Efficacy and safety of erdafitinib in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma: long-term follow-up of a phase 2 study

BACKGROUND

Erdafitinib, a pan-fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was shown to be clinically active and tolerable in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma and prespecified FGFR alterations in the primary analysis of the BLC2001 study at median 11 months of follow-up. We aimed to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of the selected regimen of erdafitinib determined in the initial part of the study.

METHODS

The open-label, non-comparator, phase 2, BLC2001 study was done at 126 medical centres in 14 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older with locally advanced and unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, at least one prespecified FGFR alteration, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, and progressive disease after receiving at least one systemic chemotherapy or within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy or were ineligible for cisplatin. The selected regimen determined in the initial part of the study was continuous once daily 8 mg/day oral erdafitinib in 28-day cycles, with provision for pharmacodynamically guided uptitration to 9 mg/day (8 mg/day UpT). The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed confirmed objective response rate according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors version 1.1. Efficacy and safety were analysed in all treated patients who received at least one dose of erdafitinib. This is the final analysis of this study. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02365597.

FINDINGS

Between May 25, 2015, and Aug 9, 2018, 2328 patients were screened, of whom 212 were enrolled and 101 were treated with the selected erdafitinib 8 mg/day UpT regimen. The data cutoff date for this analysis was Aug 9, 2019. Median efficacy follow-up was 24·0 months (IQR 22·7-26·6). The investigator-assessed objective response rate for patients treated with the selected erdafitinib regimen was 40 (40%; 95% CI 30-49) of 101 patients. The safety profile remained similar to that in the primary analysis, with no new safety signals reported with longer follow-up. Grade 3-4 treatment-emergent adverse events of any causality occurred in 72 (71%) of 101 patients. The most common grade 3-4 treatment-emergent adverse events of any cause were stomatitis (in 14 [14%] of 101 patients) and hyponatraemia (in 11 [11%]). There were no treatment-related deaths.

INTERPRETATION

With longer follow-up, treatment with the selected regimen of erdafitinib showed consistent activity and a manageable safety profile in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma and prespecified FGFR alterations.

FUNDING

Janssen Research & Development.

Safety and Efficacy of Nivolumab in Patients With Advanced Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results From the Phase IIIb/IV CheckMate 374 Study

BACKGROUND

The open-label, phase IIIb/IV CheckMate 374 study (NCT02596035) was conducted to validate the safety and efficacy of flat-dose nivolumab monotherapy 240 mg every 2 weeks (Q2W) in previously treated advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Three cohorts included patients with predominantly clear cell histology, non-clear cell histologies, or brain metastases. We report safety and efficacy from the CheckMate 374 advanced clear cell RCC (ccRCC) cohort.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eligible patients received prior treatment regimens (1-2 antiangiogenic; 0-3 systemic) with progression on/after last treatment and ≤ 6 months of enrollment. Patients received nivolumab 240 mg Q2W for ≤ 24 months or until confirmed progression/unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was incidence of high-grade (grade 3-5) immune-mediated adverse events (IMAEs). Exploratory endpoints included objective response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival.

RESULTS

Ninety-seven patients had advanced predominantly ccRCC; 75.3% received only 1 prior systemic regimen in the advanced/metastatic setting. After a median follow-up of 17 months (range, 0.4-26.9 months), no grade 5 IMAEs occurred, and 9.3% of patients reported grade 3/4 IMAEs (hepatitis, 4.1%; diabetes mellitus, 2.1%; nephritis and renal dysfunction, 1.0%; rash, 1.0%; adrenal insufficiency, 1.0%). The objective response rate was 22.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.8%-32.3%). Three patients had a complete response; 19 had partial responses. The median progression-free survival was 3.6 months (95% CI, 2.0-5.5 months). The median overall survival was 21.8 months (95% CI, 17.4 months to not estimable).

CONCLUSIONS

This study validates the safety and efficacy of nivolumab 240 mg Q2W flat-dose monotherapy for previously treated advanced ccRCC and adds to previous safety and efficacy data using the 3 mg/kg Q2W dose.

Safety and Efficacy of Nivolumab in Patients With Advanced Non-Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results From the Phase IIIb/IV CheckMate 374 Study

BACKGROUND

The open-label phase IIIb/IV CheckMate 374 study (NCT02596035) was conducted to validate the safety and efficacy of flat-dose nivolumab 240 mg every 2 weeks (Q2W) in previously treated advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Three cohorts included patients with predominantly clear cell histology, non-clear cell histologies, or brain metastases. We report safety and efficacy from the advanced non-clear cell RCC (nccRCC) cohort of CheckMate 374.

METHODS

Eligible patients received 0 to 3 prior systemic therapies. Patients received nivolumab 240 mg Q2W for ≤24 months or until confirmed progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was incidence of high-grade (grade 3-5) immune-mediated adverse events (IMAEs). Exploratory endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Forty-four patients had advanced nccRCC (papillary [n = 24], chromophobe [n = 7], unclassified [n = 8], other [n = 5]); 34.1% received ≥1 prior systemic regimen in the advanced/metastatic setting. With median follow-up of 11 (range, 0.4-27) months, no all-cause grade 3-5 IMAEs or treatment-related grade 5 adverse events were reported. ORR was 13.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2-27.4), with 1 complete response (chromophobe) and 5 partial responses (papillary [n = 2], chromophobe [n = 1], collecting duct [n = 1], and unclassified [n = 1] histology). Median PFS was 2.2 months (95% CI, 1.8-5.4). Median OS was 16.3 months (95% CI, 9.2-not estimable).

CONCLUSIONS

Safety of flat-dose nivolumab 240 mg Q2W was consistent with previous results. Clinically meaningful efficacy was observed with responses in several histologies, supporting nivolumab as a treatment option for patients with advanced nccRCC, a patient population with high unmet need.

Recent developments in the clinical pharmacology of rolapitant: subanalyses in specific populations

Knowledge of the involvement of the neurokinin substance P in emesis has led to the development of the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists (NK-1 RAs) for control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), in combination with serotonin type 3 receptor antagonists and corticosteroids. The NK-1 RA rolapitant, recently approved in oral formulation, has nanomolar affinity for the NK-1 receptor, as do the other commercially available NK-1 RAs, aprepitant and netupitant. Rolapitant is rapidly absorbed and has a long half-life in comparison to aprepitant and netupitant. All three NK-1 RAs undergo metabolism by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4, necessitating caution with the concomitant use of CYP3A4 inhibitors, but in contrast to aprepitant and netupitant, rolapitant does not inhibit or induce CYP3A4. However, rolapitant is a moderate inhibitor of CYP2D6, and concomitant use with CYP2D6 substrates with narrow therapeutic indices should be avoided. Aprepitant, netupitant, and rolapitant have all demonstrated efficacy in the control of delayed CINV in patients receiving moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy in randomized controlled trials, including over multiple cycles of chemotherapy. We reviewed recent post hoc analyses of clinical trial data demonstrating that rolapitant is efficacious in the control of CINV in patient populations with specific tumor types, namely, breast cancers, gastrointestinal/colorectal cancers, and lung cancers. In addition, we show that rolapitant has efficacy in the control of CINV in specific age groups of patients receiving chemotherapy (<65 and ≥65 years of age). Overall, the safety profile of rolapitant in these specific patient populations was consistent with that observed in primary analyses of phase 3 trials.

A Randomized, Phase II Trial of Cetuximab With or Without PX-866, an Irreversible Oral Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Inhibitor, in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The phosphotidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway is frequently altered in colorectal cancer (CRC). PX-866 is an oral, irreversible, pan-isoform inhibitor of PI3K. This randomized phase II study evaluated cetuximab with or without PX-866 in patients with metastatic, anti-epidermal growth factor receptor-naive, KRAS codon 12 and 13 wild-type CRC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with metastatic CRC who had received both oxaliplatin and irinotecan were randomized (1:1) to cetuximab (400 mg/m² loading then 250 mg/m² weekly) with or without PX-866 (8 mg orally daily; arms A and B, respectively). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included objective response rate, overall survival (OS), toxicity, and correlation of relevant biomarkers with efficacy outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 85 patients were enrolled. The median PFS was 59 days versus 104 days for arms A (cetuximab + PX-866) and B (cetuximab alone), respectively (P = .77). OS between the 2 arms (266 vs. 333 days for arm A vs. B) were similar (P = .83). Overall toxicity, including treatment-related toxicity, was higher in arm A compared with arm B, especially in terms of all-grade nausea (66% vs. 37%), vomiting (50% vs. 29%), diarrhea (64% vs. 18%), and rash (66% vs. 37%). Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 19% of patients in Arm A and 0% in Arm B. PIK3CA mutations and PTEN loss by immunohistochemistry were infrequently seen.

CONCLUSION

The addition of PX-866 to cetuximab did not improve PFS, objective response rate, or OS in patients with metastatic CRC. The combination arm had greater toxicity and may have been harmful in this study.

Abstract P1-10-07: Phase 3 comparison of APF530 versus ondansetron, each in a guideline-recommended 3-drug regimen for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting due to anthracycline + cyclophosphamide (AC)–based highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) regimens: A post hoc subgroup analysis of the MAGIC trial

Background:Managing delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) associated with HEC is an unmet need. AC-based HEC is often administered to breast cancer patients (pts), a mostly female, high-CINV-risk population. APF530, an extended-release formulation of granisetron, demonstrated superior complete response (CR; no emesis [vomiting, retching] + no rescue medication use) in delayed-phase (&gt;24-120 h) CINV with HEC (ASCO criteria) vs ondansetron (Ond) (65% vs 57%, P=0.014), each combined with a neurokinin-1 antagonist and dexamethasone (Dex) (NCT02106494). This post hoc analysis evaluated efficacy and safety of APF530 in pts receiving AC-based therapy.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial, pts scheduled to receive single-day HEC were stratified by cisplatin ≥50 mg/m2 yes/no and randomized 1:1 to APF530 500 mg SC (granisetron 10 mg) or Ond 0.15 mg/kg IV. Pts received concomitant Dex 12 mg IV and fosaprepitant 150 mg IV on day 1 and oral Dex on days 2-4. The primary end point was CR in the delayed phase. Secondary and other end points included CR in acute (0-24 h) and overall (0-120 h) phases, and complete control (CC; CR and no more than mild nausea) and total response (TR; CR and no nausea) in acute, delayed, and overall phases. Rates were compared using 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for treatment differences; post hoc analysis was not powered to detect treatment differences in the AC subgroup. Safety assessments included adverse events (AEs), injection-site reactions (ISRs), laboratory parameters, and vital signs.

Results: A total of 589/902 pts (65%) in the modified intent-to-treat population received AC-based HEC (APF530 291, Ond 298). Baseline demographics were balanced between treatment arms. The majority of pts in the AC subgroup were female (APF530 99%, Ond 98%). Delayed-phase CR was higher with APF530 vs Ond, approaching statistical significance (APF530 64%, Ond 56%; P=0.062) in the AC subgroup, similar to the benefit seen in the larger study. No appreciable benefit of APF530 vs Ond was observed in the acute phase, and trends favorable to APF530 were observed in the overall phase (Table). APF530 was well tolerated. Most AEs were ISRs, generally mild or moderate, and resolved by end of study.

Phase, n (%)APF530OndansetronTreatment DifferenceN=291N=298(95% CI), %Complete responseDelayed185 (64)167 (56)8 (-0.4, 15.4)Overall163 (56)153 (51)5 (-3.4, 12.7)Acute205 (70)204 (69)1 (-5.4, 9.4)Complete controlDelayed171 (59)156 (52)7 (-1.6, 14.4)Overall149 (51)143 (48)3 (-4.9, 11.3 )Acute193 (66)191 (64)2 (-5.5, 9.9)Total responseDelayed119 (41)107 (36)5 (-2.9, 12.8)Overall100 (34)94 (32)2 (-4.8, 10.4)Acute164 (56)173 (58)-2 (-9.7, 6.3)

Conclusions: APF530 demonstrated an apparent clinical benefit in delayed-phase CR in pts receiving AC-based HEC, concordant with the statistically significant benefit seen in the overall study population. Prevention of CINV in this patient population continues to be a treatment challenge and further investigation is needed.

Citation Format: Schnadig I, Agajanian R, Dakhil S, Taylor C, Wilks S, Cooper W, Mosier M, Payne Y, Klepper M, Vacirca J. Phase 3 comparison of APF530 versus ondansetron, each in a guideline-recommended 3-drug regimen for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting due to anthracycline + cyclophosphamide (AC)–based highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) regimens: A post hoc subgroup analysis of the MAGIC trial. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-10-07.

A randomized, phase 2 trial of docetaxel with or without PX-866, an irreversible oral phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, in patients with relapsed or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer

INTRODUCTION

The phosphotidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is frequently altered in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). PX-866 is an oral, irreversible, pan-isoform inhibitor of PI3K. Preclinical models revealed synergy with docetaxel and a phase 1 trial demonstrated tolerability of this combination. This randomized phase 2 study evaluated PX-866 combined with docetaxel in patients with advanced, refractory HNSCC.

METHODS

Patients with locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic HNSCC who had received at least one and no more than two prior systemic treatment regimens were randomized (1:1) to a combination of docetaxel (75mg/m(2) IV every 21days) with or without PX-866 (8mg PO daily; Arms A and B, respectively). The primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (RR), overall survival (OS), toxicity, and correlation of biomarker analyses with efficacy outcomes.

RESULTS

85 patients were enrolled. There was a non-significant improvement in response rate in the combination arm (14% vs. 5%; P=0.13). Median PFS was 92days in Arm A and 82days in Arm B (P=0.42). There was no difference in OS between the two arms (263 vs. 195days; P=0.62). Grade 3 or higher adverse events were infrequent, but more common in the combination arm with respect to diarrhea (17% vs. 2%), nausea (7% vs. 0%), and febrile neutropenia (21% vs. 5%); grade 3 or higher anemia was more frequent in arm B (7% vs. 27%). PIK3CA mutations or PTEN loss were infrequently observed.

CONCLUSION

The addition of PX-866 to docetaxel did not improve PFS, RR, or OS in patients with advanced, refractory HNSCC without molecular pre-selection.

Light chain renal amyloidosis with prominent giant cells

Clinical diagnosis of amyloidosis may be very challenging because signs, symptoms, and laboratory study results can be highly variable and may overlap with other disease entities. Amyloid has characteristic features on kidney biopsy, involving glomeruli, vessels, and/or interstitium as typically amorphous waxy material that is periodic acid-Schiff pale and Congo Red birefringent under polarized light. Electron microscopy demonstrates characteristic randomly oriented fibrils. However, in rare cases, amyloid may present with atypical morphologic features on kidney biopsy, closely mimicking other histopathologic diagnoses. We present a case of light chain (AL) κ amyloidosis with an unusual inflammatory infiltrate including prominent multinucleated giant cells in the interstitium and at the glomerular hilus. Amyloid was apparent within giant cells on Congo Red staining, as well as on ultrastructural evaluation. Together with prior studies of tumoral nonrenal amyloid and renal amyloid A, we suggest that the amyloid fibril constituents κ and serum amyloid A have some predilection for inciting the rare multinucleated giant cell reaction.

Abstract P2-11-16: Cardiac Morbidity After Adjuvant Chemotherapy (CT) for Early Breast Cancer in the Community Setting

Cardiac morbidity after exposure to CT is a known and previously described risk. Anthracycline exposure can be complicated by acute or chronic cardiac toxicity. Trastuzumab exposure is largely associated with acute and reversible cardiac morbidity.

Methods: We retrospectively queried the electronic health record (EHR) from our network of community oncology practices, iKnowMed, for patients (pts) diagnosed with Stage I-III breast cancer (BC) from 2007–2010 with at least 5 visits and follow-up (f/u) through 2012. We stratified this group by CT utilization (yes/no), regimen type, age, and characterized the incidence of cardiac disease or initiation of cardiac medication through the f/u period to determine the association of cardiac disease or treatment with CT utilization. Cardiac diseases analyzed included congestive heart failure, valvular and ischemic heart disease, arrythmias, and hypertension. Cardiac medications included beta blockers, angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor II blockers, loop and thiazide diuretics. Hazard ratios by prespecified risk parameters were then analyzed by multivariate analysis for all pts who did not have cardiac disease preceding their diagnosis of BC.

Results: We identified 20,900 pts with a median f/u of 3.2 yrs (1.4–5.4). 11,295 (54%) pts received adjuvant CT and 9,605 (46%) did not. Median age at diagnosis in the CT-treated arm and non CT-treated arm was 54 and 64 yrs, respectively (p &lt; 0.0001). Among both the non-CT and CT-treated group, the baseline prevalence of cardiac disease was 14%. Among the CT-treated group, 3475 pts or 31% (95% CI, 30 %−32%) had or developed cardiac disease within the study period. In the non-CT group, 3790 pts or 39% (95% CI, 38%−40%) had or developed cardiac disease with the study period (p &lt; 0.01). Receiving CT conveyed a lower risk of cardiac morbidity overall, HR 0.86 (p &lt; 0.01). Incidence of cardiac disease was higher among pts who were in the non-CT treated arm (39%) than among the various CT-treated arms: anthracycline and trastuzumab (30%), anthracycline without trastuzumab (26%), non-anthracycline with trastuzumab (33%), and non-anthracycline without trastuzumab (34%). Incidence of cardiac disease increased proportionally over time in all age groups as expected in both cohorts.