Comparison of the clinical efficacy between single-agent and dual-agent concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a multicenter retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

Some Chinese patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinomaare often treated with single-agent concurrent chemoradiotherapy. However, no results have been reported from randomized controlled clinical trials comparing single-agent with double-agent concurrent chemoradiotherapy. It therefore remains unclear whether these regimens are equally clinically effective. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed and compared the therapeutic effects of single-agent and double-agent concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS

This study enrolled 168 patients who received definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced unresectable esophageal squamous carcinoma at 10 hospitals between 2010 and 2015. We evaluated survival time and toxicity. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival data. The log-rank test was used in univariate analysis A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to conduct a multivariate analysis of the effects of prognostic factors on survival.

RESULTS

In this study, 100 (59.5%) and 68 patients (40.5%) received single-agent and dual-agent combination chemoradiotherapy, respectively. The estimate 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate of dual-agent therapy was higher than that of single-agent therapy (52.5% and 40.9%, 78.2% and 60.7%, respectively), but there were no significant differences (P = 0.367 and 0.161, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that sex, age,and radiotherapy dose had no significant effects on OS or PFS. Only disease stage was associated with OS and PFS in the multivariable analysis (P = 0.006 and 0.003, respectively). In dual-agent group, the incidence of acute toxicity and the incidence of 3 and4 grade toxicity were higher than single-agent group.

CONCLUSION

The 5-year PFS and OS rates of dual-agent therapy were higher than those of single-agent concurrent chemoradiotherapy for patients with unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; however, there were no significant differences in univariate analysis and multivariable analysis. Single-agent concurrent chemotherapy had less toxicity than a double-drug regimen. Therefore, we suggest that single therapis not inferior to dual therapy y. In the future, we aim to confirm our hypothesis through a prospective randomized study.

Trastuzumab combined with doublet or single-agent chemotherapy as first-line therapy for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

PURPOSE

To investigate the efficacy and safety of doublet versus single-agent chemotherapy (CT) plus trastuzumab (H) as first-line therapy for human epidermal growth factor 2 receptor (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

METHODS

We searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the treatment effects of single-agent or doublet CT+H as first-line therapies for HER2-positive MBC. The main outcomes measured for this study included the overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) were performed, and the study quality was evaluated using the GRADE framework. The PROSPERO registry number of our analysis is CRD42016043766.

RESULTS

The results from four RCTs including 1044 participants were pooled. Moderate-quality evidence indicated that compared with single-agent CT+H, doublet CT+H correlated better with prolonged PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63-0.75, P < 0.0001) and OS (HR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.88-0.92, P < 0.0001). However, moderate-quality evidence revealed no significant difference between the two regimens regarding the ORR (relative risk [RR] = 1.07, 95% CI 0.98-1.17, P = 0.157), which was confirmed by TSA, indicating that the cumulative Z-curve entered the futility area. Moderate-quality evidence indicated that treatment-related grade 3 or 4 toxicities of thrombocytopenia (RR = 4.08, P = 0.000), nausea/vomiting (RR = 4.26, P = 0.002), diarrhea (RR = 2.81, P = 0.002), and stomatitis (RR = 5.02, P = 0.003) were observed more frequently with doublet CT+H than with single-agent CT+H.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with single-agent CT, the combination of doublet CT with trastuzumab as first-line therapy for HER2-positive MBC is associated with longer PFS and OS, but more treatment-related grade 3 or 4 toxicities. Therefore, doublet CT appears to be an appropriate regimen for HER2-positive MBC with a good performance status.

Efficacy of platinum agents for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer following platinum-based chemoradiotherapy: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Platinum-based chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, few studies have evaluated the efficacy of subsequent chemotherapy for relapsed NSCLC following platinum-based chemoradiotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of platinum-doublet chemotherapy as a second-line treatment for patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy following platinum-based chemoradiotherapy who were registered in a nationwide registry NSCLC database. Patients were divided into the platinum-doublet chemotherapy (platinum) group and single-agent chemotherapy (non-platinum) group based on the type of second-line chemotherapy.

RESULTS

The platinum group (n = 119) showed significantly better overall survival (OS) than the non-platinum group (n = 201) (median OS: 21.5 vs. 10.5 months, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.40-0.73, p < 0.001). OS from the beginning of chemoradiotherapy was also significantly better in the platinum group than in the non-platinum group (median OS: 34.9 vs. 21.8 months, HR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.43-0.79, p = 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, platinum-doublet chemotherapy as second-line therapy, female sex, clinical stage IIIA, and duration of ≥ 8.6 months from the beginning of first-line therapy to the beginning of second-line therapy were associated with significantly better OS.

CONCLUSION

Platinum-doublet chemotherapy as a second-line therapy may prolong survival in unresectable stage III NSCLC patients following platinum-based chemoradiotherapy. Thus, re-administration of platinum agents may be a promising treatment for unresectable stage III NSCLC treated with platinum-based chemoradiotherapy.

Personalizing First-Line Systemic Therapy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Is There a Role for Initial Low-Intensity Therapy in 2021 and Beyond? A Perspective From Members of the Australasian Gastrointestinal Trials Group

Palliative chemotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment for the majority of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, with the aim of increasing length and quality of life. Although guidelines outline the available treatment options in the first line, they provide limited guidance on choice and intensity of the chemotherapy backbone. Data from the TRIBE and TRIBE2 studies confirm a survival benefit with triplet FOLFOXIRI and bevacizumab, and this is a preferred option for younger patients with good performance status able to tolerate it. However, the relative benefit of a fluoropyrimidine doublet with oxaliplatin or irinotecan over single-agent fluoropyrimidine with or without a biologic is less certain; the available data demonstrate that single-agent fluoropyrimidine plus a biologic with planned sequencing of subsequent agents can produce similar overall survival outcomes with reduced toxicity. Our analysis of local real-world registry data suggests that this is an underutilized approach, particularly in younger and fitter patients. Established prognostic factors, including patient age, performance status, tumor sidedness, and biomarkers such as RAS/BRAF, are key in treatment selection; patients with left-sided RAS/BRAF wild-type disease or patients with low tumor bulk may be ideal for a less intensive regimen. Further studies are required to confirm the value of less-intensive regimens in the modern era, where the incorporation of biologic therapies has become routine and where non-chemotherapy options are emerging as viable options for molecularly defined patient subsets.

Phase I trial of nedaplatin chemotherapy concurrent with radiotherapy for untreated locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

PURPOSE

In this phase I study, single-agent chemotherapy was conducted in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using nedaplatin (NDP) and concomitant radiotherapy. The study sought to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), recommended dose (RD) and the clinical efficacy of this treatment in locoregionally advanced NPC patients.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Twenty patients were enrolled. The eligibility criteria included local advanced NPC (stage III or IVa) without any previous treatment and an expected survival of ≥ 3 months. The regimen consisted of 1.8-2.0 Gy daily radiation for 5 days a week and NDP with dose escalation of 70-100 mg/m(2) on day 1. The cycles were repeated every 21 days (day 1, day 22 and day 43) until the completion of chemoradiation. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) included: grade 4 anemia; grade 4 neutropenia lasting for ≥ 5 days; grades 3 and 4 febrile neutropenia; grade 4 thrombocytopenia; grades 3-4 non-hematological toxicity (with the exception of alopecia, nausea) and any of the grade 5 responses.

RESULTS

Ninety-five percent of the assessed patients experienced a treatment response. The median time to progression among all patients was 41.9 months. Two-year overall survival was 95%, while the progression-free survival was 85%. DLT included febrile neutropenia of grade 3. The RD of NDP was 90 mg/m(2) during cycles 1-3.

CONCLUSION

NDP combined with radiotherapy and administered every 21 days for three cycles was active in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. The regimen resulted in mild adverse effects and good patient compliance. Based on the findings from the study, the RD of NDP for phase II trial was found to be 90 mg/m(2).

Feasibility and efficiency of double-agent versus single-agent concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

PURPOSE

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the mainstay of treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. It remains unclear whether double-agent CCRT (d-CCRT) is more effective than single-agent CCRT (s-CCRT). In this study, we compared the treatment efficiency and toxicity of d-CCRT with s-CCRT in NPC patients.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients with stage II-IV NPC treated with d-CCRT or s-CCRT were retrospectively reviewed. The d-CCRT group patients were compared with s-CCRT group patients for overall survival (OS), locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS), disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and toxicity. Differences in baseline characteristics were adjusted using the pair-matching method.

RESULTS

In this study, 933 patients who received CCRT for NPC between 2011 and 2014 were pair-matched at a 1:2 ratio (n = 311 for d-CCRT; n = 622 for s-CCRT). The d-CCRT treated patients showed no significant advantages in terms of 4-year OS (87.2% vs. 85.5%), DFS (84.1% vs. 79.5%), LRRFS (94.6% vs. 91.8%), DMFS (87.5% vs. 85.5%) compared with s-CCRT treated patients (P = 0.450, 0.106, 0.203, 0.366, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that CCRT regimen had no significant effects on survival. In the d-CCRT group, the incidence of grade 3-4 hematological toxicities was significantly higher.

CONCLUSIONS

The d-CCRT regimen did not confer significant survival benefits compared with the s-CCRT regimen in the treatment of stage II-IV NPC patients. Furthermore, patients treated with the d-CCRT regimen experienced greater hematological toxicity.

Cost-effectiveness of sacituzumab govitecan versus single-agent chemotherapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: a trial-based analysis

BACKGROUND

Sacituzumab govitecan (SG) has recently been approved in China for the post-line treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). SG substantially improves progression-free survival and overall survival compared with single-agent chemotherapy for pretreated mTNBC. However, in view of the high price of SG, it is necessary to consider its value in terms of costs and outcomes. This study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of SG versus single-agent treatment of physician's choice (TPC) in the post-line setting for patients with mTNBC from a Chinese healthcare system perspective.

METHODS

The cohort characteristics were sourced from the ASCENT randomized clinical trial, which enrolled 468 heavily pretreated patients with mTNBC between November 2017 and September 2019. A partitioned survival model was constructed to assess the long-term costs and effectiveness of SG versus TPC in the post-line treatment of mTNBC. Quality-adjusted life-months (QALMs) and total costs in 2022 US dollars were used to derive incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER). QALMs and costs were discounted at 5% annually. The willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was defined as $3188 per QALM, three times China's average monthly per capita gross domestic product in 2022. One-way sensitivity analysis, probabilistic sensitivity analysis, and scenario analyses were performed to estimate the robustness of the results.

RESULTS

Treatment with SG yielded an incremental 5.17 QALMs at a cost of $44,792 per QALM, much above the WTP threshold of $3188/QALM in China. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that SG price was a crucial factor in the ICER. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis revealed that the cost-effective acceptability of SG was 0% in the current setting. Scenario analyses indicated that the result was robust in all subgroups in ASCENT or under different time horizons. Furthermore, SG must reduce the price to enter the Chinese mainland market. When the monthly cost of SG reduce to $2298, SG has about 50% probability to be a preferred choice than TPC.

CONCLUSIONS

SG was estimated to be not cost-effective compared with TPC for post-line treatment for mTNBC in China by the current price in HK under a WTP threshold of $3188 per QALM. A drastic price reduction is necessary to improve its cost-effectiveness.

Evaluation and simplification of risk factors in FIGO 2000 scoring system for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: a 19-year retrospective analysis

OBJECTIVES

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2000 scoring system classifies gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) patients into low- and high-risk groups, so that single- or multi-agent chemotherapy can be administered accordingly. However, a number of FIGO-defined low-risk patients still exhibit resistance to single-agent regimens, and the risk factors currently adopted in the FIGO scoring system possess inequable values for predicting single-agent chemoresistance. The purpose of this study is therefore to evaluate the efficacy of risk factors in predicting single-agent chemoresistance and explore the feasibility of simplifying the FIGO 2000 scoring system for GTN.

METHODS

The clinical data of 578 GTN patients who received chemotherapy between January 2000 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify risk factors associated with single-agent chemoresistance in low-risk GTN patients. Then, simplified models were built and compared with the original FIGO 2000 scoring system.

RESULTS

Among the eight FIGO risk factors, the univariate and multivariate analyses identified that pretreatment serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level and interval from antecedent pregnancy were consistently independent predictors for both first-line and subsequent single-agent chemoresistance. The simplified model with two independent factors showed a better performance in predicting single-agent chemoresistance than the model with the other four non-independent factors. However, the addition of other co-factors did improve the efficiency. Overall, simplified models can achieve favorable performance, but the original FIGO 2000 prognostic system still features the highest discrimination.

CONCLUSIONS

Pretreatment serum hCG level and interval from antecedent pregnancy were independent predictors for both first-line and subsequent single-agent chemoresistance, and they had greater weight than other non-independent factors in predicting single-agent chemoresistance. The simplified model composed of certain selected factors is a promising alternative to the original FIGO 2000 prognostic system, and it shows comparable performance.

Single-agent chemotherapy in low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia

Background

Low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia could be cured in the case of appropriate management with single-agent chemotherapy. This study was carried out to compare the efficacy of single-dose methotrexate versus Actinomycin-D in low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia to analyze the most effective agent.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was conducted on the medical record of 170 cases with the diagnosis of low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia from 2012 to 2019 to evaluate the response rate of single-dose weekly-methotrexate versus biweekly-Actinomycin-D.

Results

Single agent chemotherapy was required in 170 patients with final risk score of less than 7. Among the 100 cases under weekly-methotrexate therapy, 29 patients were required second-line chemotherapy with Actinomycin-D and combination therapy which means complete remission of 71% with methotrexate, in comparison with 78.5% in the other group. Resistance was mostly seen in patients with documented choriocarcinoma in histology who had not received timely diagnosis and treatment.

Conclusion

Individualized decision in the management of low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia cases, based on histology, HCG, and history is the corn stone in successful treatment.

Resistance to single-agent chemotherapy in low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia

Background

Methotrexate (MTX) and actinomycin D (ActD) have been used as first-line chemotherapy agents in the treatment of low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). Although low-risk GTN is considered a curable disease, its reported primary remission rates of 49 to 93% reflect the difficulties of treatment and different factors influencing it. Hence, this study aimed to determine the remission rates and related factors of single-agent chemotherapy resistance in low-risk GTN patients.

Methods

This retrospective study included patients with diagnosed low-risk GTN who received either MTX once a week (IM, 30mg/m2) or ActD once every two weeks (pulsed IV, 1.25mg/m2). Then, the patients were followed-up until complete remission or single-agent treatment failure to assess resistance rate and related factors.

Results

Eighty-four patients were included in the study (18 patients were receiving MTX and 66 patients were receiving ActD). 85.7% of all participants achieved complete remission after first-line chemotherapy (72.2% in MTX vs 89.4% in ActD). There was a significant association for higher tumor size (P=0.046), the occurrence of metastasis (P=0.019), and pretreatment β-HCG levels (P=0.005) with resistance to treatment.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated higher tumor size, the occurrence of metastasis, and pretreatment β-HCG levels have been associated with increased resistance to first-line chemotherapy agents.