Safety and effectiveness of eribulin in Japanese patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer: a post-marketing observational study

Safety and effectiveness of eribulin in Japanese patients with soft tissue sarcoma including rare subtypes: a post-marketing observational study

BACKGROUND

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a heterogeneous group of cancers with over 100 described subtypes. While these cancers are infrequent, the prognosis is quite poor, particularly for those with stage IV metastatic disease. Patients for whom curative resection is difficult or those with recurrent metastatic disease are treated with chemotherapy, although the options are very limited. Eribulin is an approved treatment of all STS subtypes in Japan. Efficacy and safety data for the treatment of rare STS subtypes other than liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma (L-type sarcomas) are limited. This nationwide, multicenter, prospective, post-marketing observational study was conducted to assess the real-world effectiveness and safety of eribulin in Japanese patients with STS.

METHODS

Patients with all types of STS and who consented to eribulin treatment were eligible to participate. The observation period was 1 year, starting at treatment initiation, and clinical outcomes were followed up for 2 years after initiating treatment. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Additional outcomes included time-to-treatment failure (TTF), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety. ORR and DCR were evaluated using imaging findings. Effectiveness results were analyzed both for all patients and by STS subtype.

RESULTS

A total of 256 patients were enrolled; 252 and 254 were included in the effectiveness and safety analysis set, respectively. Most patients (83.1%) received an initial eribulin dose of 1.4 mg/m² (standard dose). Respective median OS (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 10.8 (8.5-13.1), 13.8 (10.1-22.3) and 6.5 (5.7-11.1) months for all, L-type, and non-L-type subtypes. The respective median TTF (95% CI) was 2.5 (2.1-2.8), 2.8 (2.3-3.7), and 2.2 (1.6-2.6) months. The ORR and DCR were 8.1 and 42.6%, respectively. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and serious ADRs were reported for 83.5 and 18.9% of patients, respectively. The main ADRs were associated with myelosuppression. No significant difference was observed in the incidence of ADRs for patients ≥65 versus <65 years old.

CONCLUSIONS

Eribulin demonstrated effectiveness and a manageable safety profile for patients with STS, although the effectiveness of eribulin was not demonstrated for some non-L-type subtypes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT03058406 ( ClinicalTrials.gov ).

Indices of peripheral leukocytes predict longer overall survival in breast cancer patients on eribulin in Japan

Background

It was reported that eribulin regulates the tumor microenvironment, including the immune system, by inducing vascular remodeling. Lymphocyte counts are a critical index of immune response in patients. The non-Asian, global EMBRACE study has suggested that baseline absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) may be a predictor of the survival benefit of eribulin in breast cancer patients. We examined whether the baseline ALC is a potential predictor of overall survival (OS) in Japanese patients with HER2-negative advanced breast cancer treated with eribulin.

Methods

This was a post hoc analysis of data from a post-marketing observational study of eribulin in Japan. The OS by baseline ALC was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, with the cut-off value of 1500/μL for ALC. The OS by baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a general prognostic index in breast cancer patients, was also estimated, with the cut-off value of 3.

Results

The median OS was longer in patients with an ALC of ≥ 1500/μL than in those with an ALC of < 1500/μL (19.4 vs. 14.3 months; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.628; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.492, 0.801). Patients with an NLR of ≥ 3 showed shorter OS than those with an NLR of < 3 (13.2 vs. 18.8 months; HR: 1.552; 95% CI 1.254, 1.921), and NLR also separated OS in patients with an ALC of < 1500/μL.

Conclusions

Consistent with the findings of a previous study involving a non-Asian, Western population, our study suggested that baseline ALC may be a predictive factor for the survival benefit of eribulin in Japanese patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12282-021-01232-1.

Clinical Utility of Eribulin Mesylate in the Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Chinese Perspective

Eribulin mesylate, a synthetic derivative of the anti-mitotic agent halichondrin B, has a unique tubulin-based mechanism of action that is distinct from other anti-microtubule agents including taxanes and vinca alkaloids. Consistent with this unique activity, eribulin has shown clinical efficacy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) that progressed following prior taxane and anthracycline therapy. The evidence presented in this review indicates that eribulin represents a treatment option for patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Improved survival outcomes and better tolerability compared with vinorelbine supported the first approval of eribulin in China in 2019; eribulin was approved for women with locally advanced/metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer after treatment failure with at least two chemotherapy regimens, including an anthracycline and a taxane. Eribulin has also shown promising efficacy in patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer when used in combination with trastuzumab or pertuzumab, and subgroup analyses from the Phase III clinical trials support the continued evaluation of eribulin in patients with triple-negative disease. The unique non-mitotic effects of eribulin, including vascular remodeling, coupled with its clinical efficacy and safety profile, may permit the broader use of this agent in patients with MBC.

Effect of renal function on neutrophil decreases following eribulin administration

BACKGROUND

Eribulin therapy has recently attracted attention from various viewpoints, including quality of life, and is considered a standard therapy for inoperable or recurrent breast cancer. Although a reduction in renal function reportedly decreases total eribulin clearance, its association with dose-limiting toxicity and the reduction of neutrophils remain unclear.

AIM

This study was aimed at analyzing the association between decreased renal function prior to eribulin administration and the occurrence of neutrophil reduction and time to treatment failure in patients with breast cancer.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We retrospectively assessed patients with breast cancer, who underwent eribulin therapy between July 2011 and March 2018. Multivariate analysis revealed creatinine clearance <70 mL/min and serum albumin levels <3.9 mg/dL as predictive factors for neutrophil reduction. Even on increasing the relative dose intensity by these factors, no difference in time to treatment failure was observed, suggesting that treatment efficacy is potentially unaffected.

CONCLUSIONS

For continuous eribulin therapy, eribulin may need to be administered to individual patients in accordance with renal function and albumin levels before treatment initiation.

Effectiveness and safety of eribulin in Japanese patients with HER2-negative, advanced breast cancer: a 2-year post-marketing observational study in a real-world setting

Background Data on eribulin as the first- or second-line treatment in a clinical setting, especially the overall survival (OS) of patients, are scarce. Therefore, we assessed the effectiveness and safety of eribulin as the first-, second-, and third- or later-line treatments in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced breast cancer in Japan. Methods This multicenter, prospective, post-marketing, observational study enrolled patients from September 2014 to February 2016 in Japan and followed them for 2 years. Patients were categorized by eribulin use into the first-, second-, and third- or later-line treatment groups. Results Of 651 registered patients, 637 patients were included in the safety and effectiveness analysis. In all, first-, second-, and third or later-line treatment groups, median OS (95% confidence interval) were 15.6 (13.8-17.6), 22.8 (17.3-31.0), 16.3 (12.4-19.9), and 12.6 (11.2-15.1) months and time to treatment failure (TTF) (95% confidence interval) were 4.2 (3.7-4.4), 5.2 (3.7-5.9), 4.2 (3.7-5.1), and 3.8 (3.5-4.2) months, respectively. Prolonged TTF was associated with complications of diabetes and the development of peripheral neuropathy after eribulin treatment, according to multivariate Cox regression analysis. Grade ≥ 3 adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were reported in 61.7% of the patients. Neutropenia (49.5%) was the most common grade ≥ 3 ADR in all groups. Conclusions The effectiveness and safety results of eribulin as the first- or second-line treatment were favorable. Thus, these suggest eribulin may be a first-line treatment candidate for patients with HER2-negative advanced breast cancer in Japan.

A nationwide, multicenter retrospective study on the effectiveness and safety of eribulin in Korean breast cancer patients (REMARK)

Purpose

Approval of eribulin for metastatic breast cancer was based on data primarily from Western patients, and there is a paucity of data on the effectiveness and safety of eribulin for Asian patients. To determine the effectiveness and safety of eribulin in Korean women with breast cancer in a real-world setting, we conducted a nationwide, multicenter, retrospective study.

Methods

Patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who were treated with eribulin in 14 centers throughout Korea were included in this study. Eribulin was generally administered at a dose of 1.23 mg/m² (equivalent to 1.4 mg/m² eribulin mesylate) by intravenous infusion for 2–5 min, or as a diluted solution, on Days 1 and 8 of every 21-day cycle. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 6 months. Secondary endpoints included median PFS, overall survival (OS), time-to-treatment failure (TTF), tumor response rate, and incidence of hematologic treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs).

Results

The safety and full analysis populations included 398 and 360 (38 had no efficacy data) patients, respectively. The PFS rate at 6 months was 37.8%. Median PFS, OS, and TTF were 134, 631, and 120 days, respectively. Objective response rate, clinical benefit rate, and disease control rate were 18.1%, 50.6%, and 49.4%, respectively. Hematologic TEAEs were reported in 65.1% of patients; neutropenia (56.8%) and anemia (11.3%) were most common.

Conclusion

Real-world effectiveness and safety of eribulin in Korean breast cancer patients were consistent with previous reports; no new safety concerns were identified.

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Metastatic breast cancer patients were treated with eribulin (1.23 mg/m², IV).

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Progression-free survival rate at 6 months was 37.8% in eribulin-treated patients.

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Median progression-free and overall survivals were 134 and 631 days, respectively.

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Hematologic treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in 65.1% of patients.

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Effectiveness and safety of eribulin were consistent with previous reports.

The safety of eribulin for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer

Introduction: Eribulin mesylate is a highly potent anticancer agent approved for use in pretreated metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Clinical trials of eribulin in MBC have demonstrated activity against this tumor type, and a phase 3 study in patients with MBC previously treated with an anthracycline and a taxane showed a significant increase in overall survival (OS) with eribulin versus control regimens. Areas covered: This review presents overviews of the development of eribulin, its pharmacology, and its efficacy in MBC. A detailed review of its safety profile is presented, and the safety of eribulin is compared with other agents commonly used to treat MBC. Expert opinion: As eribulin is the only drug shown to improve OS in patients with pretreated MBC, it is an important treatment option for many patients. Eribulin is currently considered a second-line (Europe) or third-line (United States) therapy, and studies have been examining use in the first-line setting. The use of eribulin in combination with other therapies is beginning to be explored because its manageable safety profile makes it an ideal combination-treatment partner. Emerging eribulin combination-treatment data suggest a manageable toxicity profile, and eribulin is set to be a key drug for the treatment of MBC in the future.

Use of a Healthcare Claims Database for Post-Marketing Safety Assessments of Eribulin in Japan: A Comparative Assessment with a Prospective Post-Marketing Surveillance Study

BACKGROUND

To understand the extent to which a large-scale healthcare claims database (DB) captures the safety profile of eribulin mesylate (Halaven^®, Eisai Co., Ltd., Japan), we compared patient characteristics, drug use, and adverse events (AEs) between data for patients treated with eribulin retrieved from a DB and data for metastatic breast cancer patients from a conventional prospective post-marketing surveillance (PMS).

METHODS

We descriptively summarized patient characteristics and AEs of 551 and 951 patients retrieved from DB and PMS, respectively, during 2011‒2013. Using 2814 patient data from the DB during 2011‒2016, the drug use and AE incidence over time were assessed.

RESULTS

In both datasets, 99.8% were females, and the mean age was 57.8 ± 10.7 years. The mean number of eribulin administration was 11.1 ± 10.9 and 10.1 ± 7.8 in DB and PMS, respectively. Although, overall, the difference in AE incidence between the two datasets was moderate, gaps were larger for nausea (DB: 73.32% vs. PMS: 15.77%), neutropenia (20.87% vs. 66.67%), stomatitis (37.39% vs. 10.94%), and alopecia (0.36% vs. 12.09%). During 2011‒2016, the observed incidence of anemia or pyrexia significantly decreased (trend test, p = 0.0009 for both).

CONCLUSION

Generally, patient characteristics, drug use, and AE incidence between the DB and PMS were comparable; however, AEs such as neutropenia may require defining based on the laboratory data to achieve more comparable results in DBs. Besides the usefulness of healthcare claims DBs for long-term assessments, they may also serve as a good complementary to PMS in the pharmacovigilance of eribulin.

Eribulin in the treatment of advanced breast cancer: real-world scenario from 39 Italian centers - ESEMPiO study

AIM

We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study of eribulin mesylate (EM) use in Italy, to describe the current practice for metastatic breast cancer patients (ESEMPiO) in the real-world.

PATIENTS & METHODS

Baseline characteristics, treatment administration and safety were summarized using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

No safety concerns were raised in the population enrolled in the ESEMPiO database and treated in a real-life practice. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.2 and 10.1 months, respectively. EM activity was similar between breast cancer subtypes.

CONCLUSION

In metastatic breast cancer patients treated with EM in 'real-world' setting, the clinician-registered outcomes were comparable to those reported in pivotal trials. Furthermore, EM maintained clinical activity and a tolerable safety profile.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer patients treated with eribulin: interim data from a post-marketing observational study

Background

Few studies have examined chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) following the administration of eribulin as first- or second-line therapy in patients with breast cancer. We therefore assessed CIPN incidence by severity and risk factors for CIPN in patients treated with eribulin for HER2-negative inoperable or recurrent breast cancer, regardless of line therapy status.

Methods

This multicenter, prospective, post-marketing observational study enrolled patients from September 2014 in Japan and followed them for 2 years. For this interim analysis, the data cut-off point was in November 2017. CIPN severity was assessed based on the Japanese version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0.

Results

Among 634 patients included in the safety analysis, 374 patients did not have existing CIPN at baseline. CIPN was observed in 105 patients (28.1%), including 67 (17.9%), 34 (9.1%), and 4 (1.1%) patients with grade 1, 2, and 3 severity, respectively. Of the 105 patients, 85.7% patients continued, 7.6% reduced, interrupted or postponed, and 6.7% discontinued eribulin. The median time (min‒max) from baseline to CIPN onset was 60 (3‒337) days. Multivariate logistic regression identified a significant association between CIPN and hemoglobin level at baseline, starting dose of eribulin, and history of radiotherapy.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that, with respect to CIPN, eribulin is well-tolerated, as approximately one-quarter of patients developed CIPN, most cases were grade 1 or 2, and the majority of patients continued eribulin after CIPN onset.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s12282-018-0919-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Pharmacodynamic analysis of eribulin safety in breast cancer patients using real-world postmarketing surveillance data

Postmarketing surveillance is useful to collect safety data in real-world clinical settings. In this study, we applied postmarketing real-world data on a mechanistic model analysis for neutropenic profiles of eribulin in patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. Demographic and safety data were collected using an active surveillance method from eribulin-treated recurrent or metastatic breast cancer patients. Changes in neutrophil counts over time were analyzed using a mechanistic pharmacodynamic model. Pathophysiological factors that might affect the severity of neutropenia were investigated, and neutropenic patterns were simulated for different treatment schedules. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from 401 patients (5199 neutrophil count measurements) who had not received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and were eligible for pharmacodynamic analysis. The estimated mean parameters were as follows: mean transit time = 104.5 h, neutrophil proliferation rate constant = 0.0377 h-1 , neutrophil elimination rate constant = 0.0295 h-1 , and linear coefficient of drug effect = 0.0413 mL/ng. Low serum albumin levels and low baseline neutrophil counts were associated with severe neutropenia. The probability of grade ≥3 neutropenia was predicted to be 69%, 27%, and 27% for patients on standard, biweekly, and triweekly treatment scenarios, respectively, based on virtual simulations using the developed pharmacodynamic model. In conclusion, this is the first application of postmarketing surveillance data to a model-based safety analysis. This analysis of safety data reflecting authentic clinical settings will provide useful information on the safe use and potential risk factors of eribulin.

Incidence and clinical parameters associated with eribulin mesylate-induced peripheral neuropathy

Eribulin mesylate is a microtubule-targeting agent that has been approved for the treatment of breast cancer and liposarcoma. Due to its novel mechanism of action, eribulin therapy induces a distinct profile of adverse events, including peripheral neuropathy. However, the incidence and risk of eribulin-related neurotoxicities are unclear. Here, we conducted a systematic search of PubMed and Embase from their inception to October 2017. Eligible studies included trials in which eribulin was intravenously administered at a standard dose of 1.4 mg/m² over 2-5 minutes on days 1 and 8 on a 21-day cycle. The events of all-grade and high-grade peripheral neuropathy were collected to calculate the overall incidence and relative risk (RR). A total of thirty-two studies containing 6129 subjects were included in this analysis. The incidences of all-grade and high-grade eribulin monotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy were 28% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24%-32%) and 4% (95% CI, 3%-5%), respectively. Subgroup analysis further revealed that a higher incidence of neurotoxicities was observed in patients with breast cancer and those with longer treatment duration. Moreover, eribulin-treated subjects had a significantly increased risk of all-grade (RR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.70-2.35; p = 0.008) and high-grade (RR, 3.68; 95% CI, 2.30-5.89; p<0.001) neurotoxicities. Our results suggested that patients treated with eribulin had an increased risk of developing peripheral neuropathy.

Effect of eribulin on patients with metastatic breast cancer: multicenter retrospective observational study in Taiwan

Purpose

The aim of this study was to confirm the therapeutic role of eribulin on Taiwanese women with metastatic breast cancer.

Methods

This retrospective study examined 449 females who received eribulin between March 2014 and June 2017 at 14 hospitals in Taiwan for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Results

The survival rate at 24 months was 57.2% (95% CI 51.0–62.9%) and the median time to treatment failure (TTF) was 3.91 months (95% CI 3.45–3.94). A total of 175 patients (40.1%) received eribulin for fewer than 90 days and the others received it for 90 days or more. Eight patients (1.83%) had complete remission, 82 (18.8%) had partial remission, 202 (46.3%) had stable disease, and 144 (33.0%) had progressive disease (PD). Patients’ tumors with the luminal A subtype had a significantly better objective response rate. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that hormone receptor positivity, luminal A subtype, receipt of eribulin as the 1st to 3rd line therapy, and metastasis to fewer than 4 organs were significantly associated with longer TTF. Stepwise multivariate analysis showed that only receipt of eribulin as the 1st to 3rd line therapy was significantly associated with TTF (HR 1.49, p < 0.001). All toxicities were manageable and only 18 patients (4.1%) discontinued treatment due to adverse events.

Conclusions

Eribulin appears to have better efficacy and cause fewer adverse events, especially neutropenia, in Taiwanese women than Western women.

Incidence and relative risk of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients treated with eribulin: a meta-analysis

Background

Eribulin is a microtubule inhibitor, which is approved for the treatment of breast cancer. Peripheral neuropathy has been reported in the studies of eribulin, but the incidence and relative risk (RR) of eribulin-associated peripheral neuropathy varied greatly in cancer patients. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the overall incidence and RR of eribulin-associated peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients.

Materials and Methods

Pubmed database and Embase and abstracts presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meetings were systematically reviewed for primary studies. Eligible studies included prospective clinical trials and expanded access programs of cancer patients treated with eribulin. Statistical analyses were performed to calculate the incidences, RRs, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

Altogether, 4,849 patients from 19 clinical trials were selected for this meta-analysis. The incidences of all-grade and high-grade peripheral neuropathy were 27.5% (95% CI: 23.3-32.4%) and 4.7% (95% CI: 3.6-6.2%), respectively. The relative risks of peripheral neuropathy of eribulin compared to control were increased for all-grade (RR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.10-3.25) but not statistically significant for high-grade (RR = 2.98, 95% CI: 0.71-12.42).

Conclusions

The use of eribulin is associated with an increased incidence of peripheral neuropathy. The RR is increased for all-grade peripheral neuropathy.