event in the process of tumor growth and metastatic dissemination. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors play an essential role in tumor proliferation. Approaches to limit VEGF activity include monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and small molecules inhibiting the corresponding receptor-tyrosine kinase activity. Bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF recombinant humanized mAb, is the first targeted agent which, when combined with chemotherapy, has shown superior efficacy versus chemotherapy alone as first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC. Future clinical developments of bevacizumab in NSCLC treatment include the combination with other targeted therapies in advanced disease, and the integration into the combined modality approaches for the treatment of early and locally advanced disease stages. Vandetanib, a small molecule targeting VEGF tyrosine-kinase activity, due to first indications of antitumor activity and the excellent toxicity profile seems to be a promising agent for the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Other antiangiogenic drugs, such as sorafenib, sunitinib, VEGF Trap and a new class named 'vascular disrupting agents', which includes ASA404, are being tested in ongoing clinical trials which will further define their role in the management of NSCLC. This paper reviews the state of the art and the future developments of the main antiangiogenic agents in the treatment of NSCLC patients.

Clinical significance and treatment of skin rash from erlotinib in non-small cell lung cancer patients: results of an Experts Panel Meeting.

Advances in the knowledge of tumor biology and mechanisms of oncogenesis has granted the singling out of several molecular targets for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. Among these targets, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), or HER1, has received particular attention in lung cancer treatment. Erlotinib, an orally available inhibitor of EGFR tyrosine kinase in a phase III randomized placebo-controlled trial (BR.21), has been proven to prolong survival in NSCLC patients after first or second line chemotherapy. Skin rash is the most common adverse event associated with erlotinib treatment and it is often cause of negative impact on patients' quality of life. There is no specific treatment for this toxicity due to the lack of evidence-based data and recommendations. A panel of Italian oncologists, who had participated to clinical trials and to the Expanded Access Program for erlotinib in NSCLC treatment, and dermatologists with experience with cutaneous toxicity from EGFR inhibitors, attended a Meeting held in Rome on December 2006 to discuss skin rash from erlotinib and to provide suggestions for managing this frequent side-effect.

New antiangiogenetic agents and non-small cell lung cancer.

New blood vessel formation, known as angiogenesis is a fundamental event in the process of tumor growth and metastatic dissemination. Due to its central role in tumor angiogenesis, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor have been a major focus of basic research and drug development in the field of oncology, including the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Approaches targeting VEGF include monoclonal antibodies and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs). Bevacizumab (Avastin) is an anti-VEGF recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody. A very recent randomized phase III trial demonstrated a statistically significant advantage in median survival favouring the combination of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in the treatment of advanced non-squamous NSCLC. This study represents the first evidence of superior efficacy of targeted therapy combined with chemotherapy over chemotherapy alone in the treatment of NSCLC. ZD6474 is an orally bioavailable inhibitor of VEGFR-2 tyrosine kinase. First evidences of antitumor activity and its excellent toxicity profile make it a promising targeted agent for the treatment of NSCLC. A recent phase I/II study examined the combination of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)-TKI erlotinib and bevacizumab in patients with non-squamous stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. Data on antitumor activity of this combination have to be considered very promising. Clinical trials of multiple targeted therapy may represent the second generation studies in the treatment of NSCLC.

Chemotherapy of advanced NSCLC in special patient population.

The elderly and patients with Performance Status (PS) of 2, constitute the so-called special patient population. The tolerability of chemotherapy in this population is globally worse, and treatment approaches should be different. Platinum-based combination chemotherapy is currently recommended as the standard treatment for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its role in special patient population is controversial. The best treatment for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC is still debated. In the first randomized study dedicated to elderly NSCLC patients, single-agent vinorelbine showed superiority over supportive care alone, both in terms of survival and quality of life. In a large randomized trial, gemcitabine plus vinorelbine failed to show any advantage over either agent alone. Subset analyses suggest that the efficacy of platinum-based combination chemotherapy is similar in fit older and younger patients, with an acceptable increase in toxicity for elderly patients. However, the role of platin-based chemotherapy needs to be defined in prospective randomised trials. With the current evidence, single-agent chemotherapy with a third-generation drug (vinorelbine, gemcitabine, taxanes) should be the recommended option for non-selected elderly patients with advanced NSCLC. Also for PS2 patients there is no consensus on standard treatment. On the basis of current evidence, chemotherapy treatment appears justified for patients with advanced NSCLC and PS2. Single-agent chemotherapy (gemcitabine, vinorelbine, taxanes) could be the preferred option, although carboplatin-based or low-dose cisplatin-based doublets may represent alternative options. Stronger evidence is expected from new clinical research specifically focused on PS2 patients. High priority should be given to the evaluation of tolerability and efficacy of platinum-based combinations and role of new targeted therapies.

Treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

In the last decade the treatment of advanced-metastatic non-small cell lung cancer has substantially improved. If in the early 90s there was still concern about the real efficacy of chemotherapy over best suppotive care alone in the advanced setting, constant developments in clinical research have demonstrated the survival advantage of active anti-cancer drugs not only in the first-line setting, but, lately, even in patients with recurrent disease after failure of two previous chemotherapy lines. With the premises of high throughput technologies, translational research is aiming to characterize patients and tumors on a molecular basis. With pharmacogenomics it would then be possible to accurately predict patient outcome and tailor the treatment strategy according to the geno-phenotype of single patients.

Italian clinical research in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in both men and women worldwide and has a poor prognosis. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents approximately 80% of all lung cancers. Surgery is the only curative treatment of NSCLC but only 15-20% of tumours can be radically resected with a survival of about 40% at 5 years. Considering these disappointing results NSCLC is one of the most frequent subjects of clinical research worldwide. Italy is playing an important role in the clinical research of NSCLC performing phase I, II and III trials, prevalently by cooperative groups, and achieving important results that contributed to define the standard treatment for NSCLC patients. In particular, Italy is leader in the clinical research of the treatment of advanced NSCLC elderly patients. Today, large controlled clinical trials are ongoing. In this paper we analyse and discuss the main trials performed by Italian groups in the fields of NSCLC.

Treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may be considered typical of advanced age. Most cases of NSCLC are diagnosed in the advanced or locally advanced stage. It has been shown that combined chemo-radiotherapy is more efficient than either chemotherapy alone or radiation alone, for the therapeutic management of localized unresectable NSCLC. However, chemo-radiotherapy, even if given with sequential approach, in clinical practice can be contraindicated in elderly patients. In fact, this patient population often present at diagnosis with cardiovascular and/or pulmonary comorbidities that increase the risk of severe side effects from chemo-radiotherapy. The present review aims at focusing the currently available evidences on the treatment of elderly patients affected by locally advanced NSCLC and at giving future perspectives on this topic. RECENT FINDINGS: Very few specific prospective data are available on the treatment of locally advanced NSCLC in the elderly. Some phase II studies suggest that low-dose chemotherapy given concurrently with radiotherapy could be safely administered to this patient population. Retrospective analyses on full-dose sequential and concurrent chemo-radiation are to be considered globally ambiguous and at risk of selection bias. SUMMARY: Only specifically designed prospective studies will elucidate the real role and feasibility of combined chemo-radiotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced NSCLC in the elderly. Future perspectives on this topic include the evaluation of alternative schedules of chemo-radiotherapy, innovative radiation techniques more suitable to elderly patients, and the introduction of new, well-tolerated, molecularly targeted agents combined with standard treatments.

Chemotherapy of breast cancer in the elderly.

Breast cancer arises in about 48% of patients older than 65 years and more than 30% occurs in those over 70 years being the leading cause of cancer-related death in women older than 65. Elderly patients tolerate chemotherapy poorly compared to their younger counterpart because of progressive reduction of organ function and comorbidities related to age. For this reason, the elderly have been excluded from or underrepresented in most cancer studies and, in clinical practice, they often receive inadequate and untested treatments. For adjuvant chemotherapy, a low percentage of patients over 70 years of age were included in few trials and always in a proportion much lower than the prevalence of cancer in that age group. Adjuvant chemotherapy, preferably including an anthracycline especially in patients with HER-2/neu-positive tumours, seems to be beneficial in older women who have substantial risk of dying of breast cancer. To date even if there is no specifically randomised study, single-agent chemotherapy probably might be considered a reasonable treatment for advanced breast cancer in the elderly. One of the actual main field of clinical research in the treatment of breast cancer is the role of targeted therapies. Chronologic age is a risk factor for toxicities such as myelosuppression and mucositis, and older patients may require more supportive care. In order to plan medical treatment in breast cancer elderly patients is mandatory to practice a comprehensive geriatric assessment that includes evaluation of comorbidities, functional dependence, socio-economic, emotional and cognitive conditions, an estimate of life expectancy and recognition of frailty. The authors review the literature regarding age-specific chemotherapeutic issues in the management of breast cancer elderly patients.

A randomised clinical trial of two docetaxel regimens (weekly vs 3 week) in the second-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. The DISTAL 01 study.

Docetaxel (75 mg m(-2) 3-weekly) is standard second-line treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with significant toxicity. To verify whether a weekly schedule (33.3 mg m(-2) for 6 weeks) improved quality of life (QoL), a phase III study was performed with 220 advanced NSCLC patients, < or =75 years, ECOG PS < or =2. QoL was assessed by EORTC questionnaires and the Daily Diary Card (DDC). No difference was found in global QoL scores at 3 weeks. Pain, cough and hair loss significantly favoured the weekly schedule, while diarrhoea was worse. DDC analysis showed that loss of appetite and overall condition were significantly worse in the 3-week arm in the first week, while nausea and loss of appetite were more severe in the weekly arm in the third week. Response rate and survival were similar, hazard ratio of death in the weekly arm being 1.04 (95% CI 0.77-1.39). A 3-weekly docetaxel was more toxic for leukopenia, neutropenia, febrile neutropenia and hair loss; any grade 3-4 haematologic toxicity was significantly more frequent in the standard arm (25 vs 6%). The weekly schedule could be preferred for patients candidate to receive docetaxel as second-line treatment for advanced NSCLC, because of some QoL advantages, lower toxicity and no evidence of strikingly different effect on survival.

The role of new targeted therapies in small-cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading world-wide cause of cancer death. Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 20-25% of lung carcinomas. Chemotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment of SCLC. In limited disease, median survival is about 12-16 months with 4-5% of long-term survivors, in extensive disease median survival is 7-11 months. Improving the survival rate of patients with SCLC requires a better understanding of tumour biology and the subsequent development of novel therapeutic strategies. Several targeted agents have been introduced into clinical trials in SCLC and some phase III studies have already produced definitive results. Currently, the minority of these new agents offers a promise of improved outcomes, and negative results are more commonly reported than positive ones. To date, no targeted therapy has been approved for use in the treatment of patients with SCLC. This review will focus on the main novel biologic agents investigated in the treatment of SCLC.

Gefitinib in elderly and unfit patients affected by advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Elderly and poor performance status advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients often tolerate chemotherapy poorly. Special approaches are needed for these patient populations. Gefitinib (Iressa) was used in 59 elderly and/or unfit NSCLC pretreated patients participating in a compassionate use programme showing some activity and good tolerability.

Targeted therapies: focus on a new strategy for gastrointestinal tumors.

In the last few years the knowledge of molecular oncology has led to the development of many new biological agents whose targets are extracellular or intracellular molecules involved in the main signalling pathways that play major roles in cancer development. These agents represent a new approach to gastrointestinal malignancies, as for many other types of tumors; preliminary data show that targeted therapy may enhance activity of chemotherapeutic agents (i.e. cetuximab in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC)) or be active as monotherapy (i.e. imatinib in gastro-intestinal stromal tumors). Despite the encouraging preclinical results, the majority of these compounds have not yet produced convincing clinical results. However, these new agents raise a new challenge in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, especially for CRC.

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.

Selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in most developed nations. The most common type of lung cancer is of non-small cell histology, representing approximately 80% of the total. Despite aggressive treatments in early stages and improvement of polychemotherapy outcomes in advanced disease, the five years survival rate for lung cancer remains under 15%. Fortunately, our improved knowledge of tumor biology and mechanisms of oncogenesis suggests several new potential targets for clinical research in cancer therapy. A substantial body of evidence indicates that cyclooxigenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandins (PGs) play an important role in tumorigenesis. Mechanisms involved in COX-2 participation in tumorigenesis and tumor growth include xenobiotic metabolism, angiogenesis stimulation, inhibition of immune surveillance and inhibition of apoptosis. COX-2 is frequently overexpressed in bronchial premalignancy, lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma and COX-2 overexpression is a marker of poor prognosis in surgically resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer. Treatment with COX-2 inhibitors reduces the growth of NSCLC cells in vitro and in xenograft studies. Recent studies have defined some of the mechanisms involved in COX-2 participation in NSCLC development and diffusion. These evidences support the hypothesis that selective COX-2 inhibitors (coxibs) may prove beneficial in the prevention and treatment of NSCLC.