Favorable outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with fludarabine-bendamustine conditioning and posttransplantation cyclophosphamide in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

INTRODUCTION: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a potentially curative treatment for patients with relapsed and refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma (rrHL). However, the optimal conditioning regimen and GVHD prophylaxis for rrHL remain undetermined. The aim of this study was to investigate outcomes of allo-HSCT with a fludarabine plus bendamustine (FluBe) conditioning regimen and GVHD prophylaxis with posttransplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCY) in patients with rrHL. METHODS: Allo-HSCT results in 58 adult patients with rrHL were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Three-year overall survival and event-free survival were 81% (95% CI 65-91) and 55% (95% CI 38-72), respectively. The cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) at 3 years was 33% (95% CI 13-51). The cumulative incidence of aGVHD grade II-IV and severe aGVHD grade III-IV was 36% (95% CI 22-48) and 22% (95% CI 9-33), respectively. The cumulative incidence of cGVHD was 32% (95% CI 17-45), including moderate or severe cGVHD in 17% (95% CI 4-28). Patients who developed aGVHD after allo-HSCT had significantly lower CIR (24% vs 49%, p = 0.004). The use of PBSC as a graft source also significantly reduced CIR (4% vs 61%, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: FluBe-PTCY allo-HSCT facilitates favorable outcomes, low toxicity, and mortality in rrHL.

A Phase 2 Study of Nivolumab Using a Fixed Dose of 40 mg (Nivo40) in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma.

The introduction of nivolumab has changed the landscape of relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (r/r cHL) treatment. Despite its clinical importance, this therapy may remain inaccessible for a significant number of patients worldwide, especially in low-income countries, due to its high cost. The results of pharmacokinetic analysis and clinical observations suggest the potential efficacy of low dose nivolumab in r/r cHL patients. The aim of this trial was to assess the efficacy and safety of nivolumab at a fixed dose of 40 mg in patients with r/r cHL. The study included 30 patients with r/r cHL, treated with 40 mg nivolumab every 2 weeks. The median dose of nivolumab per kilogram bodyweight was 0.59 mg/kg (0.4-1 mg/kg). Median follow up was 19.2 months (range 12.7-25.4). The objective response rate was 70%, with 13 (43.3%) patients achieving a complete response. Median PFS was 18.4 months (95% CI, 11.3 to 18.5 months) with 18-month PFS of 53.6% (95% CI, 32%-71%). At the time of analysis, 96.7% of patients were alive with a median OS not reached. Severe (grade 3-5) adverse events were observed in 4 patients (13.3%). Nivolumab in a fixed dose of 40 mg was efficient in patients with r/r cHL, independent from dose per kg bodyweight. The results of this study are in good agreement with previously reported data and create a rationale for further studies aimed to define the optimal dosing regimen of nivolumab for the treatment of r/r cHL. Registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03343665).

Efficacy and safety of erlotinib versus chemotherapy in second-line treatment of patients with advanced, non-small-cell lung cancer with poor prognosis (TITAN): a randomised multicentre, open-label, phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: Erlotinib, docetaxel, and pemetrexed are approved for the second-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but no head-to-head data from large clinical trials are available. We undertook the Tarceva In Treatment of Advanced NSCLC (TITAN) study to assess the efficacy and tolerability of second-line erlotinib versus chemotherapy in patients with refractory NSCLC. METHODS: TITAN was an international, randomised multicentre, open-label, phase 3 study that was done at 77 sites in 24 countries. Chemotherapy-naive patients with locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic NSCLC received up to four cycles of first-line platinum doublet chemotherapy, after which patients with disease progression during or immediately after chemotherapy were offered enrolment into TITAN. Enrolled patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by a minimisation method to ensure balanced stratification, to receive erlotinib 150 mg/day or chemotherapy (standard docetaxel or pemetrexed regimens, at the treating investigators' discretion), until unacceptable toxicity, disease progression, or death. Patients were stratified by disease stage, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, smoking history, and region of residence. The primary endpoint was overall survival in the intention-to-treat population. TITAN was halted prematurely because of slow recruitment. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00556322. FINDINGS: Between April 10, 2006, and Feb 24, 2010, 2590 chemotherapy-naive patients were treated with first-line platinum doublet chemotherapy, of whom 424 had disease progression and were enrolled into TITAN. 203 patients were randomly assigned to receive erlotinib and 221 were assigned to receive chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 27·9 months (IQR 11·0-36·0) in the erlotinib group and 24·8 months (12·1-41·6) in the chemotherapy group. Median overall survival was 5·3 months (95% CI 4·0-6·0) with erlotinib and 5·5 months (4·4-7·1) with chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0·96, 95% CI 0·78-1·19; log-rank p=0·73). The adverse-event profile of each group was in line with previous studies. Rash (98/196 [50%] in the erlotinib group vs 10/213 [5%] in the chemotherapy group for all grades; nine [5%] vs none for grade 3 or 4) and diarrhoea (36 [18%] vs four [2%] for all grades; five [3%] vs none for grade 3 or 4) were the most common treatment-related adverse events with erlotinib, whereas alopecia (none vs 23 [11%] for all grades; none vs one [<1%] for grade 3/4) was the most common treatment-related adverse event with chemotherapy. INTERPRETATION: No significant differences in efficacy were noted between patients treated with erlotinib and those treated with docetaxel or pemetrexed. Since the toxicity profiles of erlotinib and chemotherapy differ, second-line treatment decisions should take into account patient preference and specific toxicity risk profiles. FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche.

Erlotinib as maintenance treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: First-line chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is usually limited to four to six cycles. Maintenance therapy can delay progression and prolong survival. The oral epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine-kinase inhibitor erlotinib has proven efficacy and tolerability in second-line NSCLC. We designed the phase 3, placebo-controlled Sequential Tarceva in Unresectable NSCLC (SATURN; BO18192) study to assess use of erlotinib as maintenance therapy in patients with non-progressive disease following first-line platinum-doublet chemotherapy. METHODS: Between December, 2005, and May, 2008, 1949 patients were included in the run-in phase (four cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy). At the end of the run-in phase, 889 patients who did not have progressive disease were entered into the main study, and were randomly allocated using a 1:1 adaptive randomisation method through a third-party interactive voice response system to receive erlotinib (150 mg/day; n=438) or placebo (n=451) until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients were stratified by EGFR immunohistochemistry status, stage, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, chemotherapy regimen, smoking history, and region. Co-primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) in all analysable patients irrespective of EGFR status, and PFS in patients whose tumours had EGFR protein overexpression, as determined by immunohistochemistry. This study is registered with www.ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00556712. FINDINGS: 884 patients were analysable for PFS; 437 in the erlotinib group and 447 in the placebo group. After a median follow-up of 11.4 months for the erlotinib group and 11.5 months for the placebo group, median PFS was significantly longer with erlotinib than with placebo: 12.3 weeks for patients in the erlotinib group versus 11.1 weeks for those in the placebo group (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.62-0.82; p<0.0001). PFS was also significantly longer in patients with EGFR-positive immunohistochemistry who were treated with erlotinib (n=307) compared with EGFR-positive patients given placebo (n=311; median PFS 12.3 weeks in the erlotinib group vs 11.1 weeks in the placebo group; HR 0.69, 0.58-0.82; p<0.0001). The most common grade 3 or higher adverse events were rash (37 [9%] of 443 patients in the erlotinib group vs none of 445 in the placebo group) and diarrhoea (seven [2%] of 443 patients vs none of 445). Serious adverse events were reported in 47 patients (11%) on erlotinib compared with 34 patients (8%) on placebo. The most common serious adverse event was pneumonia (seven cases [2%] with erlotinib and four [<1%] with placebo). INTERPRETATION: Maintenance therapy with erlotinib for patients with NSCLC is well tolerated and significantly prolongs PFS compared with placebo. First-line maintenance with erlotinib could be considered in patients who do not progress after four cycles of chemotherapy. FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.