Comparative efficacy of cemiplimab versus other systemic treatments for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Aim: To estimate the comparative efficacy of cemiplimab, a programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor, versus EGFR inhibitors, pembrolizumab and platinum-based chemotherapy in terms of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival. Patients & methods: We performed an indirect treatment comparison of cemiplimab and other available systemic therapies for patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Results: Cemiplimab was associated with benefits in OS (hazard ratios range: 0.07-0.52) and progression-free survival (hazard ratios range: 0.30-0.67) versus EGFR inhibitors and pembrolizumab (data from KEYNOTE-629). Cemiplimab was more efficacious versus platinum-based chemotherapy in terms of OS. Conclusion: Cemiplimab may offer improvements in survival for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma patients compared with existing systemic therapies.

CASE (CemiplimAb-rwlc Survivorship and Epidemiology) study in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

In 2018, cemiplimab-rwlc became the first systemic treatment approved by the US FDA for patients with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) or locally advanced CSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation. In 2019, conditional approvals were granted by Health Canada and the European Commission for the same indications. Limited data exist pertaining to the clinical characteristics, disease progression and survivorship of patients with advanced CSCC in real-world clinical practice. CemiplimAb-rwlc Survivorship and Epidemiology (CASE) is a prospective Phase IV, noninterventional, survivorship and epidemiology study that will enroll patients with advanced CSCC who have recently initiated or who plan to receive cemiplimab in a real-world setting. Trial registration number: NCT03836105.

A real-world study evaluating adeQUacy of Existing Systemic Treatments for patients with moderate-to-severe Atopic Dermatitis (QUEST-AD): Baseline treatment patterns and unmet needs assessment.

BACKGROUND: Systemic therapies are commonly used for patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) and impaired quality of life (QoL). However, real-world treatment patterns and unmet needs of adults with moderate-to-severe AD receiving systemic therapies are poorly quantified. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate unmet needs in patients with moderate-to-severe AD treated with systemic therapies. METHODS: Adults with AD diagnosis in past 5 years and a prescription for systemic treatment or phototherapy in past 6 months were identified from the Optum Research Database. Patients completed a survey about symptoms, treatment, and QoL. Chi-squared and t tests analyzed bivariable comparisons of demographics and outcomes. Spearman's rank-order correlation analyses examined the relationship between frequency of flares and outcomes. RESULTS: Eight hundred and one participants were included (mean age, 45.2 years; 71.8% female). In the 12 months before baseline survey, 38.3% reported no remission from AD. In the month before baseline survey, 63.6% used topical corticosteroids, and 81.3% of patients experienced 1 or more flares. Patients experiencing flares reported worse Patient-Orientated Eczema Measure (POEM), Peak Pruritus Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Dermatology Life Quality Index scores (DLQI), lower treatment satisfaction, and greater work productivity loss than patients without flares (all P < .001). Patients with severe atopic dermatitis reported worse POEM, Peak Pruritus NRS, and DLQI, lower treatment satisfaction, and greater work productivity loss than patients with moderate AD (all P < .001). CONCLUSION: Despite receiving systemic therapies, adults with moderate-to-severe AD reported disease symptoms, recurrent flares, and impaired QoL, suggesting unmet therapeutic needs.

UGT1A7 and UGT1A9 polymorphisms predict response and toxicity in colorectal cancer patients treated with capecitabine/irinotecan.

PURPOSE: Capecitabine and irinotecan are commonly used in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). We hypothesized that germline polymorphisms within genes related to drug target (thymidylate synthase) or metabolizing enzymes (UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, UGT) would impact response and toxicity to the combination of capecitabine plus irinotecan (CPT-11). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Sixty-seven patients with measurable CRC were treated with irinotecan i.v. (100 or 125 mg/m(2)) on days 1 and 8 and capecitabine orally (900 or 1,000 mg/m(2), twice daily) on days 2 through 15 of each 3-week cycle. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and genotyped using Pyrosequencing, GeneScan, and direct sequencing (Big Dye terminator) technologies. RESULTS: The overall objective response rate was 45% with 21 patients (31%) exhibiting grade 3 or 4 diarrhea and 3 patients (4.5%) demonstrating grade 3 or 4 neutropenia in the first two cycles. Low enzyme activity UGT1A7 genotypes, UGT1A7*2/*2 (six patients) and UGT1A7*3/*3 (seven patients), were significantly associated with antitumor response (p = 0.013) and lack of severe gastrointestinal toxicity (p = 0.003). In addition, the UGT1A9 -118 (dT)(9/9) genotype was significantly associated with reduced toxicity (p = 0.002) and increased response (p = 0.047). There were no statistically significant associations between UGT1A1, UGT1A6, or thymidylate synthase genotypes and toxicity or tumor response. CONCLUSIONS: These data strongly suggest that UGT1A7 and/or UGT1A9 genotypes may be predictors of response and toxicity in CRC patients treated with capecitabine plus irinotecan. Specifically, patients with genotypes conferring low UGT1A7 activity and/or the UGT1A9 (dT)(9/9) genotype may be particularly likely to exhibit greater antitumor response with little toxicity.

Aflibercept Plus FOLFIRI vs. Placebo Plus FOLFIRI in Second-Line Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: a Post Hoc Analysis of Survival from the Phase III VELOUR Study Subsequent to Exclusion of Patients who had Recurrence During or Within 6 Months of Completing Adjuvant Oxaliplatin-Based Therapy.

The aim of this post hoc analysis of the VELOUR study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00561470) was to investigate the treatment effect of adding aflibercept to second-line infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who had failed any prior oxaliplatin-containing regimen. Adjuvant rapid relapsers (ARR), who were enrolled directly following relapse during or within 6 months of completion of oxaliplatin-containing adjuvant chemotherapy (N = 124, including 17 patients who also received bevacizumab as part of their adjuvant therapy), were excluded from the original VELOUR intention-to-treat (ITT) population (N = 1226). After exclusion of the ARR, overall survival (OS) in the ITT minus ARR (ITT-ARR) population (N = 1102) was longer in the aflibercept plus FOLFIRI arm than in the placebo plus FOLFIRI arm [hazard ratio (HR) 0.78, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.68-0.90; median survival difference 1.87 months]. In the subgroup of patients assigned to the prior bevacizumab stratum at randomization, OS was numerically longer in the aflibercept plus FOLFIRI arm than in the placebo plus FOLFIRI arm (HR 0.81; 95 % CI 0.63-1.04; median survival difference 2.14 months). Comparison of the post hoc analysis results with the primary analysis from VELOUR suggests that the inclusion of the directly enrolled ARR may have understated the aflibercept treatment benefit for both bevacizumab-pretreated and bevacizumab-naïve patients in the strictly second-line setting although no definitive conclusion may be inferred. The benefit associated with the addition of aflibercept to second-line FOLFIRI in patients with mCRC was observed whatever the timing of first-line disease progression. There were no unexpected safety concerns.

Thymidine phosphorylase expression is associated with response to capecitabine plus irinotecan in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical activity and toxicity of capecitabine plus irinotecan as first-line therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), and to describe the association of expression of thymidine phosphorylase (TP), thymidylate synthase (TS), and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) with antitumor activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with previously untreated mCRC received irinotecan days 1 and 8 intravenously, and capecitabine days 2 to 15 orally in 21-day cycles. Doses were irinotecan 125 mg/m2 and capecitabine 1,000 mg/m2 bid (n = 15; cohort 1), or irinotecan 100 mg/m2 and capecitabine 900 mg/m2 bid (n = 52; cohort 2). Tissues from primary and metastatic sites were assessed for TP, TS, and DPD gene and protein expression. RESULTS: An unacceptable level of GI toxicity in the first 15 patients led to a protocol modification in starting doses. The response rate was 45% (30 of 67 patients). Overall survival was associated with TP expression assessed by immunohistochemistry in both primary tumors (P = .045) and metastases (P = .001). Objective tumor response was associated with TP expression in primary tumors (odds ratio, 4.77; 95% CI, 1.25 to 18.18), with a similar trend in metastases (odds ratio, 8.67; 95% CI, 0.95 to 79.1). TP gene expression in primary tumors was also associated with response. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that capecitabine plus irinotecan is an active regimen against mCRC. The biomarker analysis (including metastatic tissue) was feasible in a multicenter setting, and provides preliminary evidence that TP expression may be a predictive marker for response.