Nouvelle perspective de traitement dans le cancer bronchique non à petites cellules (CBNPC). Place de l’afatinib : un inhibiteur oral et irréversible de la famille ErbB

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) that block epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway have demonstrated a clinical benefit for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations. The currently available TKI (gefitinib and erlotinib) are EGFR reversible inhibitors. Afatinib is an oral, irreversible ErbB family blocker that covalently binds and blocks signaling from EGFR (ErbB1), HER2 (ErbB2) and ErbB4. The compound inhibits also the transphosphorylation of ErbB3. With this mode of action, afatinib is thought to have a mechanistic advantage over EGFR blockade alone, in that it provides a sustained, covalent inhibition of ErbB homo- and hetero-dimers. In the pivotal LUX-Lung 3 study, afatinib demonstrated a prolonged progression free survival over standard pemetrexed plus cisplatin chemotherapy (11.1 versus 6.9 months; HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.43–0.78; P = 0.001) in EGFR mutation positive NSCLC patients. The compound has recently been granted a marketing authorization (MA) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with activating EGFR mutation(s) and EGFR TKI-naive. In this paper are summarized the efficacy and safety data in this indication.     

Comparative efficacy of first-line ceritinib and crizotinib in advanced or metastatic anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer: an adjusted indirect comparison with external controls

Objective: In the absence of head-to-head trials, this study indirectly compared progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between ceritinib and crizotinib among patients with previously untreated advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: A matching-adjusted indirect comparison method was implemented to adjust for cross-trial differences in patient characteristics between ASCEND-4 and PROFILE 1014 trials. Patient-level data from ASCEND-4 and published summary data from PROFILE 1014 were used. Patients in ASCEND-4 were reweighted to match average baseline characteristics (i.e. age, sex, race, tumor histology, ECOG score, smoking status, extent of disease, and presence of brain metastases) reported for PROFILE 1014 patients using propensity score weighting. PFS and OS were then compared between balanced populations.

Results: ASCEND-4 included more current smokers (8.0% vs 4.4%) and fewer patients under the age of 65 years (78.5% vs 84.0%) compared to PROFILE 1014. After matching, these and all other patient characteristics were balanced between the two trial populations. Compared to crizotinib, ceritinib was associated with a significantly longer PFS (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] (HR [CI])?=?0.64 [0.47–0.87]; median PFS: 25.2 vs 10.8 months, log-rank p-value?=?0.003). OS did not differ significantly, with a HR of 0.82 [0.54–1.27] for ceritinib compared to crizotinib.

Conclusions: In the adjusted indirect comparison with external controls, the second generation ALK inhibitor, ceritinib, was associated with a significantly prolonged PFS compared to crizotinib as first-line treatment for ALK-positive NSCLC.     

Asian Thoracic Oncology Research Group Expert Consensus Statement on Optimal Management of Stage III NSCLC

Stage III NSCLC represents a heterogeneous disease for which optimal treatment continues to pose a clinical challenge. Recent changes in the American Joint Commission on Cancer staging to the eighth edition has led to a shift in TNM stage grouping and redefined the subcategories (IIIA–C) in stage III NSCLC for better prognostication. Although concurrent chemoradiotherapy has remained standard-of-care for stage III NSCLC for almost 2 decades, contemporary considerations include the impact of different molecular subsets of NSCLC, and the roles of tyrosine kinase inhibitors post-definitive therapy and of immune checkpoint inhibitors following chemoradiotherapy. With rapid evolution of diagnostic algorithms and expanding treatment options, the need for interdisciplinary input involving multiple specialists (medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, radiologists, pathologists and thoracic surgeons) has become increasingly important. The unique demographics of Asian NSCLC pose further challenges when applying clinical trial data into clinical practice. This includes differences in smoking rates, prevalence of oncogenic driver mutations, and access to health care resources including molecular testing, prompting the need for critical review of existing data and identification of current gaps. In this expert consensus statement by the Asian Thoracic Oncology Research Group, an interdisciplinary group of experts representing Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Mainland China was convened. Standard clinical practices for stage III NSCLC across different Asian countries were discussed from initial diagnosis and staging through to multi-modality approaches including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy.     

Afatinib for the Treatment of NSCLC Harboring Uncommon EGFR Mutations: A Database of 693 Cases

IntroductionLimited clinical data are available regarding the efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) in patients with NSCLC harboring uncommon EGFR mutations. This pooled analysis assessed the activity of afatinib in 693 patients with tumors harboring uncommon EGFR mutations treated in randomized clinical trials, compassionate-use and expanded-access programs, phase IIIb trials, noninterventional trials, and case series or studies.MethodsPatients had uncommon EGFR mutations, which were categorized as follows: (1) T790M; (2) exon 20 insertions; (3) “major” uncommon mutations (G719X, L861Q, and S768I, with or without any other mutation except T790M or an exon 20 insertion); (4) compound mutations; and (5) other uncommon mutations. Key end points were overall response rate (ORR), duration of response, and time to treatment failure (TTF).ResultsIn EGFR TKI–naive patients (n = 315), afatinib demonstrated activity against major uncommon mutations (median TTF = 10.8 mo; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.1–16.6; ORR = 60.0%), compound mutations (median TTF = 14.7 mo; 95% CI: 6.8–18.5; ORR = 77.1%), other uncommon mutations (median TTF = 4.5 mo; 95% CI: 2.9–9.7; ORR = 65.2%), and some exon 20 insertions (median TTF = 4.2 mo; 95% CI: 2.8–5.3; ORR = 24.3%). The median duration of response for major uncommon mutations, compound mutations, other uncommon mutations, and some exon 20 insertions was 17.1, 16.6, 9.0, and 11.9 months, respectively. Activity of afatinib was also observed in EGFR TKI–pretreated patients (n = 378). A searchable database of these outcomes by individual genotype was generated.ConclusionsAfatinib has clinical activity in NSCLC against major uncommon and compound EGFR mutations. It also has broad activity against other uncommon EGFR mutations and some exon 20 insertions. The data support the use of afatinib in these settings.     

Efficacy and Safety of Ceritinib (450 mg/d or 600 mg/d) With Food Versus 750-mg/d Fasted in Patients With ALK Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (ALK)–Positive NSCLC: Primary Efficacy Results From the ASCEND-8 Study

IntroductionIn an earlier report of the ASCEND-8 study (open-label, phase I, three-arm study, treatment-naive patients and pre-treated patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC), it was shown that ceritinib 450 mg with food had comparable exposure and better gastrointestinal tolerability than 750-mg fasted.MethodsHere, we report efficacy and updated safety data from primary efficacy analysis of the ASCEND-8 study. Key secondary endpoints were overall response rate and duration of response, assessed by blinded independent review committee (BIRC) using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1.ResultsIn total, 306 patients were randomized to ceritinib 450-mg fed (n = 108) or 600-mg fed (n = 87) or 750-mg fasted (n = 111), of which 304 patients were included in safety analysis and 198 treatment-naive patients (ALK receptor tyrosine kinase [ALK]–positive by immunohistochemistry) were included in the efficacy analysis (450-mg fed [n = 73], 600-mg fed [n = 51], and 750-mg fasted [n = 74]). The BIRC-assessed overall response rate was 78.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 66.9–86.9), 72.5% (95% CI: 58.3–84.1), and 75.7% (95% CI: 64.3–84.9), respectively; and the median duration of response (months) by BIRC was not estimable (NE) (95% CI: 11.2–NE), 20.7 (95% CI: 15.8–NE), and 15.4 (95% CI: 8.3–NE), respectively. Based on the safety analysis (n = 304), the 450-mg fed arm showed the highest median relative dose intensity (100% versus 78.5% versus 83.7%), lowest proportion of patients with dose reductions (24.1% versus 65.1% versus 60.9%), and lowest proportion of patients with gastrointestinal toxicities (75.9% versus 82.6% versus 91.8%).ConclusionCeritinib at a dose of 450 mg with food compared to 750-mg fasted showed consistent efficacy and less gastrointestinal toxicity.     

培美曲塞联合顺铂通过TRAIL诱导非小细胞肺癌A549细胞凋亡发挥抗癌效果的研究

目的：初步探讨培美曲塞联合顺铂通过TRAIL诱导非小细胞肺癌A549细胞凋亡发挥的抗癌效果。方法：将肺癌细胞株A549做4种处理并分为4组：空白组（Blank组）、顺铂处理组（CDPP组）、培美曲塞处理组（MTA组）、培美曲塞联合顺铂处理组（MTA+CDPP组），应用CCK-8和流式细胞术检测4种处理细胞的细胞活性和细胞凋亡变化；qPCR检测顺铂单药治疗组和培美曲塞联合顺铂治疗组的细胞肿瘤坏死因子相关凋亡诱导配体（TRAIL）表达差异；干扰TRAIL后再次检测各处理组细胞的细胞活性和细胞凋亡变化；qPCR和WB检测干扰TRAIL后BCL-2转录水平和蛋白表达。结果：培美曲塞联合顺铂（CDDP）在非小细胞肺癌细胞中起到降低细胞活性和诱导细胞凋亡的作用，二者协同发挥抗肿瘤效果；培美曲塞联合顺铂治疗组TRAIL转录表达显著高于顺铂处理组；干扰TRAIL后，顺铂与培美曲塞联合诱导的细胞活力的降低作用被抑制，并逆转了顺铂与培美曲塞联合对细胞凋亡的促进作用；培美曲塞联合顺铂通过TRAIL降低Bcl-2的转录水平和蛋白表达来发挥促进肿瘤细胞凋亡的作用。结论：培美曲塞可联合顺铂（CDDP）在非小细胞肺癌细胞中发挥抗肿瘤效果，其通过TRAIL降低Bcl-2的表达来诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡，从而发挥抗肿瘤作用。     

Progress in clinical trial of histone deacetylase （HDAC） inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancers

Histone deacetylase （HDAC） inhibitors, which represent a structurally diverse group of molecules, have emerged as a novel therapeutic class of molecules with significant anticancer potential. Vorinostat and romidepsin, known as the first generation of HDAC inhibitors, were approved in the United States for the treatment of T-cell lymphomas. Preliminary activity of HDAC inhibitors has also been observed in non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） in combination with the existing treatment regimens, of which is the focus of the current review.     

Different pulmonary adenocarcinoma growth patterns significantly affect survival

ObjectiveAdenocarcinoma (AC) is the number one pathological entity of lung cancer with approximately 30–40% of cases. It is known to be heterogeneous and has 5 histopathological growth patterns. We evaluated the long-term survival rates of patients with predominant subtypes.Methods290 patients with AC underwent pulmonary resection between 2012 and 2017 at our institution. We excluded all patients with lymph node involvement and distant metastases. Hence, 163 patients were included for further analysis. Predominant growth pattern was defined if more than 10% of cells showed a growth pattern. 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates were evaluated. Survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier curves and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify prognostic factors for overall survival.ResultsPredominant growth patterns >10% were compared to <10% growth patterns of the same subtype. 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival rates of patients with predominant solid tumor growth >10% differed significantly from patients with <10% (88.4% vs. 97.6%, p = 0.04; 65.8% vs. 87.4% p = 0.001, 36.4% vs. 65.9% p = 0.01). Survival rates did not differ between >10% papillary and acinar growth compared to <10%. Kaplan-Meier curves showed reduced overall survival for patients with solid tumor growth >10% (log-rank 0.002). Solid tumor growth >10% was an independent prognostic factor for worse long-term survival (Hazard ratio: 3.05, p = 0.01).ConclusionOur study demonstrates that the presence of a predominant solid pattern in pulmonary adenocarcinoma is a factor for an unfavorable prognosis. This should be kept in mind in daily clinical practice.