Efficacy and Safety of Anlotinib in the Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Real-World Observation Study

The occurrence of asthma in an extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer patient after combination therapy with atezolizumab and anlotinib: a case report

Background

Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) is highly malignant, with early metastasis and high recurrence. Since therapeutic options are limited, ES-SCLC has a characteristically short survival period and extremely poor prognosis. A combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and anti-angiogenic drugs can achieve promising efficacy and safety in patients with ES-SCLC as a second-line or subsequent treatment, extending survival to some extent. However, the clinical outcomes remain mostly unsatisfactory and are sometimes affected by treatment-related adverse events.

Case presentation

A 57-year-old woman with ES-SCLC was administered a combination therapy of atezolizumab (a PD-L1 inhibitor) and anlotinib [an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)]. She survived for 22 months, with no disease progression during the 28 courses of therapy. Unexpectedly, despite having no history of asthma, the patient developed asthma while receiving this regimen. This is possibly related to T-cell activation and the tumor immune microenvironment, which induce allergic inflammation after PD-L1 blockade.

Conclusions

This is the first report of an asthma-negative ES-SCLC patient who developed asthma after receiving atezolizumab plus anlotinib. Although this combination therapy may effectively extend survival in SCLC patients, asthmatic symptoms should be closely monitored.

A retrospective analysis of prognostic factors and treatment choices in small cell lung cancer with liver metastasis

Background

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by high aggressiveness and early dissemination, with the liver being the most common site of metastasis. Although it has been established that the prognosis for SCLC with liver metastasis is exceedingly poor, comprehensive data on clinical features, prognostic factors, treatment options, and outcomes of this patient population remain limited. This retrospective study aims to examine the clinicopathological features and current treatment landscape and to identify prognostic factors associated with SCLC with liver metastasis in real-world settings.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of data on SCLC patients with liver metastasis at initial diagnosis between January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2022. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests were employed to estimate the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Cox regression models were utilized to identify independent prognostic factors.

Results

A total of 349 patients were included in the study, with 97.7% of patients exhibiting pure SCLC and 42.4% of patients presenting with concomitant bone metastasis. Approximately one-fourth of the patients had metastases in ≥3 organs, and 18.9% of patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) ≥2. The median OS was 10.97 months (95% CI: 9.88-12.06) for those who received first-line therapy (n=286). Of these, 263 patients were treated with chemotherapy, showing a median OS of 11.37 months. Furthermore, 43.8% of patients received second-line treatment, and 81 patients proceeded to third-line treatment. ECOG PS ≥2 and mixed-SCLC were identified as independent adverse prognostic factors in SCLC with liver metastasis, whereas treatments including systemic treatment alone or in combination with local radiotherapy were associated with better prognoses.

Conclusions

This retrospective study substantiated that ECOG PS ≥2 and mixed SCLC are independent predictors of poor prognosis for SCLC with liver metastasis. Additionally, different treatment strategies can improve the survival of this patient population, with chemotherapy currently being the main treatment option.

Therapeutic effectiveness of anlotinib combined with etoposide in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm, phase II trial

BACKGROUND

Anlotinib plus chemotherapy as first-line treatment for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) achieves good efficacy, but there is still room for improvement. This clinical study examined the effectiveness of anlotinib plus etoposide for maintenance therapy in ES-SCLC.

METHODS

The current single-arm, prospective phase II study was performed at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital (March 2019 to March 2022). After successful primary etoposide-based therapy, anlotinib was administered at 12 mg/day on days 1 to 14 of 21-day cycles until disease progression or consent withdrawal. All patients also received etoposide at 50 mg/day on days 1 to 14 of 21-day cycles for a maximum of six cycles. Progression-free survival (PFS) constituted the primary study endpoint. Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), objective remission rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety. In addition, adverse events (AEs) were assessed.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight patients were treated. Median PFS and OS were 8.02 (95%CI 5.36-10.67) and 11.04 (95%CI 10.37-11.68) months, respectively. Totally 9 and 18 participants showed a partial response and stable disease, respectively; ORR and DCR were 32.14% and 96.43%, respectively. The commonest all-grade AEs were fatigue (n = 11, 39.28%), hypertension (n = 11, 39.28%), loss of appetite (n = 9, 32.14%), oral mucositis (n = 7, 25.00%) and proteinuria (n = 6, 21.40%). Grade 3-4 AEs included fatigue (n = 4, 14.28%), hypertension (n = 2, 7.14%), hand and foot syndrome (n = 2, 7.14%), oral mucositis (n = 1, 3.57%), hemoptysis (n = 1, 3.57%), proteinuria (n = 1, 3.57%), gingival bleeding (n = 1, 3.57%), and serum creatinine elevation (n = 1, 3.57%).

CONCLUSION

Maintenance anlotinib plus etoposide achieves promising PFS and OS in clinical ES-SCLC.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR1800019421.