Phase I/II trial of gemcitabine plus oral TS-1 in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Thoracic oncology research group study 0502

Efficacy of Paclitaxel plus TS1 against previously treated EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer

Background

Later line chemotherapy (≥2nd lines) such as Docetaxel or immunotherapy is frequently used. As the life expectancy of lung cancer patients is getting longer, we need to provide more treatment options. Other treatment options are not well documented except for Doxetaxel and immunotherapy. Therefore, the efficacy of paclitaxel plus TS1 (TTS1) is warranted.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the chart records of our non-small cell lung cancer patients who were treated between 2010 and 2013. Clinical characteristics, type of tumor, EGFR mutation status, and treatment response to first-line EGFR-TKI therapy and efficacy of TTS1, were collected.

Results

Twenty eight patients were enrolled in this study. No patients archived complete response and seven patients had partial response (ORR: 25%). The disease control rate was 60.7% (17/28). The progression free survival (PFS) was 4.0 months and overall survival (OS) was 15.8 months. Of them, 17 had EGFR mutations, eight EGFR wild type, and three were unknown EGFR status. After TTS1 treatment, patients with EGFR mutations had better PFS (4.9 months vs. 1.8 months) and OS (15.5 months vs. 7.2 months) compared with those of EGFR wild type.

Conclusions

TTS1 are effective later line chemotherapy, especially in tumor EGFR mutated patients. Paclitaxel plus TS1 is another treatment of choice for NSCLC patients before a more effective treatment strategy is found.

A Phase II Study of S-1 and Paclitaxel Combination Therapy as a First-Line Treatment in Elderly Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lessons Learned.

Coadministration of S‐1 and paclitaxel in elderly patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer showed favorable efficacy.

Coadministration of S‐1 and paclitaxel in elderly patients with advanced non‐small lung cancer showed tolerable toxicity.

Background.

Although monotherapy with cytotoxic agents including docetaxel or vinorelbine are recommended for elderly patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the outcome is not satisfactory. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of S‐1 and paclitaxel (PTX) as a first‐line cotreatment in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

Methods.

Oral S‐1 was administered on days 1–14 every 3 weeks at 80, 100, and 120 mg per day for patients with body surface area < 1.25 m², 1.25–1.5 m², and > 1.5 m², respectively. PTX was administered at 80 mg/m² on days 1 and 8. The primary endpoint was response rate, and secondary endpoints were progression‐free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety.

Results.

Seventeen patients were enrolled with response and disease control rates of 47.1% and 88.2%, respectively. Median PFS and OS were 5.6 and 35.0 months, respectively. Hematological grade 3 or 4 toxicities included leukopenia (55.8%), neutropenia (52.9%), febrile neutropenia (11.8%), and anemia (11.8%). Nonhematological grade 3 toxicities included stomatitis (23.5%), diarrhea (5.9%), and interstitial lung disease (5.9%), and grade 5 toxicities included interstitial lung disease (5.9%).

Conclusion.

This S‐1 and PTX cotherapy dose and schedule showed satisfactory efficacy with mild toxicities in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

Phase I study of S-1 plus paclitaxel combination therapy as a first-line treatment in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

This phase I study was aimed at determining the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD) for oral S-1 plus paclitaxel combination therapy in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Chemotherapy-naïve patients (age, >70 years) with stage III/IV NSCLC were treated with paclitaxel intravenously at four dose levels (DLs), 60, 70, 80, and 90 mg/m², on day 1 and 8, and with S-1 (80 mg/m²) orally on days 1-14 every 3 weeks. MTD was defined as the dose at which two of the initial three patients experienced dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). Three patients were added when the initial three patients experienced DLTs. The dose administered in three of the six patients with DLTs met the definition of MTD. The RD was defined as a dose 1 DL below the MTD. Fifteen patients including six on DL 1 and three each on DLs 2, 3, and 4 were enrolled. One patient experienced a DLT (febrile neutropenia) at DL 1. The remaining DLTs were noted at DL 4 (in one patient each): febrile neutropenia, grade (G) 3 skin rash, G3 diarrhea, G3 stomatitis, and G3 international normalized ratio (INR) elevation. The MTD of paclitaxel was 90 mg/m². The RD for both S-1 and paclitaxel was 80 mg/m² (DL 3). The response rate was 45.5% (8 of 15 patients achieved a partial response). In conclusion, the RD of both S-1 and paclitaxel was 80 mg/m² in the combination therapy for chemotherapy-naïve patients with advanced NSCLC.

Prospective exploratory study of gemcitabine and S-1 against elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

A prospective study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of a combined regimen of gemcitabine and S-1 for the treatment of elderly patients (>70 years) with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as a first-line setting based on the dosage recommended in a previous phase I study. Chemotherapy-naïve patients with advanced NSCLC received gemcitabine plus S-1. S-1 (40 mg/m²) was administered orally twice daily for 14 days while gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m²) was administered on days 1 and 15 of each cycle, and this regimen was repeated every 4 weeks. A total of 20 patients were included in the present study. Of these, 8 patients achieved an overall response rate of 40.0%, and the overall disease control rate was 65.0%. According to the histological type, the response rate in patients with NSCLC and adenocarcinoma was 38.5%, and that for non-adenocarcinoma was 42.9%. Progression-free survival and median survival times were 6.4 months and 17.8 months, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 hematological toxicities observed were leukopenia (29%) and neutropenia (24%), while febrile neutropenia was not observed in any patient. The only non-hematological adverse event observed was grade 3 skin rash (10%). Therefore, the combination of gemcitabine and S-1 may be a promising and feasible regimen in the first-line setting for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

Current status and future perspectives of cooperative study groups for lung cancer in Japan

The performance of scientifically and ethically valid prospective clinical trials is the only means by which to obtain reliable clinical evidence that can improve clinical practice and thus the outcome of patients with lung cancer. The efficacy of treatment for advanced lung cancer remains limited; many cooperative study groups for lung cancer have been established in Japan since 1990s, and they have completed several landmark investigator-initiated clinical trials. This review highlights eight active Japanese cooperative study groups for lung cancer and summarizes their achievements made through clinical trials. In addition to their benefits, the existence of multiple study groups for a single disease such as lung cancer presents several challenges including the provision of infrastructure to ensure the scientific integrity of trial results, the unnecessary duplication of effort and the wasting of limited resources, and the accrual and completion of large-scale phase III trials in the shortest possible time. Collaboration among Japanese cooperative groups has recently increased in order to overcome these challenges. Although institutional barriers to the performance of such large intergroup trials remain, further harmonization and collaboration among cooperative groups will be vital in allowing Japanese investigators to make further important contributions for the development of new lung cancer therapies.

Efficacy of S-1 plus nedaplatin compared to standard second-line chemotherapy in EGFR-negative lung adenocarcinoma after failure of first-line chemotherapy

For patients with advanced non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma that fail to respond to first-line chemotherapy and that do not involve epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, previous empirical analysis showed that a single second-line chemotherapy agent may be inadequate for the control of further tumor development. This study examines the combination of S-1 drugs and nedaplatin that has no cross-resistance to first-line treatments; 179 cases of IIIb-IV stage non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma that failed to respond to first-line chemotherapy were included, and these subjects did not have mutated EGFRs. In the present study, S-1 plus nedaplatin chemotherapy was better than standard second-line chemotherapy options in the treatment of advanced lung adenocarcinoma that did not involve EGFR mutations and that failed to respond to first-line chemotherapy. Additionally, the combination of S-1 and nedaplatin seemed to be well tolerated, making this chemotherapy technique a potentially strong candidate for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma.

Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the pancreas responsive to combination therapy with gemcitabine and S-1

Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma is a very rare malignancy, but it is characterized by agressive histological features and a poor clinical prognosis. We report a 42-year-old man who had poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the pancreas with multiple liver metastases. We administrated combined chemotherapy with S-1 and gemcitabine. This treatment was efficacious and well tolerated, and then this patient obtained objective partial response for 7 months and survived for 13 months after the diagnosis. This case suggests that S-1 and gemcitabine combination produce beneficial responses for patients with this disease.

Long-term administration of second-line chemotherapy with S-1 and gemcitabine for platinum-resistant non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II study

BACKGROUND

Standard second-line chemotherapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been established but have limited clinical relevance. S-1 is a recently developed agent with potential activity against NSCLC.

METHODS

Patients with confirmed NSCLC recurrence after previous single- or two-regimen chemotherapy with platinum, performance status of 0 to 1, adequate organ functions, and measurable lesions were treated with S-1 (60 mg/m/d, twice a day) on days 1 to 14 and gemcitabine (1000 mg/m) on days 8 and 15, which were repeated every 3 weeks until tumor progression.

RESULTS

Treatment was administered for a median of 4 courses (range, 1-13) over a median of 125-day period in 34 patients. The overall response rate was 23.5% (no complete response and eight partial response; 95% confidence interval: 9.1-38.0%). The median progression-free and overall survival times were 6.6 and 19.9 months, respectively. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 58.8 and 30.9%, respectively. Toxicity was mild during the entire treatment period, except for three grade 3 interstitial pneumonia.

CONCLUSION

The primary end point was met with the relatively high overall response rate. Randomized phase III studies for elucidating survival outcome of the regimen are warranted.