A randomized, double-blind, phase II study of erlotinib with or without sunitinib for the second-line treatment of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

The incidence of drug-induced interstitial lung disease caused by epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with non-small cell lung cancer in presence and absence of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors: a systematic review

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) or pneumonitis caused by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) or immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) is a major concern in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Whether the addition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors can reduce the incidence of drug-induced ILD remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review to assess the incidence of ILD induced by EGFR-TKIs or ICIs in the presence or absence of VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors in relevant randomized trials between January 2009 and October 2023. The primary outcome was the odds ratio for the incidence of ILD in all patients worldwide and Asians. Secondary outcomes were the odds ratios (ORs) of the incidence at grade-3 or higher ILD in all patients worldwide and Asians. We identified 13 randomized studies, one sub-analysis in the EGFR-TKI group, and three randomized studies in the ICI group. In the EGFR-TKI group, the OR of ILD incidence at any grade with VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors was 0.54 (95% CI, 0.32-0.90; p = 0.02), which represented a significantly lower incidence than that without VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors. Contrarily, the OR of ILD incidence at grade ≥ 3 with VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.43-2.36; p = 0.99). In all subjects in the ICI group, the OR of ILD incidence at any grade with VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.51-1.21; p = 0.27). The systematic review demonstrated that the addition of VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors could reduce the incidence of drug-induced ILD at any grade caused by EGFR-TKI in patients with NSCLC but could not reduce that at grade ≥ 3. The ILD induced by ICIs remains undetermined owing to the limited number of randomized trials for which ILD data are available.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=409534, identifier CRD42023409534.

Verification of fasting-mimicking diet to assist monotherapy of human cancer-bearing models

The efficacy of a single clinical nanodrug for cancer treatment is still unsatisfactory, especially for drug-resistant cancer. Herein, we applied a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) approach via dietary intervention to assist single clinical nanodrug for breast or ovarian cancer treatments instead of using multi-drug therapies which might cause adverse side effects. Specifically, we adopted Doxil or Abraxane to treat human breast tumor-bearing nude mice and Doxil to treat the human ovarian tumor and drug-resistant ovarian tumor-bearing nude mice under FMD conditions, respectively. According to the results, the FMD condition can promote the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of a single nanodrug, reduce the ATP level in drug-resistant tumor cells to hinder drug efflux, normalize tumor blood vessels, relieve tumor hypoxia, and increase the accumulation of nanodrugs at tumor sites, thereby enhancing the therapeutic effects on these types of human cancers. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the FMD strategy of significance can become a practical, alternative, and promising assistant for single nanodrug for enhancing cancer therapy and clinical translation.

Iminodibenzyl redirected cyclooxygenase-2 catalyzed dihomo-γ-linolenic acid peroxidation pattern in lung cancer

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is up-regulated by redox imbalance and is considered a target for cancer therapy. The rationale of the COX-2 inhibitor lies in suppressing COX-2 catalyzed peroxidation of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are essential and pervasive in our daily diet. However, COX-2 inhibitors fail to improve cancer patients' survival and may lead to severe side effects. Here, instead of directly inhibiting COX-2, we utilize a small molecule, iminodibenzyl, which could reprogram the COX-2 catalyzed omega-6 PUFAs peroxidation in lung cancer by inhibiting delta-5-desaturase (D5D) activity. Iminodibenzyl breaks the conversion from dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA) to arachidonic acid, resulting in the formation of a distinct byproduct, 8-hydroxyoctanoic acid, in lung cancer cells and solid tumors. By utilizing COX-2 overexpression in cancer, the combination of DGLA supplementation and iminodibenzyl suppressed YAP1/TAZ pathway, decreasing the tumor size and lung metastasis in nude mice and C57BL/6 mice. This D5D inhibition-based strategy selectively damaged lung cancer cells with a high COX-2 level, whereas it could avoid harassing normal lung epithelial cells. This finding challenged the COX-2 redox basis in cancer, providing a new direction for developing omega-6 (DGLA)-based diet/regimen in lung cancer therapy.

KRAS mutation as a prognostic factor and predictive factor in advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

KRAS (Kirsten Rat Sarcoma) is the most common oncogenic mutation detected in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the role of KRAS as either a prognostic factor or predictive factor (modifier of treatment effects) in NSCLC is not well established at this time. This systematic literature review (SLR) and meta-analysis synthesized the available evidence regarding the role of KRAS mutation as a predictive factor and/or prognostic factor of survival and response outcomes in patients with advanced/metastatic (stage IIIB-IV) NSCLC. Relevant clinical trials and observational studies were identified by searching MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. Meta-analyses were performed using data extracted from multivariable and univariable analyses from clinical studies to assess the empirical evidence of KRAS mutation status as a prognostic or/and predicitive factor. 43 selected studies were identified by the SLR and included in this meta-analysis. Pairwise meta-analyses of hazard ratios (HRs) reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) did not demonstrate a significant prognostic effect of mutant KRAS on overall survival (OS) (HR=1.10; 95% CI [0.88, 1.38]) or progression free survival (PFS) (HR=1.03; 95% CI [0.80, 1.33]). However, when conducting meta-analyses on HRs reported in observational studies, a statistically significant negative prognostic effect of mutant KRAS was observed (OS HR=1.71; 95% CI [1.07, 2.84]; PFS HR=1.18; 95% CI [1.02, 1.36]). Meta-analyses of objective response rate (ORR) in RCTs demonstrated a negative prognostic effect of mutant KRAS (RR=0.38; 95% CI [0.16, 0.63]). Limited data were available to evaluate the role of KRAS mutation as a predictive factor. In conclusion, this research offers evidence that KRAS mutation may be a negative prognostic factor for survival and response outcomes in patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC, but further research is needed to address conflicting results on the importance of KRAS mutations as a predictive factor.

Apatinib plus Chemotherapy as a Second-Line Treatment in Unresectable Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: A Randomized, Controlled, Multicenter Clinical Trial

LESSONS LEARNED

The efficacy of second-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) without a sensitizing driver gene mutation is still unsatisfactory. The combination of apatinib and chemotherapy improved progression-free survival in the second-line therapy of advanced NSCLC without a sensitizing mutation. This study offers a new treatment strategy for second-line treatment of such patients but requires confirmation in a larger multi-institutional trial.

BACKGROUND

This study explored the efficacy and safety of apatinib combined with single-agent chemotherapy versus single-agent chemotherapy in the second-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) without driver mutations.

METHODS

In this double-arm, open label, exploratory clinical study, we enrolled patients with unresectable locally advanced or advanced NSCLC without driver mutations that had progressed following first-line chemotherapy. The subjects were allocated into an experimental group and a control group by 2:1. The experimental group received apatinib combined with four cycles of docetaxel or pemetrexed until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, or discontinuation at the patient' request. The control group only received four cycles of docetaxel or pemetrexed. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), and safety.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven patients were enrolled. The efficacy of 33 patients was evaluated. The median PFS was 5.47 versus 2.97 months, the DCR was 95% versus 73%, and the objective response rate (ORR) was 27% versus 9% in the experimental versus control group. The OS was still under follow-up. The most common adverse effects included hypertension, hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR), and fatigue.

CONCLUSION

Apatinib combined with single-agent chemotherapy may be a novel option for second-line treatment of advanced NSCLC.

Eye, hepatobiliary, and renal disorders of erlotinib in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis

Background

Erlotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors used to treat EGFR mutation positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Skin rash and diarrhea are well-known and common adverse events in patients receiving erlotinib, whereas other adverse events, including eye, liver, or renal disorders have not been evaluated adequately. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the ocular, hepatobiliary, and renal toxicities of erlotinib in patients with NSCLC cancers.

Methods

In total, sixty studies were assessed, and the results of the included studies were quantitatively integrated using meta-analysis. The incidence of ocular, hepatobiliary (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and bilirubin elevations; other hepatic adverse events), and renal adverse events were estimated. Additionally, the erlotinib-treated groups and the control groups (placebo or other treatment) were compared with respect to ocular disorders and ALT elevation. The study protocol has been registered in the International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42018093758.

Results

The overall incidence of ocular disorders was 3.30% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.20%–5.00%). The incidence of ALT elevation, bilirubin elevation, and other hepatobiliary disorders was 6.40% (95% CI 3.90%–10.4%), 3.80% (95% CI 2.30%–6.10%), and 1.00% (95% 0.60%–1.80%), respectively. The incidence of renal disorder was 3.10% (95% CI 1.90%–5.00%). The risk of ocular toxicity in the erlotinib treatment group was significantly increased (risk ratio = 2.91; 95% CI 1.70–4.98) compared to that in the control group. ALT elevation was not significantly different between the two groups.

Conclusion

Based on the results, careful monitoring of ocular toxicity in patients receiving erlotinib should be recommended and closer monitoring of hepatic toxicity should be also recommended in patients with liver-related risk factors.

Angiogenesis and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Several preclinical studies suggested a potential benefit from combined treatment with inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and angiogenesis, both effective in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In pretreated patients with advanced EGFR wild type NSCLC, bevacizumab plus erlotinib improved progression-free survival as second-line therapy in the BeTa study and as maintenance therapy in the ATLAS trial, although the benefit was modest and did not translate into an advantage in overall survival. Disappointing results were reported with oral VEGF inhibitors plus erlotinib in pretreated patients with EGFR wild type NSCLC. On the contrary, erlotinib plus bevacizumab or ramucirumab showed a clinically relevant improvement of progression-free survival in naïve patients with EGFR mutations, leading to the approval of these two regimens as first-line treatment of NSCLC patients with EGFR mutant tumors. Several clinical studies are evaluating the feasibility and activity of osimertinib plus bevacizumab or ramucirumab. However, limits that could affect its use in clinical practice are the need of an intravenous infusion for angiogenesis inhibitors, the increased incidence of treatment associated adverse events, the exclusion of patients with tumors located in central position or at risk of hemorrhage. The identification of predictive biomarkers is an important goal of research to optimize the combined use of these agents. Keywords Lung cancer, angiogenesis, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, erlotinib, bevacizumab

Effect of anlotinib as a third- or further-line therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with different histologic types: Subgroup analysis in the ALTER0303 trial

BACKGROUND

Anlotinib showed significant survival benefits in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients as a third- or further-line treatment in the ALTER0303 trial. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of anlotinib in patients with different histologies.

METHODS

The ALTER0303 trial was a randomized, open-label, phase 3 study of anlotinib in NSCLC patients previously treated with at least two lines of chemotherapy or a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in 31 centers in China. Patients were randomly assigned at a 2:1 ratio to receive anlotinib (12 mg QD from days 1 to 14 of a 21-day cycle) or placebo until progression or intolerable toxicity. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). We assessed the efficacy of anlotinib in histological subgroups in the full analysis set.

RESULTS

In the ALTER0303 trial, 336 patients had the histological subtype of adenocarcinoma (ACC), 86 patients had the histological subtype of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and 15 patients had another subtype. In the ACC subgroup, the median OS time was significantly improved with anlotinib compared with placebo (9.6 months vs 6.9 months, P = .0051), as was the median progression-free survival (PFS) time (5.5 months vs 1.4 months, P < .0001). In the SCC subgroup, the median OS time was 10.7 months in the anlotinib group and 6.5 months in the placebo group (P = .2570), and the median PFS time was 4.8 months and 2.7 months (P = .0004), respectively. The common adverse events observed in the SCC and ACC subgroups were similar.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that anlotinib significantly improves PFS and OS in ACC patients and has a tendency to prolong survival in SCC patients.

Potential Therapeutic Strategies for Lung and Breast Cancers through Understanding the Anti-Angiogenesis Resistance Mechanisms

Breast and lung cancers are among the top cancer types in terms of incidence and mortality burden worldwide. One of the challenges in the treatment of breast and lung cancers is their resistance to administered drugs, as observed with angiogenesis inhibitors. Based on clinical and pre-clinical findings, these two types of cancers have gained the ability to resist angiogenesis inhibitors through several mechanisms that rely on cellular and extracellular factors. This resistance is mediated through angiogenesis-independent vascularization, and it is related to cancer cells and their microenvironment. The mechanisms that cancer cells utilize include metabolic symbiosis and invasion, and they also take advantage of neighboring cells like macrophages, endothelial cells, myeloid and adipose cells. Overcoming resistance is of great interest, and researchers are investigating possible strategies to enhance sensitivity towards angiogenesis inhibitors. These strategies involved targeting multiple players in angiogenesis, epigenetics, hypoxia, cellular metabolism and the immune system. This review aims to discuss the mechanisms of resistance to angiogenesis inhibitors and to highlight recently developed approaches to overcome this resistance.

Efficacy of EGFR-TKIs with or without angiogenesis inhibitors in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases (EGFR-TKIs) combined with or without angiogenesis inhibitors in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We searched published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing EGFR-TKIs with and without angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of advanced NSCLC. PubMed, EMBASE, PMC, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) databases were searched. The extracted data on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were measured in terms of hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In addition, odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% CIs were pooled for objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). Risk ratios (RRs) and corresponding 95% CIs were pooled for risk of adverse events (AEs). EGFR-TKIs combined with angiogenesis inhibitors showed significant improvements in PFS (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.61-0.84, P <0.0001), ORR (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.17-1.97, P=0.002) and DCR (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.24-1.81, P<0.0001) compared with EGFR-TKIs combined with placebo. However, EGFR-TKIs combined with angiogenesis inhibitors failed to improve OS (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.84-1.05, P = 0.26). In addition, diarrhea, hypertension, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, fatigue, rash, and dermatitis acneiform were significantly increased in patients treated with angiogenesis inhibitors. Thus, EGFR-TKIs combined with angiogenesis inhibitors were superior to EGFR-TKIs alone in advanced NSCLC due to their effects on PFS, ORR and DCR, but the increased incidence of AEs had an influence on the tolerability of this combination therapy.

Progression-free survival and one-year milestone survival as surrogates for overall survival in previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The advent of immunotherapy leads to greater availability of effective subsequent treatments and extended survival in previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), complicating the evaluation of overall survival (OS) in second-line NSCLC trials. Here, we aimed to assess the surrogacy of progression-free survival (PFS) and milestone survival for OS in second-line NSCLC trials investigating chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, respectively. We systemically searched for active-controlled, second-line NSCLC trials. The milestone time point was set at one-year based on pre-analysis. A two-stage meta-analytic validation model was adopted to assess associations between surrogate endpoint (SE) and OS and associations between treatment effects on SE and OS. Treatment effects on SE and OS were expressed as PFS hazard ratios (HR_PFS ), 1 yr-milestone ratio (Ratio_1y-SUR ) and HR_OS . Subgroup analyses stratified by treatment types and trial publication years evaluated the surrogacy in different clinical contexts. The study included 50 trials with 22,804 patients. One-year survival strongly correlated with OS (R² [95% confidence interval]: one-year survival -median OS = 0.707 [0.704-0.708]; Ratio_1y-SUR -HR_OS = 0.829 [0.828-0.831]). No correlation was established between PFS and OS (median PFS-median OS = 0.100 [0.098-0.101]; HR_PFS -HR_OS = 0.064 [0.059-0.069]), except in immunotherapy subgroup (HR_PFS -HR_OS = 0.835 [0.791-0.918]). In subgroup analyses, surrogacy of one-year survival persisted in different clinical contexts, and the disassociation between PFS and OS persisted in recent trials. One-year milestone survival showed strong surrogacy for OS in second-line NSCLC trials. Although no association was identified between PFS and OS, the strong HR_PFS -HR_OS correlation in immunotherapy trials indicates the potential of PFS as a SE in NSCLC trials involving immunotherapies.

Assessment of proportional hazard assumption in aggregate data: a systematic review on statistical methodology in clinical trials using time-to-event endpoint

Background

The evaluation of the proportional hazards (PH) assumption in survival analysis is an important issue when Hazard Ratio (HR) is chosen as summary measure. The aim is to assess the appropriateness of statistical methods based on the PH assumption in oncological trials.

Methods

We selected 58 randomised controlled trials comparing at least two pharmacological treatments with a time-to-event as primary endpoint in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Data from Kaplan–Meier curves were used to calculate the relative hazard at each time point and the Restricted Mean Survival Time (RMST). The PH assumption was assessed with a fixed-effect meta-regression.

Results

In 19% of the trials, there was evidence of non-PH. Comparison of treatments with different mechanisms of action was associated (P = 0.006) with violation of the PH assumption. In all the superiority trials where non-PH was detected, the conclusions using the RMST corresponded to that based on the Cox model, although the magnitude of the effect given by the HR was systematically greater than the one from the RMST ratio.

Conclusion

As drugs with new mechanisms of action are being increasingly employed, particular attention should be paid on the statistical methods used to compare different types of agents.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of third-line salvage therapy for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Purpose

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy of third-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Materials and Methods

Relevant trials were identified by searching electronic databases and conference meetings. Prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing third-line therapy in advanced NSCLC patients were included. Outcomes of interest included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Results

A total of 1,985 advanced NSCLC patients received third-line treatment from 11 RCTs were included for analysis. The use of single targeted agent as third-line therapy for advanced NSCLC did not significantly improved PFS (HR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.28–2.04, p = 0.58) and OS (HR 1.01, 95% CI: 0.86–1.17, p = 0.95) when compared to docetaxel alone. In addition, erlotinib-based doublet combination therapy did not significantly improved PFS (HR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.78–1.13, p = 0.49) and OS (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 0.78–1.51, p = 0.65) in comparison with erlotinib alone.

Conclusions

The findings of this study show that the efficacy of single novel targeted agent is comparable to that of docetaxel alone in terms of PFS and OS for heavily pretreated NSCLC patients. In addition, no survival benefits are obtained from erlotinib-based doublet therapy, thus single agent erlotinib could be recommended as third-line treatment for unselected advanced NSCLC patients.

Pneumonitis in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor: Meta-analysis of 153 cohorts with 15,713 patients: Meta-analysis of incidence and risk factors of EGFR-TKI pneumonitis in NSCLC

PURPOSE

Pneumonitis is a significant toxicity of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKI) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. We studied the incidence of pneumonitis in clinical trials of EGFR-TKI published in 2003-2017, and performed subgroups analyses to identity predisposing factors.

METHODS

Ovid-MEDLINE and EMBASE search up to 4/17/17 using the keywords, "erlotinib", "gefitinib", "afatinib", "osimertinib", and "lung cancer", resulted in a total of 153 eligible trial cohorts with 15,713 advanced NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKI. The pooled incidence of all-grade, high-grade, and grade 5 pneumonitis was obtained. Subgroup analyses were performed with meta-regression using study-level covariates.

RESULTS

Among the patients without prior exposure to EGFR-TKI, the overall incidence was 1.12% (95% CI:0.79-1.58%) for all-grade, 0.61% (95% CI:0.40-0.93%) for high-grade, and 0.20% (95% CI:0.11-0.38%) for grade 5 pneumonitis. The incidence was significantly higher in Japanese studies compared to studies of non-Japan origin, for all-grade (4.77% vs. 0.55%, p < 0.001), high grade (2.49% vs. 0.37%, p < 0.001), and grade 5 pneumonitis (1.00% vs. 0.18%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses demonstrated higher odds of pneumonitis in Japanese studies for all-grade (odds ratio [OR]: 5.04; 95% CI:3.14-8.11, p < 0.001), high-grade (OR: 4.45; 95% CI:2.50-7.93, p < 0.001), and grade 5 pneumonitis (OR: 4.55; 95% CI:2.20-9.44, p < 0.001) compared to others, after adjusting for types of EGFR-TKI and lines of therapy. In patients with EGFR retreatment analyzed separately, the pooled incidence was 1.13% (95% CI:0.40-3.15%) for all-grade, 0.49% (95% CI:0.21-1.11%) for high-grade, and 0.16% (95% CI:0.04-0.65%) for grade 5 pneumonitis.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall incidence of EGFR-TKI pneumonitis was 1.12% in patients without prior exposure to EGFR-TKI, and 1.13% in EGFR-TKI retreatment group. The cohorts from Japan had significantly higher incidence of pneumonitis, providing insights for further mechanistic studies.

Antiangiogenic therapies in non-small-cell lung cancer

Angiogenesis is frequent in non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) and is associated with more aggressive disease. Many clinical trials have evaluated the addition of antiangiogenic therapy to standard therapies for patients with nsclc. Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against serum vascular endothelial growth factor, in combination with carboplatin-paclitaxel chemotherapy, has been shown to improve survival for patients with nsclc. However, bevacizumab-based therapy is not suitable for many nsclc patients, including those with squamous histology, poor performance status, brain metastases, and the presence of bleeding or thrombotic disorders. Similar efficacy has also been seen with carboplatin-pemetrexed followed by maintenance pemetrexed chemotherapy. In the second-line setting, the addition of ramucirumab to docetaxel-or the addition of bevacizumab to paclitaxel-has resulted in a modest improvement in efficacy, although the clinical importance of those findings is questionable. Many trials in nsclc have also evaluated oral antiangiogenic compounds, both in the first line in combination with chemotherapy and upon disease progression either as combination or single-agent therapy. No clear improvements in overall survival have been observed, although a subgroup analysis of a trial evaluating the addition of nintedanib to docetaxel showed improved survival that was limited to patients with adenocarcinoma. Those findings require validation, however. All of the oral antiangiogenic agents result in added toxicities. Some agents have resulted in an increased risk of death, limiting their development. Available evidence supports a limited number of antiangiogenic therapies for patients with nsclc, but no biomarkers to help in patient selection are currently available, and additional translational research is needed to identify predictive biomarkers for antiangiogenic therapy.

Comparative effectiveness of combined therapy inhibiting EGFR and VEGF pathways in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis of 16 phase II/III randomized trials

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Combined therapy inhibiting EGFR and VEGF pathways is becoming a promising therapy in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however, with controversy. The study aims to compare the efficacy of combined inhibition therapy versus control therapy (including placebo, single EGFR inhibition and single VEGF inhibition) in patients with advanced NSCLC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An adequate literature search in EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) was conducted. Phase II or III randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared effectiveness between combined inhibition therapy and control therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC were eligible. The endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Sixteen phase II or III RCTs involving a total of 7,109 patients were included. The results indicated that the combined inhibition therapy significantly increased the ORR (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.36-1.87, p<0.00001; I2 = 36%) when compared to control therapy. In the subgroup analysis, the combined inhibition therapy clearly increased the ORR (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.60-2.60, p<0.00001; I2 = 0%) and improved the PFS (HR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.71-0.85, p<0.00001;I2 = 0%) when compared with the placebo, and similar results was detected when compared with the single EGFR inhibition in terms of ORR (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.12-1.74, p = 0.003; I2 = 30%) and PFS (HR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.67-0.81, p<0.0001; I2 = 50%). No obvious difference was found between the combined inhibition therapy and single VEGF inhibition in term of ORR, however, combined inhibition therapy significantly decreased the PFS when compared to the single VEGF inhibition therapy (HR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.34-2.17, p<0.0001; I2 = 50%). Besides, no significant difference was observed between the combined inhibition therapy and control therapy in term of OS (including placebo, single EGFR inhibition and single VEGF inhibition) (HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.92-1.04, p = 0.41; I2 = 0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Combined inhibition therapy was superior to placebo and single EGFR inhibition in terms of ORR, PFS for advanced NSCLC, however, no statistical difference were found in term of OS. Besides, combined inhibition therapy was not superior to single VEGF inhibition in terms of ORR, PFS and OS. Therefore, combined inhibition therapy is recommended to treat advanced NSCLC patients.

Newly developed anti-angiogenic therapy in non-small cell lung cancer

Angiogenesis and its role in the growth and development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastases has become an increasing clinical problem. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a key role in advanced NSCLC. To some extent, anti-angiogenic therapies acquired some efficacy in combination with chemotherapy, target therapy and immunotherapy. However, the reliable clinical benefit obtained with these drugs is still questionable and often quantitatively limited. In this review, the authors highlight the data obtained from first-line, second-line, epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor(EGFR-TKI) target therapy and immunotherapy in NSCLC patients who are treated with anti-angiogenic molecules in advanced NSCLC. The purpose of this study is to help us truly understand how to best use angiogenesis therapy in advanced NSCLC.

Meta-analysis of efficacy and adverse events of erlotinib-based targeted therapies for advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

A network meta-analysis evaluating efficacy and adverse events of eight erlotinib-based therapies (erlotinib+placebo, erlotinib+tivantinib, erlotinib+celecoxib, erlotinib+onartuzumab, erlotinib+sunitinib, erlotinib+entinostat, erlotinib+sorafenib, and erlotinib+bevacizumab) for advanced/metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was performed. PubMed and Cochrane Library were reviewed, and ten randomized controlled trials were identified in which patients receiving at least one erlotinib-based therapy. Efficacy outcomes, including progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse outcomes were evaluated. Patients treated with erlotinib+tivantinib, or erlotinib+celecoxib had longer PFS than patients on erlotinib+placebo; patients on erlotinib+tivantinib had longer OS compared to erlotinib+placebo. For PFS, erlotinib+celecoxib had the highest value of surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). For OS, erlotinib+tivantinib had the highest SUCRA. For ORR, erlotinib+bevacizumab had the highest SUCRA, while erlotinib+entinostat ranked the lowest. For DCR, erlotinib+sorafenib had the highest SUCRA. Erlotinib+onartuzumab had the highest SUCRA for diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and dyspnea. Erlotinib+sunitinib had the lowest SUCRA for diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. Erlotinib + entinostat had the lowest SUCRA for fatigue, asthenia, and dyspnea. Our study suggests erlotinib+tivantinib and erlotinib+celecoxib regimens have the best long-term efficacy, while erlotinib+sunitinib and erlotinib+entinostat have the fewest adverse effects in patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC.

Erlotinib-based doublet targeted therapy versus erlotinib alone in previously treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis from 24 randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

To assess the efficacy profile of erlotinib-based doublet targeted therapy compared with erlotinib monotherapy for previously treated patients with advanced NSCLC, a meta-analysis was performed.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We rigorously searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and meeting proceedings. Phase II/III randomized trials reporting on the efficacy of erlotinib-doublet therapy versus single-agent therapy were selected. We estimated the HR for OS, PFS and the RR for ORR, DCR, 1-year SR. Phases of trials, targeted signaling pathways, EGFR-status and KRAS- status were included in subset analysis.

RESULTS

24 studies involving 6,196 patients were eligible. In general, the combination targeted therapy significantly improved PFS, ORR and DCR. There was also a trend showing improved OS and 1-year SR in doublets group, though it was not statistically significant. Subgroup analysis suggested PFS improvement in EGFR wild-type, KRAS mutant, KRAS wild-type populations. Moreover, patients treated with anti-angiogenesis or anti-MET targeted agent revealed a significant benefit in PFS.

CONCLUSION

In patients with advanced NSCLC, erlotinib-doublets target therapy (specially combination with anti-angiogenesis and anti-MET targeted agents) was associated with a statistically significantly longer PFS, greater ORR and DCR, but the combination did not improve OS and 1-year SR compared with erlotinib alone.

Strategies targeting angiogenesis in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Tumor angiogenesis is a frequent event in the development and progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and has been identified as a promising therapeutic target. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and other angiogenic factors, including fibroblast growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, promote the growth of newly formed vessels from preexisting vessels and change the tumor microenvironment. To date, two antiangiogenic monoclonal antibodies, bevacizumab and ramucirumab, which target VEGF-A and its receptor VEGF receptor-2, respectively, have been approved for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC when added to first-line standard chemotherapy. Numerous oral multitargeting angiogenic small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been widely evaluated in advanced NSCLC, but only nintedanib in combination with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy has demonstrated a survival benefit in the second-line setting. Additionally, small-molecule TKIs remain the standard of care for patients with mutated EGFR, ALK or ROS1. Moreover, immune checkpoint inhibitors that target the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) are changing the current strategy in the treatment of advanced NSCLC without driver gene mutations. The potential synergistic activity of antiangiogenic agents and TKIs or immunotherapy is an interesting topic of research. This review will summarize the novel antiangiogenic agents, antiangiogenic monotherapy, as well as potential combination therapeutic strategies for the clinical management of advanced NSCLC.

Second-Line Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: New Developments for Tumours Not Harbouring Targetable Oncogenic Driver Mutations

Platinum-based doublet chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab is the standard of care for the initial management of advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without a targetable molecular abnormality. However, the majority of patients with NSCLC will ultimately develop resistance to initial platinum-based chemotherapy, and many remain candidates for subsequent lines of therapy. Randomised trials over the past 10-15 years have established pemetrexed (non-squamous histology), docetaxel, erlotinib and gefitinib as approved second-line agents in NSCLC without targetable driver mutations or rearrangements. Trials comparing these agents with other chemotherapy, evaluating the addition of an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) to chemotherapy or the addition of another targeted agent to erlotinib or gefitinib have all failed to demonstrate an improvement in overall survival for patients with NSCLC. In contrast, recent data comparing therapy with novel monoclonal antibodies against programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) or PD ligand (PD-L1) pathway versus standard chemotherapy following platinum failure have demonstrated significant improvements in overall survival. Therapy with nivolumab or pembrolizumab would now be considered standard second-line therapy in patients without contraindication to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Atezolizumab also appears promising in this setting.

Second-Line Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Clinical, Pathological, and Molecular Aspects of Nintedanib

Lung carcinoma is the leading cause of death by cancer in the world. Nowadays, most patients will experience disease progression during or after first-line chemotherapy demonstrating the need for new, effective second-line treatments. The only approved second-line therapies for patients without targetable oncogenic drivers are docetaxel, gemcitabine, pemetrexed, and erlotinib and for patients with target-specific oncogenes afatinib, osimertinib, crizotinib, alectinib, and ceritinib. In recent years, evidence on the role of antiangiogenic agents have been established as important and effective therapeutic targets in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nintedanib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting three angiogenesis-related transmembrane receptors (vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor). Several preclinical and clinical studies have proven the usefulness of nintedanib as an anticancer agent for NSCLC. The most important study was the phase III LUME-Lung 1 trial, which investigated the combination of nintedanib with docetaxel for second-line treatment in advanced NSCLC patients. The significant improvement in overall survival and the manageable safety profile led to the approval of this new treatment in Europe. This review focuses on the preclinical and clinical studies with nintedanib in NSCLC.

Targeting Neovasculature with Multitargeted Antiangiogenesis Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Chemotherapy has reached a plateau in the efforts for survival improvement in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The growing knowledge of NSCLC molecular pathobiology has led to the development of new treatments that target specific tumor functions. Angiogenesis is a tumor function leading to the formation of new tumor vessels that are crucial for its survival. Although vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a primary role in angiogenesis, the inhibition of the VEGF pathway with VEGF-receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is associated with a modest survival benefit due to the development of resistance by the tumor that has been mainly attributed to the up-regulation of other stimulators of angiogenesis. Thus, the use of multitargeted antiangiogenesis TKIs (MATKIs) for simultaneous inhibition of multiple angiogenic pathways has been proposed. This review summarizes data about novel treatment strategies incorporating the inhibition of angiogenesis with MATKIs in NSCLC. The data from all relevant studies shows that MATKIs do not offer additional survival benefit to currently available chemotherapeutic options in unselected NSCLC patients. However, the diversity in disease response to MATKI-containing regimens implies that specific patient subgroups may benefit from or be harmed by these agents. In this context, most studies agree that the VEGFR-targeting MATKIs are harmful in squamous NSCLC while specific MATKIs (i.e., motesanib, vandetanib and nintedanib) are associated with improved progression free survival in non-squamous NSCLC. However, overall survival benefit was found only in adenocarcinoma and Asian non-squamous NSCLC patients with the use of nintedanib and motesanib, respectively.

Erlotinib-based targeted dual agent versus erlotinib alone in previously treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effects of an erlotinib-based targeted dual agent with erlotinib alone in previously treated patients with advanced non-small lung cancer (NSCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The PubMed and Embase databases and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for publications between January 2005 and March 2016. Hazard ratios (HRs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs), or data for calculating HRs with 95% CIs were derived. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and toxicity were assessed.

RESULTS

Thirteen trials with a total of 4509 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with erlotinib alone, combination therapy showed no improvement in OS (HR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.89-1.02; P = .132) though significantly prolonged PFS (HR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.75-0.90; P < .001). Combination therapy significantly increased ORR (RR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.09-1.60; P = .005) and DCR (RR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.17-1.36, P < .001). Sub-analysis assessment failed to identify any sub-groups which could benefit from combination therapy in terms of OS. Combination therapy was associated with more grade 3 or higher toxic effects (RR = 1.54; 95% CI, 1.22-1.95; P < .001). Patients treated with combination therapy had more grade 3 or greater fatigue (RR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.16-1.91; P = .002), but did not develop more diarrhea (RR = 2.02; 95% CI, 0.86-4.77; P = .107) or rash (RR = 1.29, 95% CI, 0.90-1.85; P = .172). This study had limitations about heterogeneities among the included trials, and the analysis was not based on individual patient data.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with erlotinib alone, the erlotinib-based targeted dual agent showed a minimal magnitude of improvement in PFS but did not improve OS. The role of erlotinib-based combinations in previously treated patients with NSCLC seemed insignificant.

Adverse events risk associated with anti-VEGFR agents in the treatment of advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis

To perform this meta-analysis, we investigated the risk of the most clinically relevant adverse events related to antivascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) agents in advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).A comprehensive literature search for studies published up to October 2015 was performed. Prospective randomized controlled phase II/III clinical trials that comparing therapy with or without anti-VEGFR agents for advanced NSCLC were included for analysis. Summary relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random effects or fixed effects according to the heterogeneity among included trials.A total of 11,701 patients from 18 clinical trials were included for analysis. Pooled RR showed that the use of anti-VEGFR agents significantly increased the risk of developing hypertension (RR 4.71, 95% CI 3.29-6.73, P < 0.001) and fatal adverse events (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.12-1.58, P = 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found for gastrointestinal (GI) perforation (P = 0.41), arterial or venous thromboembolic events (P = 0.49 and P = 0.16, respectively), or hemorrhagic events (P = 0.81). Sensitive analysis indicated that the significance estimate of pooled RR of fatal adverse event (FAEs) was not significantly influenced by omitting any single study.The use of anti-VEGFR agents in advanced NSCLC does significantly increase the risk of hypertension and fatal adverse events, but not for arterial or venous thromboembolic events, GI perforation, or hemorrhagic events.

Economic Evaluation of Companion Diagnostic Testing for EGFR Mutations and First-Line Targeted Therapy in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients in South Korea

Background

As targeted therapy becomes increasingly important, diagnostic techniques for identifying targeted biomarkers have also become an emerging issue. The study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of treating patients as guided by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status compared with a no-testing strategy that is the current clinical practice in South Korea.

Methods

A cost-utility analysis was conducted to compare an EGFR mutation testing strategy with a no-testing strategy from the Korean healthcare payer’s perspective. The study population consisted of patients with stage 3b and 4 lung adenocarcinoma. A decision tree model was employed to select the appropriate treatment regimen according to the results of EGFR mutation testing and a Markov model was constructed to simulate disease progression of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The length of a Markov cycle was one month, and the time horizon was five years (60 cycles).

Results

In the base case analysis, the testing strategy was a dominant option. Quality-adjusted life-years gained (QALYs) were 0.556 and 0.635, and total costs were $23,952 USD and $23,334 USD in the no-testing and testing strategy respectively. The sensitivity analyses showed overall robust results. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) increased when the number of patients to be treated with erlotinib increased, due to the high cost of erlotinib.

Conclusion

Treating advanced adenocarcinoma based on EGFR mutation status has beneficial effects and saves the cost compared to no testing strategy in South Korea. However, the cost-effectiveness of EGFR mutation testing was heavily affected by the cost-effectiveness of the targeted therapy.

Failures in Phase III: Causes and Consequences

Phase III randomized controlled trials (RCT) in oncology fail to lead to registration of new therapies more often than RCTs in other medical disciplines. Most RCTs are sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry, which reflects industry's increasing responsibility in cancer drug development. Many preclinical models are unreliable for evaluation of new anticancer agents, and stronger evidence of biologic effect should be required before a new agent enters the clinical development pathway. Whenever possible, early-phase clinical trials should include pharmacodynamic studies to demonstrate that new agents inhibit their molecular targets and demonstrate substantial antitumor activity at tolerated doses in an enriched population of patients. Here, we review recent RCTs and found that these conditions were not met for most of the targeted anticancer agents, which failed in recent RCTs. Many recent phase III RCTs were initiated without sufficient evidence of activity from early-phase clinical trials. Because patients treated within such trials can be harmed, they should not be undertaken. The bar should also be raised when making decisions to proceed from phase II to III and from phase III to marketing approval. Many approved agents showed only better progression-free survival than standard treatment in phase III trials and were not shown to improve survival or its quality. Introduction of value-based pricing of new anticancer agents would dissuade the continued development of agents with borderline activity in early-phase clinical trials. When collaborating with industry, oncologists should be more critical and better advocates for cancer patients.

Risk of venous and arterial thromboembolic events associated with anti-VEGF agents in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Aims

To assess the incidence and risk of arterial and venous thromboembolic events (ATEs and VTEs) associated with antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents, including VEGF receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors and VEGF monoclonal antibodies, in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods

We performed a broad search of PubMed for relevant trials. Prospective randomized trials evaluating therapy with or without anti-VEGF agents in patients with advanced NSCLC were included for analysis. Data on VTEs and ATEs were extracted. The overall incidence, Peto odds ratio (Peto OR), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled according to the heterogeneity of included trials.

Results

A total of 13,436 patients from 23 trials were included for analysis. Our results showed that anti-VEGF agents significantly increased the risk of developing high-grade ATEs (Peto OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.00–2.07, P=0.048), but not for all-grade ATEs (Peto OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.56–1.59, P=0.82) compared with controls. Additionally, no increased risk of all-grade and high-grade VTEs (Peto OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.67–1.31, P=0.71 and Peto OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.73–1.22, P=0.67, respectively) was observed in advanced NSCLC patients receiving anti-VEGF agents.

Conclusion

The use of anti-VEGF agents in advanced NSCLC patients significantly increased the risk of high-grade ATEs, but not for VTEs. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of severe ATEs with administration of these drugs in advanced NSCLC patients.

Are VEGFR-TKIs effective or safe for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer?

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs) might be new therapeutic strategies for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here a total of 12,520 patients from 23 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were enrolled to evaluate the efficacy and safety of VEGFR-TKIs quantitatively in advanced NSCLC. Compared with non-VEGFR-TKIs, VEGFR-TKIs regimen significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) [hazard ratio (HR): 0.839, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.805-0.874, P < 0.001], objective response rates (ORR) [relative risk (RR): 1.374, 95% CI: 1.193-1.583, P < 0.001] and disease control rates (DCR) (RR: 1.113, 95% CI: 1.027-1.206, P = 0.009), but not overall survival (OS) (HR: 0.960, 95% CI: 0.921-1.002, P = 0.060) for NSCLC patients. The RR of all-grade neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, hypertension, hemorrhage, fatigue, anorexia, stomatitis, diarrhea, rash, hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR) were increased in patients received VEGFR-TKIs. As for high-grade (≥ 3) adverse events (AEs), VEGFR-TKIs were associated with higher RR of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, hypertension, fatigue, stomatitis, diarrhea, rash and HFSR. This study demonstrates VEGFR-TKIs improve PFS, ORR and DCR, but not OS in advanced NSCLC patients. VEGFR-TKIs induce more frequent and serious AEs compared with control therapies.

Effects of local irradiation combined with sunitinib on early remodeling, mitochondria, and oxidative stress in the rat heart

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Thoracic (chemo)radiation therapy is increasingly administered with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). While TKI have adverse effects on the heart, it is unknown whether combination with other cancer therapies causes enhanced toxicity. We used an animal model to investigate whether radiation and sunitinib interact in their effects on the heart.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Male Sprague-Dawley rats received local heart irradiation (9Gy per day, 5days). Oral sunitinib (8 or 15mg/kg bodyweight per day) started on day 1 of irradiation and continued for 2weeks. Cardiac function was examined with echocardiography. Cardiac remodeling, cell death, left ventricular (LV) oxidative stress markers, mitochondrial morphology and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening were assessed.

RESULTS

Cardiac diameter, stroke volume, and LV volume, mass and anterior wall thickness increased in time, but only in the vehicle group. Sunitinib reduced LV inner diameter and volume in systole, which were counteracted by radiation. Sunitinib and radiation showed enhanced effects on mitochondrial morphology and mPTP opening, but not on cardiac troponin I, mast cell numbers or markers of oxidative stress.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found no early enhanced effects of radiation and sunitinib on cardiac function or structure. Long-term effects remain to be determined.

Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy of Salvage Therapy With Sunitinib, Docetaxel (Tyxan) and Cisplatinum Followed by Maintenance Vinorelbine for Unresectable/Metastatic Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer: Stage 1 of a Simon 2 Stage Clinical Trial. [Corrected]

Current chemotherapeutic regimens for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have reached a plateau over the last few years. Targeted therapy makes use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to suppress a number of signaling pathways including epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor which are active in NSCLC biology. In this study, we used sunitinib, a multi-target receptor TKI, combined with chemotherapy for unresectable/metastatic NSCLC.This open label Simon's 2 stage clinical trial enrolled a total of 6 NSCLC patients who received docetaxel (40 mg) and cisplatin (50 mg) on day 1 of each cycle (14 day interval between cycles) and sunitinib (25 mg qd for 10 days between cycles) for a total of 12 cycles (24 weeks), after which patients received maintenance therapy with vinorelbine (30 mg TIW) until disease progression. The sample size was based on a Simon's Optimal Two-Stage Designs for Phase II clinical trials. The expected response rate was set as 35% for P0 and as 60% for P1. The study was designed for a minimum of 6 patients for first stage and 15 patients until second stage with a significance level alpha = 0.10 and power = 70%. Diagnosis of a poor response in the second of 6 patients in Stage I or seventh of the 15 patients in Stage II would lead to early termination of the trial.The overall response rate was 66.7%. Four patients had an overall survival >60 months. The time to PFS ranged from 3 to 42 months. The combination therapy was well-tolerated.Sunitinib combined with chemotherapy shows promise and warrants further investigation.

An exploratory comparative analysis of tyrosine kinase inhibitors or docetaxel in second-line treatment of EGFR wild-type non-small-cell lung cancer: a retrospective real-world practice review at a single tertiary care centre

BACKGROUND

Treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc), especially in patients with wild-type EGFR, remains limited. Recently, erlotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (tki) targeting EGFR mutation, was approved as second-line treatment in EGFR wild-type nsclc. Despite evidence of better overall survival (os) with chemotherapy than with tki in second-line treatment, data on the use of tki in the real-life clinical setting remain limited. The present practice review of tki use for second- and third-line treatment in EGFR wild-type nsclc also compares clinical outcomes for tki and single-agent docetaxel as second-line treatment.

METHODS

Our retrospective cohort study included patients with EGFR wild-type nsclc treated at the Jewish General Hospital (Montreal, QC) between 2003 and 2013. Patients received a tki (erlotinib or gefitinib) in the second and third line or docetaxel in the second line. For each group, we determined os, disease control rate, progression-free survival (pfs), and event-free survival (efs).

RESULTS

The tki group included 145 patients, with 92 receiving second-line treatment. In the control group, 53 patients received docetaxel as second-line therapy. In the tki group, os was 6.0 months; pfs, 2.7 months; and efs, 3.0 months. Comparing second-line treatments, os was 5.3 and 5.0 months respectively (p = 0.88), pfs was 2.5 and 1.8 months respectively (p = 0.041), and efs was 3.0 and 1.7 months respectively (p = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

In our study cohort, second-line therapy for EGFR wild-type nsclc with tki (compared with docetaxel) was associated with statistically better pfs and efs and noninferior os. Those findings raise the question of whether efs should also be considered when choosing second-line treatment in this patient population.

The efficacy of combining antiangiogenic agents with chemotherapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who failed first-line chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The clinical outcomes of patients with NSCLC who progressed after first-line treatments remain poor. The purpose of this study was to assess the advantage of antiangiogenic therapy plus standard treatment versus standard treatment alone for this population of patients.

METHODS

We conducted a rigorous search using electronic databases for eligible studies reporting antiangiogenic therapy combined with standard second-line chemotherapy versus standard second-line treatment for patient who progressed after front-line treatment. Pooled risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using proper statistical method. Predefined subgroup analyses were conducted to identify the potential proper patients.

RESULTS

Thirteen phase II/III RCTs which involved a total of 8358 participants were included. Overall, there was significant improvement in OS (HR 0.94, 95%CI: 0.89-0.99, p=0.03), PFS (HR 0.80, 95%CI: 0.76-0.84, p<0.00001), ORR (RR 1.75, 95%CI: 1.55-1.98, p<0.00001) and DCR (RR 1.23, 95%CI: 1.18-1.28, p<0.00001) in the group with antiangiogenic therapy plus standard treatment versus the group with standard treatment alone. Subgroup analysis showed that OS benefit was presented only in patients treated with docetaxel plus antiangiogenic agents (HR 0.92, 95%CI: 0.86-0.99, p=0.02) and patients with non-squamous NSCLC (HR for OS 0.92, 95%CI: 0.86-0.99, p=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that the addition of antiangiogenic agents to the standard treatments could provide clinical benefit to NSCLC patients who failed their first-line therapy. Furthermore, proper selection of the combined standard cytotoxic agent, as well as the patient population by tumor histology, is warranted for future studies and clinical application of antiangiogenic therapy.

Use of the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib, dacomitinib, and icotinib in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

This systematic review addresses the use of epidermal growth factor receptor (egfr) inhibitors in three populations of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) patients-unselected, selected, and molecularly selected-in three treatment settings: first line, second line, and maintenance.

METHODS

Ninety-six randomized controlled trials found using the medline and embase databases form the basis of this review.

RESULTS

In the first-line setting, data about the efficacy of egfr tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tkis) compared with platinum-based chemotherapy are inconsistent. Results from studies that selected patients based on clinical characteristics are also mixed. There is high-quality evidence that an egfrtki is preferred over a platinum doublet as initial therapy for patients with an activating mutation of the EGFR gene. The egfrtkis are associated with a higher likelihood of response, longer progression-free survival, and improved quality of life. Multiple trials of second-line therapy have compared an egfrtki with chemotherapy. Meta-analysis of those data demonstrates similar progression-free and overall survival. There is consequently no preferred sequence for second-line egfrtki or second-line chemotherapy. The egfrtkis have also been evaluated as switch-maintenance therapy. No molecular marker could identify patients in whom a survival benefit was not observed; however, the magnitude of the benefit was modest.

CONCLUSIONS

Determination of EGFR mutation status is essential to making appropriate treatment decisions in patients with nsclc. Patients who are EGFR mutation-positive should be treated with an egfrtki as first-line therapy. An egfrtki is still appropriate therapy in patients who are EGFR wild-type, but the selected agent should be administered as second- or third-line therapy.

Efficacy and safety of angiogenesis inhibitors in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway plays a crucial role in angiogenesis and has become a promising target for cancer drug development. We aimed to quantify the overall efficacy and safety of angiogenesis inhibitors in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

Electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing angiogenesis inhibitors with non-angiogenesis inhibitors for NSCLC patients. The extracted data on objective response rates (ORRs), disease control rates (DCRs), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were pooled. Common adverse events (AEs) were also studied.

RESULTS

A total of 33 RCTs involving 17,396 patients were included. Compared with non-angiogenesis inhibitors, angiogenesis inhibitors resulted in significant improvement in PFS (HR, 0.81; 95 % CI 0.76-0.85; p < 0.001), OS (HR, 0.95; 95 % CI 0.92-0.98; p = 0.004), ORR (RR, 1.54; 95 % CI 1.37-1.73; p < 0.001) and DCR (RR, 1.18; 95 % CI 1.10-1.27; p < 0.001). The AEs associated with angiogenesis inhibitors were generally predictable and manageable.

CONCLUSION

Angiogenesis inhibitors were superior to non-angiogenesis inhibitors in terms of ORR, DCR, PFS and OS in advanced NSCLC patients. Further studies are warranted to explore the predictive biomarkers to pick up those who may gain utmost benefit from anti-angiogenic therapy.

Nintedanib in non-small cell lung cancer: from preclinical to approval

Angiogenesis is a driving force of a tumor’s development. Targeting this process is an attractive option, as this is a feature shared by most of the solid tumors. A lot of antiangiogenic drugs have been developed following this path, including bevacizumab, sorafenib, sunitinib, vandetanib, ramucirumab, motesanib and many others. The latest drug of this class to be approved for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was nintedanib, a triple angiokinase inhibitor. This molecule targets vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathways, avoiding the tumor’s switch to normal escape mechanisms. The pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicity profiles of nintedanib have been tested in several studies. These trials revealed it to be very interesting, as this agent did not lead to the classical adverse events of other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. A phase III clinical trial that recently concluded provided us with relevant information in patients with NSCLC of adenocarcinoma histology. Here we present a short overview of the tumor angiogenesis pathways and antiangiogenic drugs. In particular, we will focus on nintedanib, from the preclinical studies to the latest phase III clinical trial that allowed this new agent to be approved by the European Medicines Agency as a second-line treatment option in association with docetaxel for NSCLC patients with adenocarcinoma histology.

Incidence and risk of xerosis with targeted anticancer therapies

BACKGROUND

Many targeted therapies used in the treatment of cancer can lead to the development of xerosis, but the incidence and relative risk of xerosis have not been ascertained.

OBJECTIVE

We conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis of clinical trials, to ascertain the incidence and risk of developing xerosis after taking anticancer drugs.

METHODS

The PubMed (1966-October 2013), Web of Science (January 1998-October 2013), and American Society of Clinical Oncology abstracts (2004-2013) databases were searched for clinical trials of 58 targeted agents. Results were calculated using random or fixed effects models.

RESULTS

The incidences of all- and high-grade xerosis were 17.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.6-20.4%) and 1.0% (95% CI: 0.9-1.5%), respectively. The risk of developing all-grade xerosis was 2.99 (95% CI: 2.0-4.3), and it varied across different drugs (P < .001).

LIMITATIONS

The reporting of xerosis may vary among clinicians and institutions, and the incidence may be affected by age, concomitant medications, comorbidities, and underlying malignancies or skin conditions.

CONCLUSION

Patients receiving targeted therapies have a significant risk of developing xerosis. Patients should be counseled and treated early for this symptom to prevent suboptimal dosing and quality of life impairment.

Safety profile of combined therapy inhibiting EFGR and VEGF pathways in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis of 15 phase II/III randomized trials

The efficacy of combined vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was well studied. However, few studies focused on the risk and adverse events (AEs) of combined targeted therapy. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the safety profile of combined targeted therapy against EFGR and VEGF in patients with advanced NSCLC. A comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), ASCO Abstracts and ESMO Abstracts was conducted. Eligible studies were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that compared safety profile of combined therapy inhibiting EFGR and VEGF pathways with control groups (placebo, single EGFR or VEGF inhibition therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of them) in patients with advanced NSCLC. The endpoints included treatment discontinuation, treatment-related deaths and AEs. The search identified 15 RCTs involving 6,919 patients. The outcomes showed that three of four pairwise comparisons detected more discontinuation due to AEs in combined targeted therapy, with odds ratio (OR) compared with the control groups ranged from 1.97 to 2.29. Treatment with combined inhibition therapy was associated with several all-grade and grade 3 or 4 AEs (e.g. rash, diarrhea and hypertension). Also, there was a significantly higher incidence of treatment-related deaths in combined inhibition using vandetanib versus single EGFR inhibition therapy (OR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.19-3.28). In conclusion, combined inhibition therapy against EGFR and VEGF in patients with advanced NSCLC was associated with increased toxicity. Increased AEs hinder patient compliance and reduce their quality of life, leading to dose reduction or discontinuation.

Risk of mucocutaneous toxicities in patients with solid tumors treated with sunitinib: a critical review and meta analysis

INTRODUCTION

we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of mucocutaneous toxicities associatedwith sunitinib, an oral multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

METHODS

eligible studies included randomized Phase II and III trials of patients with solid tumors on sunitinib daily, describing events of hand-foot syndrome, skin rash, stomatitis, and skin and hair discoloration.

RESULTS

the relative risk (RR) of all-grade hand-foot skin reaction, skin rash, stomatitis, skin and hair discoloration were 2.12 (95% CI: 1.28-3.51; p < 0.004), 1.33 (95% CI: 1.15-1.54; p < 0.0002), 1.88 (95% CI: 1.36-2.59; p = 0.0001), 16.6 (95% CI: 4.18-64.94 p < 0.003), 4.42 (95% CI: 0.8-24.5; p < 0.09); respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

our meta-analysis has demonstrated that sunitinib is associated with a higher risk of developing all-grade hand-foot skin reaction, skin rash, stomatitis and skin discoloration compared with control. Clinicians should be aware of these risks and perform regular clinical monitoring.

Risk of treatment-related deaths with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a meta-analysis of 41 randomized controlled trials

Background

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have widely been used in advanced cancer. However, these drugs may also lead to serious adverse events. The present meta-analysis aimed to determine the overall incidence and risk of deaths due to VEGFR-TKIs with more detailed subgroup analysis.

Materials and methods

PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared VEGFR-TKIs with non-VEGFR-TKIs in the treatment of solid cancer. Pooled incidence, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects or fixed-effects models based on the heterogeneity of included trials.

Results

A total of 14,139 participants from 41 RCTs were enrolled. The pooled incidence of death due to VEGFR-TKIs was 1.9% (95% CI: 1.6%–2.3%) with an OR of 1.85 (95% CI: 1.33–2.58; P<0.01) when compared with control groups. On subgroup analysis, significantly increased risk of death was found in patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer (OR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.19–4.73; P=0.01) and colorectal cancer (OR: 2.84; 95% CI: 1.02–7.96; P=0.05). Among different VEGFR-TKIs, sorafenib and sunitinib had significant risk of death when compared with control arms, respectively. VEGFR-TKIs in combination with other antineoplastic agents, but not VEGFR-TKI monotherapy, significantly increased the risk of treatment-related deaths. No heterogeneity was noted across all the prespecified subgroups regarding ORs.

Conclusion

The present work pointed out a significantly increased risk of death due to VEGFR-TKIs. Close monitoring should be emphasized in patients receiving these drugs.

Risk of arterial thromboembolic events with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors: an up-to-date meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Arterial thromboembolic events (ATEs) with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs) have emerged as a serious concern, we perform a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the incidence and risk of ATEs in cancer patients treated with these agents.

METHODS

The databases of PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles. Statistical analyses were conducted to calculate the summary incidence, odds ratio (OR), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using either random effects or fixed effect models according to the heterogeneity of included studies.

RESULTS

A total of 9711 patients from 19 RCTs were included. The overall incidence of ATEs was 1.5% (95%CI: 1.0-2.3%). The use of VEGFR-TKIs significantly increased the risk of developing ATEs when compared with controls (OR 2.26, 95%CI: 1.38-3.68, p=0.001). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the significance estimate of pooled ORs was not significantly influenced by omitting any single study. In subgroup analyses, the odds ratio of ATEs did not significantly vary with tumor types (p=0.70), VEGFR-TKIs (p=0.32), treatment regimens (p=0.76), phase of trials (p=0.37) and sample size (p=0.89). Additionally, the most common events for ATEs were cardiac ischemia/infarction (67.4%), CNS ischemia (7.9%) and cerebrovascular accident (6.7%).

CONCLUSION

In this largest meta-analysis to date, we find that treatment with VEGFR-TKIs significantly increase the risk of developing ATEs. Further studies are still needed to investigate this association. In the appropriate clinical scenario, the use of these drugs remains justified in their approved indications.

[Progress of platelet derived grow factor family in non-small cell lung cancer]

非小细胞肺癌（non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC）作为全球癌症相关死亡率较高的恶性肿瘤，目前仍缺少可靠稳定的预后指标。血小板源生长因子（platelet derived grow factor, PDGF）及其受体通过多种细胞内信号通路参与细胞生长，迁移，转移以及上皮间叶转化等过程。病理结果表明，PDGF通路主要通过旁分泌途径刺激NSCLC肿瘤间质生长，亦有发现PDGF通路对某些NSCLC肿瘤细胞可能存在直接驱动作用。NSCLC组织中的PDGF及其受体的表达与肿瘤的预后，淋巴结转移等临床结果相关。在临床治疗中，PDGF通路对NSCLC血管生成的重要作用，及抑制PDGF通路促进化疗药物在实体瘤内部分布的作用不容忽视。PDGF作为重要的促血管生成通路，在NSCLC放射治疗中的作用也越来越多地被各种基础研究证实。本文拟对PDGF通路在NSCLC领域的研究进展做一综述，以求对临床和基础研究者有一些启发。