ENGOT-OV44/FIRST study: A randomized, double-blind, adaptive, phase III study of platinum-based therapy with dostarlimab (TSR-042) + niraparib versus standard-of-care (SOC) platinum-based therapy as first-line treatment of stage 3/4 non-mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer (OC)

TPS5600

Background: Despite surgery and SOC therapy (paclitaxel and carboplatin ± bevacizumab[bev]), 5-year survival rates remain low for patients (pts) with FIGO stage 3/4 OC. Niraparib (ZEJULA) is the first selective poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) approved in the US and Europe for maintenance treatment in pts with recurrent OC regardless of BRCAmut status. Preclinical data suggest synergy with PARPi + anti-PD-1 blockade. Niraparib + pembrolizumab has shown clinical efficacy in pts with platinum-resistant or secondary refractory OC regardless of biomarker status. Dostarlimab is an anti–PD-1 humanized monoclonal with clinical activity as monotherapy in early phase trials. The primary objective of the currently enrolling FIRST trial is to compare PFS (per RECIST v1.1) in pts treated with SOC + dostarlimab + niraparib to SOC. Methods: Eligible pts (up to 912) are FIGO stage 3 (with residual disease, CC0 high risk, or planned neoadjuvant therapy) or stage 4, non-mucinous epithelial OC and ECOG score < 2. After 1 cycle of SOC, pts are stratified by concurrent bev use, BRCAmut/HRR status, and disease burden then randomized as 1:1:2 to 1 of 3 arms (Table). An innovative feature of ENGOT-OV44/FIRST (NCT03602859; EUDRACT 2018-000413-20) is the pre-planned adaptive study design to adapt the control arm to the evolving SOCs in OC, allowing pts in the control arm to receive up to date SOC. These adaptations will occur when practice-changing data are released. Following publication of SOLO1 results, BRCAmut pts will only be randomized to arm 2 or 3 to ensure they receive niraparib. Further adaptations may be incorporated as new data become available, leading to stop randomization in arm 1 or 2 of pts based on their biomarker status. Clinical trial information: NCT03602859. [Table: see text]

Multi-institutional european single-arm phase II trial of pazopanib in advanced typical solitary fibrous tumors (SFT): A collaborative Spanish (GEIS), Italian (ISG), and French (FSG) sarcoma groups study

11038

Background: SFT is a ubiquitous uncommon soft tissue sarcoma with a pronounced hemangiopericytoma-like vascular pattern, exhibiting rich VEGF (tumor and endothelial cells) and VEGFR1/2 (endothelial cells) expression. Pathologists distinguish typical SFT (T-SFT) and malignant SFT (M-SFT) based on mitosis (≤4 vs > 4), pleomorphism or necrosis. Yet, not clear boundaries are always seen between both subtypes. We have recently published a phase II trial exploring the activity of pazopanib (P) in M-SFT (Lancet Oncol Dec 2018). Here, we present the outcome of the T-SFT cohort of the same trial. Methods: Most relevant inclusion criteria were: unresectable or metastatic, T-SFT (tumor tissue from diagnostic time) confirmed by central pathology review before accrual, with evidence of STAT6 overexpression (IHC and FISH and/or NGS), ≥18 years, ECOG 0-2, progressive, measurable disease and no previous antiangiogenic agents. Main endpoint was response rate according to Choi criteria. Central radiological assessment was mandatory. P was administered at 800 mg/d continuously till progression or toxicity. Results: From June 2014 to December 2018, 34 patients were enrolled in this cohort. The median age was 64 y (31-81). At baseline, ECOG 0/1/2 was distributed as 16/15/3; whereas, locally advanced/metastatic distribution was 11 (32%) and 23 (68%) respectively. At the time of the present analysis, 24 patients were deemed eligible and evaluable for response. Response rates according to local and central assessment were PR 6 (25%), SD 15 (62%), PD 3 (12%) and PR 12 (50%), SD 11 (46%), PD 1 (4%). With a median follow-up of 21 months, the median PFS following local and central assessment were 18.4 (6.6-30.1) and 9.8 (7.5-12.2) months respectively, both were clearly superior to that previously published in M-SFT cohort (5.57 m). The median of OS was 49.8 months. High tumor burden at baseline > 116 mm, ECOG 1-2 vs 0, and PD by local or central response assessment showed significantly worse OS. Metastatic vs locally advanced patients had a similar outcome regarding OS. Conclusions: T-SFT cohort exhibited clearly longer PFS than previous reported M-SFT cohort to pazopanib treatment, and pazopanib showed to improve the historical outcome obtained with chemotherapy in advanced SFT. Clinical trial information: NCT02066285.

AGO-OVAR 2.29 (ENGOT-ov34): Atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab and chemotherapy versus bevacizumab and chemotherapy in recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC)

TPS5601

Background: A standard non-platinum based treatment option in patients with relapsed ovarian cancer is bevacizumab in combination with paclitaxel or pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, but responses are still short-lived. Checkpoint-inhibitors as single agent have limited activity in ovarian cancer. However, the role of the checkpoint-inhibitor like atezolizumab, in addition to chemotherapy and bevacizumab in ovarian cancer is so far undefined. Methods: AGO-OVAR 2.29 is a randomized (1:1), double blinded, phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and chemotherapy (weekly paclitaxel or pegylated liposomal doxorubicin) compared with placebo plus bevacizumab and chemotherapy in patients with recurrent ovarian-, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer with 1st or 2nd relapse within 6 months after platinum-based chemotherapy or 3rd relapse. A tumor biopsy available at study entry for PD-L1 testing is mandatory. Patients are treated with chemotherapy plus bevacizumab +/- atezolizumab/placebo until progression or prohibitive toxicity. Co-primary endpoints are overall survival and progression-free survival. It is planned to randomize 664 patients. A safety interim analysis will be done when 24 patients have been randomized and completed at least cycle 1. As of 1st February 2019, 24 patients have been randomized. Clinical trial information: NCT03353831.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from KATHERINE: A phase III study of adjuvant trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) versus trastuzumab (H) in patients (pts) with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer

513

Background: The phase 3 KATHERINE (NCT01772472) study, met its primary endpoint by demonstrating significantly improved invasive disease-free survival with adjuvant T-DM1 compared to H in pts with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus HER2-targeted therapy. PROs are reported here. Methods: Eligible pts had HER2-positive early breast cancer, received taxane- and H-containing neoadjuvant therapy (with/without anthracyclines) followed by surgery, and had residual invasive disease in the breast and/or axillary nodes. Pts were randomized to 14 cycles of adjuvant T-DM1 (3.6 mg/kg IV q3w) or H (6 mg/kg IV q3w) and adjuvant endocrine and radiation therapy per standard of care. The EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire–Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and QLQ–Breast Cancer (QLQ-BR23) were completed at screening, at day 1 of cycles 5 and 11, within 30 days after study drug completion, and at 6 and 12 months’ follow-up. Results: Of 1,486 pts randomized (T-DM1, n = 743; H, n = 743), 612 (82%) and 640 (86%), respectively, had valid baseline and ≥1 post-baseline PRO assessments. During the study, pts in both arms had similar mean scores on the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 function and symptom scales. There was no clinically meaningful change (≥10 points) from baseline in the mean scores in either arm, including on symptoms similar to AEs seen with T-DM1 (eg, fatigue). While more pts in the T-DM1 arm reported clinically meaningful deterioration in role functioning (49% vs 41%), appetite loss (38% vs 28%), constipation (47% vs 38%), fatigue (66% vs 61%), nausea/vomiting (39% vs. 30%), and systemic therapy side effects (49% vs 36%) at ≥1 assessment, the proportion reporting clinically meaningful change in functioning was similar between arms at any given assessment. Conclusions: Mean scores showed only small deterioration from baseline in patient-reported treatment-related symptoms in both study arms. While more pts in the T-DM1 arm reported deterioration at some point in several symptoms, baseline global health status and functioning were generally maintained in both arms over the treatment course. Clinical trial information: NCT01772472.

Trastuzumab Emtansine for Residual Invasive HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients who have residual invasive breast cancer after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapy have a worse prognosis than those who have no residual cancer. Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), an antibody-drug conjugate of trastuzumab and the cytotoxic agent emtansine (DM1), a maytansine derivative and microtubule inhibitor, provides benefit in patients with metastatic breast cancer that was previously treated with chemotherapy plus HER2-targeted therapy.

METHODS

We conducted a phase 3, open-label trial involving patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer who were found to have residual invasive disease in the breast or axilla at surgery after receiving neoadjuvant therapy containing a taxane (with or without anthracycline) and trastuzumab. Patients were randomly assigned to receive adjuvant T-DM1 or trastuzumab for 14 cycles. The primary end point was invasive disease-free survival (defined as freedom from ipsilateral invasive breast tumor recurrence, ipsilateral locoregional invasive breast cancer recurrence, contralateral invasive breast cancer, distant recurrence, or death from any cause).

RESULTS

At the interim analysis, among 1486 randomly assigned patients (743 in the T-DM1 group and 743 in the trastuzumab group), invasive disease or death had occurred in 91 patients in the T-DM1 group (12.2%) and 165 patients in the trastuzumab group (22.2%). The estimated percentage of patients who were free of invasive disease at 3 years was 88.3% in the T-DM1 group and 77.0% in the trastuzumab group. Invasive disease-free survival was significantly higher in the T-DM1 group than in the trastuzumab group (hazard ratio for invasive disease or death, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.39 to 0.64; P<0.001). Distant recurrence as the first invasive-disease event occurred in 10.5% of patients in the T-DM1 group and 15.9% of those in the trastuzumab group. The safety data were consistent with the known safety profile of T-DM1, with more adverse events associated with T-DM1 than with trastuzumab alone.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer who had residual invasive disease after completion of neoadjuvant therapy, the risk of recurrence of invasive breast cancer or death was 50% lower with adjuvant T-DM1 than with trastuzumab alone. (Funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche/Genentech; KATHERINE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01772472 .).

Pazopanib for treatment of advanced malignant and dedifferentiated solitary fibrous tumour: a multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial

BACKGROUND

A solitary fibrous tumour is a rare soft-tissue tumour with three clinicopathological variants: typical, malignant, and dedifferentiated. Preclinical experiments and retrospective studies have shown different sensitivities of solitary fibrous tumour to chemotherapy and antiangiogenics. We therefore designed a trial to assess the activity of pazopanib in a cohort of patients with malignant or dedifferentiated solitary fibrous tumour. The clinical and translational results are presented here.

METHODS

In this single-arm, phase 2 trial, adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with histologically confirmed metastatic or unresectable malignant or dedifferentiated solitary fibrous tumour at any location, who had progressed (by RECIST and Choi criteria) in the previous 6 months and had an ECOG performance status of 0-2, were enrolled at 16 third-level hospitals with expertise in sarcoma care in Spain, Italy, and France. Patients received pazopanib 800 mg once daily, taken orally without food, at least 1 h before or 2 h after a meal, until progression or intolerance. The primary endpoint of the study was overall response measured by Choi criteria in the subset of the intention-to-treat population (patients who received at least 1 month of treatment with at least one radiological assessment). All patients who received at least one dose of the study drug were included in the safety analyses. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02066285, and with the European Clinical Trials Database, EudraCT number 2013-005456-15.

FINDINGS

From June 26, 2014, to Nov 24, 2016, of 40 patients assessed, 36 were enrolled (34 with malignant solitary fibrous tumour and two with dedifferentiated solitary fibrous tumour). Median follow-up was 27 months (IQR 16-31). Based on central radiology review, 18 (51%) of 35 evaluable patients had partial responses, nine (26%) had stable disease, and eight (23%) had progressive disease according to Choi criteria. Further enrolment of patients with dedifferentiated solitary fibrous tumour was stopped after detection of early and fast progressions in a planned interim analysis. 51% (95% CI 34-69) of 35 patients achieved an overall response according to Choi criteria. Ten (29%) of 35 patients died. There were no deaths related to adverse events and the most frequent grade 3 or higher adverse events were hypertension (11 [31%] of 36 patients), neutropenia (four [11%]), increased concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (four [11%]), and increased concentrations of bilirubin (three [8%]).

INTERPRETATION

To our knowledge, this is the first trial of pazopanib for treatment of malignant solitary fibrous tumour showing activity in this patient group. The manageable toxicity profile and the activity shown by pazopanib suggests that this drug could be an option for systemic treatment of advanced malignant solitary fibrous tumour, and provides a benchmark for future trials.

FUNDING

Spanish Group for Research on Sarcomas (GEIS), Italian Sarcoma Group (ISG), French Sarcoma Group (FSG), GlaxoSmithKline, and Novartis.

Nilotinib as Coadjuvant Treatment with Doxorubicin in Patients with Sarcomas: A Phase I Trial of the Spanish Group for Research on Sarcoma

Purpose: Nilotinib plus doxorubicin showed to be synergistic regarding apoptosis in several sarcoma cell lines. A phase I/II trial was thus designed to explore the feasibility of nilotinib as coadjuvant of doxorubicin by inhibiting MRP-1/P-gp efflux activity. The phase I part of the study is presented here.Patients and Methods: Nilotinib 400 mg/12 hours was administered in fixed dose from day 1 to 6, and doxorubicin on day 5 of each cycle. Three dose escalation levels for doxorubicin at 60, 65, and 75 mg/m² were planned. Cycles were repeated every 3 weeks for a total of 4 cycles. Eligible subtypes were retroperitoneal liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and unresectable/metastatic high-grade chondrosarcoma.Results: Thirteen patients were enrolled: 7 chondrosarcoma, 4 liposarcoma, and 2 leiomyosarcoma. In 46 cycles administered, the most relevant grade 3/4 adverse effects per patient were neutropenia 54%, febrile neutropenia 15%, and asthenia 8%. No cardiac toxicity was observed. Only one dose-limiting toxicity (febrile neutropenia) was reported in the third dose level. With regard to efficacy, 1 partial response (1 liposarcoma), 9 stable diseases (5 chondrosarcoma, 2 liposarcoma, 1 leiomyosarcoma), and 3 progressive diseases (2 chondrosarcoma and 1 leiomyosarcoma) were present. ABCB1 and ABCC1 RNA expression levels decreased by 58.47-fold and 1.47-fold, respectively, on day 5 of the cycle.Conclusions: Combination of MRP-1/P-gp inhibitor, nilotinib, as coadjuvant with doxorubicin is feasible; it appears not to add substantial toxicity compared with doxorubicin alone. Pharmacodynamic study supports this concept. The recommended dose for the phase II part for doxorubicin was 75 mg/m² Clin Cancer Res; 24(21); 5239-49. ©2018 AACR.

Clinical Use of Ilizarov’s Compression Technique in the Treatment of a Septic Pseudoarthrosis in a Calf

This article describes the use of the Ilizarov External Fixator Apparatus in infected suppurative pseudoarthrosis in a young calf.