Phase II study of cisplatin, ifosfamide, and irinotecan with rhG-CSF support in patients with stage IIIb and IV non-small-cell lung cancer

The Effects of GCSF Primary Prophylaxis on Survival Outcomes and Toxicity in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer on First-Line Chemoimmunotherapy: A Sub-Analysis of the Spinnaker Study

GCSF prophylaxis is recommended in patients on chemotherapy with a >20% risk of febrile neutropenia and is to be considered if there is an intermediate risk of 10−20%. GCSF has been suggested as a possible adjunct to immunotherapy due to increased peripheral neutrophil recruitment and PD-L1 expression on neutrophils with GCSF use and greater tumour volume decrease with higher tumour GCSF expression. However, its potential to increase neutrophil counts and, thus, NLR values, could subsequently confer poorer prognoses on patients with advanced NSCLC. This analysis follows on from the retrospective multicentre observational cohort Spinnaker study on advanced NSCLC patients. The primary endpoints were OS and PFS. The secondary endpoints were the frequency and severity of AEs and irAEs. Patient information, including GCSF use and NLR values, was collected. A secondary comparison with matched follow-up duration was also undertaken. Three hundred and eight patients were included. Median OS was 13.4 months in patients given GCSF and 12.6 months in those not (p = 0.948). Median PFS was 7.3 months in patients given GCSF and 8.4 months in those not (p = 0.369). A total of 56% of patients receiving GCSF had Grade 1−2 AEs compared to 35% who did not receive GCSF (p = 0.004). Following an assessment with matched follow-up, 41% of patients given GCSF experienced Grade 1−2 irAEs compared to 23% of those not given GCSF (p = 0.023). GCSF prophylaxis use did not significantly affect overall or progression-free survival. Patients given GCSF prophylaxis were more likely to experience Grade 1−2 adverse effects and Grade 1−2 immunotherapy-related adverse effects.

rhG-CSF is associated with an increased risk of metastasis in NSCLC patients following postoperative chemotherapy

Background

Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) reduces neutropenia events and is widely used in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. However, the effects of rhG-CSF on distant organ metastasis (DOM) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients following postoperative chemotherapy are not clear.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed on NSCLC patients who underwent complete surgical resection and postoperative systemic chemotherapy at The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2017. The effect of rhG-CSF on DOM was assessed with other confounding factors using Cox regression analyses.

Results

We identified 307 NSCLC patients who received postoperative systemic chemotherapy (n = 246 in the rhG-CSF group, n = 61 in the No rhG-CSF group). The incidence of DOM in postoperative NSCLC patients with rhG-CSF treatment was observably higher than in patients without rhG-CSF treatment (48.3% vs. 27.9%, p < 0.05). Univariate regression analysis revealed that rhG-CSF and pathological stage were independent risk factors for metastasis-free survival (MFS) (p < 0.05). RhG-CSF users had a higher risk of DOM (adjusted HR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.31–4.15) than nonusers of rhG-CSF. The association between rhG-CSF and the risk of DOM was significant only in patients presenting with myelosuppression (HR: 3.34, 95% CI: 1.86–6.02) and not in patients without myelosuppression (HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.17–2.94, Interaction p-value< 0.01). The risk increased with higher dose density of rhG-CSF compared to rhG-CSF versus no users (p for trend< 0.001).

Conclusion

These analyses indicate that rhG-CSF use is related to DOM following postoperative chemotherapy in NSCLC.

Chemotherapy of lung cancer: A global perspective of the role of ifosfamide

The oxazaphosphorine cytostatic ifosfamide (IFO) has been successfully integrated in the treatment of various hematological and solid tumors. The purpose of this review is to summarize the evidence for its use in lung cancer starting from basic data of preclinical studies followed by a global summary of the phase III and seminal phase II clinical studies. Global in double respect: first covering both the small cell as well as the non-small cell indications, and, second tracing those studies performed in Europe and the United States as well as those from Asian countries.

Does granulocyte colony-stimulating factor affect survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer?

BACKGROUND

Platinum-based chemotherapy is standard treatment for patients with advanced lung cancer. The common side effect of this therapy is myelosuppression, for which different stimulating factors are used. In this article, the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration on the survival of patients with unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was evaluated.

METHODS

The charts of 127 patients, treated with carboplatin-based chemotherapy, were reviewed for histology, stage, performance status, weight loss, treatment regimen, toxicity, and survival. Eighty patients were stage IIIA/IIIB NSCLC; 47 were stage IIIB (pleural effusion) or stage IV. Eighty-one patients (63%) experienced severe (grades 3 and 4) neutropenia. Forty-two patients received G-CSF, 37 patients for severe neutropenia (14 with febrile neutropenia) and five patients for active infection during chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Preliminary analyses, both unadjusted (median survival, 20 months versus 13.8 months; log-rank test, p = 0.02) and adjusted for covariates of interest (Cox regression, hazard ratio = 0.62, p = 0.03) showed a significant effect of the use of G-CSF on survival, even though the groups were balanced with respect to stage, performance status, weight loss, and dose intensity of chemotherapy. Patients with grades 3 and 4 neutropenia (whether they received G-CSF or not) had a better survival outcome compared to those who did not have neutropenia (median survival, 17.6 months versus 11.9 months, log-rank test, p = 0.04). A landmark analysis showed a marginally significant effect of G-CSF on survival (median survival, 18.6 months versus 15.1 months, log-rank test, p = 0.08), even after adjustment for covariates. The Cox regression with the use of G-CSF defined as a binary time-varying covariate also showed similar results (Cox regression, hazard ratio = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.42-1.04, p = 0.07).

CONCLUSION

In this study, the time bias due to the delayed administration of G-CSF contributed to the longer survival of patients receiving G-CSF. Prospective studies are required to determine whether G-CSF has any effect on survival in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Granulocyte growth factors in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Neutropenia and subsequent infections are common events that limit treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Granulocyte growth factors (G- and GM-CSF) have been introduced in clinical practice and their use has yielded a reduction of the infection risk related to chemotherapy and a dose increase of drug delivery. Randomized clinical trials have shown that granulocyte colony-stimulating factors and, more recently, the longer-acting pegylated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (pegfilgrastim) effectively reduce the incidence and severity of neutropenia and of its complications. Recommendations for the use of haematopoietic colony-stimulating factors from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) have been published in 1994 and updated in 1996, 1997 and 2000. Recently, moreover, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for the myeloid growth factors in cancer treatment make available. Chemotherapy-associated myelosuppression is a major limitation of anticancer therapy also in early stage, local advanced and metastatic NSCLC. Recently, dose-dense chemotherapy has been shown to improve the outcome in early stage breast cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, few randomized trials have been reported on chemotherapy with or without granulocyte growth factors as primary prophylaxis in NSCLC. Presently, there is no evidence for a benefit in response rate and survival from the use of granulocyte growth factors as support of chemotherapy, in particular, for locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC. In clinical practice, the role of granulocyte growth factors for NSCLC treatment should be limited following the guidelines. An appropriate use of granulocyte growth factors may reduce the overall cost of treatment and improve the quality of life, important aims in the treatment of patients with local advanced or metastatic NSCLC. In the future, we need to identify patients who can benefit from granulocyte growth factors for optimize the schedule and doses, in advanced disease and also, after the recent positive results of adjuvant chemotherapy, in early stages. This review summarizes the present knowledge on the use of granulocyte growth factors in NSCLC.