Five Year Survival Update From KEYNOTE-010: Pembrolizumab Versus Docetaxel for Previously Treated,Programmed Death-Ligand 1–Positive Advanced NSCLC

IntroductionIn the KEYNOTE-010 study, pembrolizumab improved overall survival (OS) versus docetaxel in patients with previously treated, advanced NSCLC with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥50% and ≥1%. We report 5-year efficacy and safety follow-up for the KEYNOTE-010 study.MethodsPatients were randomized to pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg once every 3 weeks or docetaxel 75 mg/m² once every 3 weeks for up to 35 cycles (2 y). Patients who completed pembrolizumab treatment and subsequently had recurrence could receive second-course pembrolizumab for up to 17 cycles (1 y). Pembrolizumab doses were pooled in this analysis.ResultsA total of 1034 patients were randomized (pembrolizumab, n = 691; docetaxel, n = 343). Median study follow-up was 67.4 months (range: 60.0‒77.9). The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for OS was 0.55 (0.44‒0.69) for patients with PD-L1 TPS ≥50% and 0.70 (0.61‒0.80) with PD-L1 TPS ≥1%. The 5-year OS rates for pembrolizumab versus docetaxel were 25.0% versus 8.2% in patients with PD-L1 TPS ≥50% and 15.6% versus 6.5% with PD-L1 TPS ≥1%. Among 79 patients who completed 35 cycles/2 years of pembrolizumab, the OS rate 3 years after completion (∼5 y from randomization) was 83.0%. A total of 21 patients received second-course pembrolizumab; 11 (52.4%) had an objective response after starting the second course and 15 (71.4%) were alive at data cutoff. Exploratory biomarker analysis revealed that higher tissue tumor mutational burden (≥175 mutations per exome) was associated with improved outcomes with pembrolizumab.ConclusionsPembrolizumab continued to provide long-term benefit than docetaxel in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC with PD-L1 TPS ≥50% and ≥1%. Our findings confirm pembrolizumab as a standard-of-care treatment in the second-line or later setting.     

KEYNOTE-033: Randomized phase 3 study of pembrolizumab vs docetaxel in previously treated,PD-L1-positive,advanced NSCLC

KEYNOTE-033 (NCT02864394) was a multicountry, open-label, phase 3 study that compared pembrolizumab vs docetaxel in previously treated, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with most patients enrolled in mainland China. Eligible patients were randomized (1:1) to pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg or docetaxel 75 mg/m² every 3 weeks. Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival and were evaluated sequentially using stratified log-rank tests, first in patients with PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥50% and then in patients with PD-L1 TPS ≥1% (significance threshold: P < .025, one-sided). A total of 425 patients were randomized to pembrolizumab (N = 213) or docetaxel (N = 212) between 8 September 2016 and 17 October 2018. In patients with a PD-L1 TPS ≥50% (n = 227), median OS was 12.3 months with pembrolizumab and 10.9 months with docetaxel; the hazard ratio (HR) was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61-1.14; P = .1276). Because the significance threshold was not met, sequential testing of OS and PFS was ceased. In patients with a PD-L1 TPS ≥1%, the HR for OS for pembrolizumab vs docetaxel was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.60-0.95). In patients from mainland China (n = 311) with a PD-L1 TPS ≥1%, HR for OS was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.51-0.89). Incidence of grade 3 to 5 treatment-related AEs was 11.3% with pembrolizumab vs 47.5% with docetaxel. In summary, pembrolizumab improved OS vs docetaxel in previously treated, PD-L1-positive NSCLC without unexpected safety signals; although the statistical significance threshold was not reached, the numerical improvement is consistent with that previously observed for pembrolizumab in previously treated, advanced NSCLC.     

Pembrolizumab as first-line therapy for patients with PD-L1-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase 1 trial

BackgroundPembrolizumab improved survival as first- and second-line therapy compared with chemotherapy in patients with highly programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expressing advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We report the long-term safety and clinical activity of pembrolizumab as first-line therapy for patients with advanced NSCLC and the correlation between PD-L1 expression and efficacy.Patients and methodsIn the open-label phase 1b KEYNOTE-001 trial, treatment-naive patients with advanced NSCLC whose tumors expressed PD-L1 (≥1% staining, assessed using a prototype assay) were randomly assigned to intravenous pembrolizumab 2 or 10 mg/kg every 3 (Q3W) or 2 (Q2W) weeks. Response was assessed per central RECIST v1.1 every 9 weeks in all patients who received ≥1 pembrolizumab dose. Using pre-treatment tumor tissue, a clinical assay quantified the percentage of tumor cells expressing PD-L1 as tumor proportion score (TPS).ResultsBetween 1 March 2013 and 18 September 2015, 101 patients received pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg Q3W (n = 6), 10 mg/kg Q3W (n = 49), or 10 mg/kg Q2W (n = 46). Of these, 27 (26.7%) had TPS ≥50%, 52 (51.5%) had TPS 1%–49%, and 12 (11.9%) had TPS <1%. The objective response rate (ORR) was 27% (27/101, 95% CI 18–37) and median overall survival was 22.1 months (95% CI 17.1–27.2). In patients with PD-L1 TPS ≥50%, ORR, 12-month PFS, and 12-month OS were higher [14/27 (51.9%; 95% CI 32%–71%), 54%, and 85%, respectively] than the overall population [27/101 (26.7%; 95% CI 18.4%–36.5%), 35%, 71%]. Pembrolizumab was well tolerated, with only 12 (11.9%) patients experiencing grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events and no treatment-related deaths.ConclusionsPembrolizumab provides promising long-term OS benefit with a manageable safety profile for PD-L1-expressing treatment-naive advanced NSCLC, with greatest efficacy observed in patients with TPS ≥50%.Clinical trial name and numberKEYNOTE-001 (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01295827).     

First-line Pembrolizumab Versus Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Versus Chemotherapy Alone in Non–small-cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis

BackgroundThis study aimed to comprehensively review the available evidence regarding the efficacy of first-line pembrolizumab for advanced/metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to compare pembrolizumab monotherapy versus pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone.Materials and MethodsA search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was performed in July 2018, and abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology meetings (2015-2018) were reviewed. Summaries of the results were pooled using a random-effect model to determine the pooled hazard ratio (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A network meta-analysis was used to indirectly compare pembrolizumab monotherapy with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy.ResultsA total of 4 relevant phase III trials comprising 2754 patients were identified. Pembrolizumab (with or without chemotherapy) led to significant improvements in OS and PFS, irrespective of the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score (TPS). In particular, for the subgroup with PD-L1 TPS ≥ 50%, the HR of PFS was 0.49 (95% CI, 0.32-0.76; P = .001), and that of OS was 0.57 (95% CI, 0.45-0.73; P < .001). In terms of PFS, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy was superior to pembrolizumab monotherapy with an HR of PFS 0.52 (95% CI, 0.27-0.99; P = .048) for the subgroup with PD-L1 TPS ≥ 50%.ConclusionsFor patients with NSCLC with PD-L1 TPS ≥ 50%, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy has a better PFS than pembrolizumab monotherapy in this meta-analysis. To confirm this finding, a prospective phase III trial that directly compares the treatments is warranted.     

Phase II Study of Maintenance Pembrolizumab in Patients with Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of maintenance pembrolizumab in patients with extensive-stage SCLC after treatment with platinum and etoposide.

Differential Efficacy of Pembrolizumab According to Metastatic Sites in Patients With PD-L1 Strongly Positive (TPS ≥ 50%) NSCLC

BackgroundPembrolizumab has shown significantly better efficacy than platinum doublet chemotherapy in patients with programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) strongly positive (tumor proportion score ≥ 50%) non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the predictors of response to pembrolizumab have not yet been fully elucidated for patients with PD-L1 strongly positive NSCLC.Patients and MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 145 patients who had been treated with pembrolizumab for PD-L1 strongly positive (TPS ≥ 50%) NSCLC without an EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutation or ALK rearrangement from February 2017 to March 2020. Various clinical characteristics, including Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, treatment line, PD-L1 expression, C-reactive protein level, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and metastatic sites, and the clinical outcome of pembrolizumab treatment were examined.ResultsPatients with higher PD-L1 expression (≥ 75%; n = 90) had a higher objective response rate (ORR) and longer progression-free survival (PFS) compared with those with lower expression (50%-74%; n = 55; ORR, 51% vs. 33%; P = .0305; median PFS, 13.9 months vs. 5.2 months; P = .0111). In addition, 15 patients with liver metastasis (LM) had a significantly lower ORR and shorter PFS than the 130 patients without LM (ORR, 20% vs. 47%; P = .0468; median PFS, 3.4 months vs. 9.4 months; P = .0018). A multivariate analysis indicated that PD-L1 expression and LM were significant predictors of PFS after pembrolizumab treatment (higher PD-L1 expression: hazard ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.91; P = .0183; presence of LM: hazard ratio, 2.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-3.82; P = .0420).ConclusionPD-L1 expression and LM status were predictors of the efficacy of pembrolizumab in patients with PD-L1 strongly positive NSCLC.     

First-line pembrolizumab ± chemotherapy for recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer: Japanese subgroup of KEYNOTE-048

Background

Here, we report the results of the Japanese subgroup of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-048 study of pembrolizumab alone, pembrolizumab plus platinum and 5-fluorouracil (pembrolizumab–chemotherapy), or cetuximab plus platinum and 5-fluorouracil (EXTREME) in previously untreated recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods

Primary end points were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Efficacy was evaluated in patients with PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 20 and ≥ 1 and the total Japanese subgroup (n = 67).

Results

At data cutoff (25 February 2019), pembrolizumab led to longer OS versus EXTREME in the PD-L1 CPS ≥ 20 subgroup (median, 28.2 vs. 13.3 months; HR, 0.29 [95% CI 0.09–0.89]) and to similar OS in the total Japanese (23.4 vs. 13.6 months; HR, 0.51 [95% CI 0.25–1.05]) and CPS ≥ 1 subgroups (22.6 vs. 15.8 months; HR, 0.66 [95% CI 0.31–1.41]). Pembrolizumab–chemotherapy led to similar OS versus EXTREME in the PD-L1 CPS ≥ 20 (median, 18.1 vs. 15.8 months; HR, 0.72 [95% CI 0.23–2.19]), CPS ≥ 1 (12.6 vs. 15.8 months; HR, 1.19 [95% CI 0.55–2.58]), and total Japanese subgroups (12.6 vs. 13.3 months; unadjusted HR, 1.10 [95% CI 0.55–2.22]). Median PFS was similar for pembrolizumab and pembrolizumab–chemotherapy versus EXTREME in all subgroups. Grades 3–5 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 5 (22%), 19 (76%), and 17 (89%) patients receiving pembrolizumab, pembrolizumab–chemotherapy, and EXTREME, respectively. One patient receiving pembrolizumab–chemotherapy died because of treatment-related pneumonitis.

Conclusion

These results support the use of first-line pembrolizumab and pembrolizumab–chemotherapy for Japanese patients with R/M HNSCC.

Clinical trial registry ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02358031.

     

A Randomized Phase III Study of Pembrolizumab Versus Pembrolizumab-Carboplatin-Pemetrexed for Locally Advanced or Metastatic Nonsquamous Non-small-cell Lung Cancer with PD-L1 50% or more (LAPLACE-50): Study Protocol

BackgroundPembrolizumab monotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitor with platinum and pemetrexed combination chemotherapy are the standard therapies for patients with nonsquamous non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥ 50%. However, there are no data on the comparative effectiveness of the 2 regimens in patients with nonsquamous NSCLC with PD-L1 TPS ≥ 50%.Patients and MethodsThis randomized, multicenter, phase III trial (LAPLACE-50, jRCTs031200078) was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab with pembrolizumab-carboplatin-pemetrexed combination in patients with nonsquamous NSCLC with PD-L1 TPS ≥ 50%. Patients are eligible for enrollment if they are at least 20 years old; have pathologically confirmed locally advanced/metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC without sensitizing epidermal growth factor receptor or anaplastic lymphoma kinase mutations; have not received previous systemic therapy for metastatic disease; have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1; and have at least 1 measurable lesion. Patients will be excluded if they have symptomatic central nervous system metastases, interstitial pneumonitis, active autoimmune disease, or are on systemic immunosuppressive treatment. The patients will be randomized 1:1 to pembrolizumab (200 mg) or pembrolizumab (200 mg) plus carboplatin (area under the curve 5) plus pemetrexed (500 mg/m²) on day 1 of each 21-day treatment cycle. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival. The recruitment phase began in August 2020 and will enroll 290 patients.ConclusionIf the primary endpoint is achieved, pembrolizumab could be the first choice for first-line treatment in patients with nonsquamous NSCLC with PD-L1 TPS ≥ 50%.     

KEYNOTE‐025: Phase 1b study of pembrolizumab in Japanese patients with previously treated programmed death ligand 1–positive advanced non–small‐cell lung cancer

Pembrolizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against programmed death 1 (PD‐1), has been shown to improve overall survival (OS) in patients with previously treated advanced non–small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥1%. We report safety and efficacy results from the phase 1b KEYNOTE‐025 study, which evaluated pembrolizumab in Japanese patients with previously treated NSCLC. Eligible patients had histologically/cytologically confirmed advanced NSCLC with PD‐L1 TPS ≥1% and had received ≥1 platinum‐doublet chemotherapy. Patients received pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg once every 3 weeks for 2 years or until disease progression/unacceptable toxicity. Primary objectives were to evaluate the safety of pembrolizumab in patients with PD‐L1 TPS ≥1% and the objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST version 1.1 in patients with PD‐L1 TPS ≥50%. Thirty‐eight patients were enrolled and received ≥1 pembrolizumab dose. The median (range) age was 66.0 (41‐78) years, and 61% had received ≥2 prior systemic therapies. Eleven patients (29%) experienced grade 3‐5 treatment‐related adverse events (AE); 9 patients (24%) experienced immune‐mediated AE and infusion reactions, with pneumonitis (11%; any grade) being most common. Among evaluable patients with PD‐L1 TPS ≥50% (n = 11), ORR was 27% (95% CI, 6‐61). Among evaluable patients with PD‐L1 TPS ≥1% (n = 37), ORR was 22% (95% CI, 10‐38). Median (95% CI) progression‐free survival and OS were 3.9 (2.0‐6.2) months and 19.2 (8.0‐26.7) months, respectively. In summary, pembrolizumab was generally well tolerated and showed promising antitumor activity in Japanese patients with previously treated PD‐L1–expressing NSCLC. Outcomes were consistent with those from the phase 3 KEYNOTE‐010 study. (Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02007070.)     

Avoiding chemotherapy for advanced nononcogene addicted NSCLC overexpressing PD-L1: Rule or option?

Patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancers expressing high levels of PD-L1 present a therapeutic dilemma for clinicians who have to choose between pembrolizumab as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy. In order to help them as they ponder over this decision we performed a meta-analysis using the data available from randomized clinical trials that enrolled patients with untreated advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancers with PD-L1 expression level ≥50%. We evaluated interactions according to type of treatment–add-on strategy: pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy or head-to-head strategy: pembrolizumab alone versus chemotherapy. Hazard and Odds Ratios (HR/OR) for primary (overall survival, OS) and secondary endpoints (progression-free survival, PFS and objective response rate, ORR) were extracted and cumulated by adopting a random-effect model with 95% confidence interval. Four clinical trials that enrolled 2,754 patients including 1,252 with PD-L1 expression in ≥50% of cells were examined. We did not find a significant interaction (P = 0.16) between an add-on strategy and head-to-head comparisons with pembrolizumab for OS (HRs in favor of immunotherapy of 0.50 and 0.67, respectively). A significant quantitative interaction favoring the add-on strategy was found for PFS and ORR (P < 0.001), with a HR for PFS of 0.36 with the add-on strategy and 0.65 in head-to head comparisons, and an OR for ORR of 5.35 and 1.58, respectively. In absence of planned prospective noninferiority trials addressing this issue, addition of chemotherapy to pembrolizumab appears to decrease tumor size and delay disease progression significantly more than pembrolizumab alone, but has no impact on OS. We conclude that the data support deciding between both treatment options on an individual basis by considering a patients’ clinical status and disease characteristics.     

A Randomized,Placebo-Controlled Trial of Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Squamous NSCLC: Protocol-Specified Final Analysis of KEYNOTE-407

IntroductionIn the randomized KEYNOTE-407 study (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02775435), pembrolizumab plus carboplatin and paclitaxel/nab-paclitaxel (chemotherapy) significantly improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated metastatic squamous NSCLC. We report updated efficacy outcomes from the protocol-specified final analysis and, for the first time, progression on next line of treatment.MethodsEligible patients were randomized to chemotherapy plus either pembrolizumab (n = 278) or placebo (n = 281). After positive results from the second interim analysis, patients still receiving placebo could cross over to pembrolizumab monotherapy at the time of confirmed progressive disease. The primary end points were OS and PFS. PFS-2 (time from randomization to progression on next-line treatment/death, whichever occurred first) was an exploratory end point.ResultsAfter median (range) follow-up of 14.3 (0.1–31.3) months, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy continued to exhibit a clinically meaningful improvement over placebo plus chemotherapy in OS (median, 17.1 mo [95% confidence interval (CI): 14.4‒19.9] versus 11.6 mo [95% CI: 10.1‒13.7]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI: 0.58‒0.88]) and PFS (median, 8.0 mo [95% CI: 6.3‒8.4] versus 5.1 mo [95% CI: 4.3‒6.0]; HR, 0.57 [95% CI: 0.47‒0.69]). PFS-2 was longer for patients randomized to first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (HR, 0.59 [95% CI: 0.49‒0.72]). Grade 3 to 5 adverse events occurred in 74.1% and 69.6% of patients receiving pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy and placebo plus chemotherapy, respectively.ConclusionsPembrolizumab plus chemotherapy continued to exhibit substantially improved OS and PFS in patients with metastatic squamous NSCLC. The PFS-2 outcomes support pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy as a standard first-line treatment in patients with metastatic squamous NSCLC.     

Pembrolizumab monotherapy for previously treated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: cohort A of the phase II KEYNOTE-086 study

BackgroundTreatment options for previously treated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) are limited. In cohort A of the phase II KEYNOTE-086 study, we evaluated pembrolizumab as second or later line of treatment for patients with mTNBC.Patients and methodsEligible patients had centrally confirmed mTNBC, ≥1 systemic therapy for metastatic disease, prior treatment with anthracycline and taxane in any disease setting, and progression on or after the most recent therapy. Patients received pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks for up to 2 years. Primary end points were objective response rate in the total and PD-L1–positive populations, and safety. Secondary end points included duration of response, disease control rate (percentage of patients with complete or partial response or stable disease for ≥24 weeks), progression-free survival, and overall survival.ResultsAll enrolled patients (N = 170) were women, 61.8% had PD-L1–positive tumors, and 43.5% had received ≥3 previous lines of therapy for metastatic disease. ORR (95% CI) was 5.3% (2.7–9.9) in the total and 5.7% (2.4–12.2) in the PD-L1–positive populations. Disease control rate (95% CI) was 7.6% (4.4–12.7) and 9.5% (5.1–16.8), respectively. Median duration of response was not reached in the total (range, 1.2+–21.5+) and in the PD-L1–positive (range, 6.3–21.5+) populations. Median PFS was 2.0 months (95% CI, 1.9–2.0), and the 6-month rate was 14.9%. Median OS was 9.0 months (95% CI, 7.6–11.2), and the 6-month rate was 69.1%. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 103 (60.6%) patients, including 22 (12.9%) with grade 3 or 4 AEs. There were no deaths due to AEs.ConclusionsPembrolizumab monotherapy demonstrated durable antitumor activity in a subset of patients with previously treated mTNBC and had a manageable safety profile.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02447003     

Phase 1 Expansion Cohort of Ramucirumab Plus Pembrolizumab in Advanced Treatment-Naive NSCLC

IntroductionData of first-line ramucirumab plus pembrolizumab treatment of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)–positive NSCLC (cohort E) are reported (NCT02443324).MethodsIn this multicenter, open-label phase 1a/b trial, patients received ramucirumab 10 mg/kg and pembrolizumab 200 mg every 21 days for up to 35 cycles. PD-L1 positivity was defined as tumor proportion score (TPS) greater than or equal to 1%. Exploratory NanoString biomarker analyses included three T-cell signatures (T-cell–inflamed, Gajewski, and effector T cells) and CD274 gene expression.ResultsCohort E included 26 patients. Treatment-related adverse events of any grade occurred in 22 patients (84.6%). Treatment-related adverse events of grade greater than or equal to 3 were reported in 11 patients (42.3%); the most frequent was hypertension (n = 4, 15.4%). Objective response rate was 42.3% in the treated population and 56.3% and 22.2% for patients with high (TPS ≥ 50%) and lower levels (TPS 1%–49%) of PD-L1 expression, respectively. Median progression-free survival (PFS) in the treated population was 9.3 months, and 12-month and 18-month PFS rates were 45% each. Median PFS was not reached in patients with PD-L1 TPS greater than or equal to 50% and was 4.2 months in patients with PD-L1 TPS 1% to 49%. Median overall survival was not reached in the treated population, and 12-month and 18-month overall survival rates were 73% and 64%, respectively. Biomarker data suggested a positive association among clinical response, three T-cell signatures, CD274 gene expression, and PD-L1 immunohistochemistry.ConclusionsFirst-line therapy with ramucirumab plus pembrolizumab has a manageable safety profile in patients with NSCLC, and the efficacy signal seems to be strongest in tumors with high PD-L1 expression.     

Pembrolizumab for Previously Treated,PD-L1–expressing Advanced NSCLC: Real-world Time on Treatment and Overall Survival

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors have been rapidly adopted for therapy of advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) based on clinical trial findings. Our aim was to examine outcomes in United States oncology practice settings for patients prescribed pembrolizumab monotherapy for previously treated, programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)–expressing aNSCLC, thus clinically similar to patients in the KEYNOTE-010 trial.Patients and MethodsThis retrospective observational study used a nationally representative database to identify adult patients with histologically confirmed aNSCLC and PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥ 1% previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy (and appropriate tyrosine kinase inhibitor if nonsquamous aNSCLC with EGFR/ALK genomic tumor aberration). Eligible patients initiated pembrolizumab monotherapy from January 1, 2016, to November 29, 2018; data cutoff was May 31, 2019. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate real-world time on treatment (rwToT) and overall survival (OS).ResultsThe 349 eligible patients included 199 (57%) men; the median age was 68 years (range, 37-84 years); 70 (25%) of 278 patients with known performance status had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score ≥ 2. The median patient follow-up was 8.1 months (range, 1 day to 39.2 months). The median rwToT was 4.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.7-5.8 months) overall and 5.8 months (95% CI, 4.2-6.6 months) for the TPS ≥ 50% cohort (n = 218). The median OS was 13.8 months (95% CI, 11.0-16.5 months) and 16.5 months (95% CI, 13.7-22.0 months) overall and for TPS ≥ 50%, respectively; 12-month survival rates were 54% and 60%, respectively.ConclusionPatients treated at oncology practices with pembrolizumab monotherapy for previously treated PD-L1–expressing aNSCLC experienced rwToT and OS similar to treatment duration and OS in phase III clinical trial settings.     

Long-Term Survival of Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Monotherapy in Real-World Settings

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy is more effective than cytotoxic chemotherapy in improving overall survival (OS) among patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Recently, chemotherapy combined with ICI has been found to yield good outcomes. However, ICI monotherapy is still considered an important treatment option. Data on long-term progression-free survival (PFS) and OS in real-world settings are limited.Patients and MethodsThis was a multicenter retrospective observational study. A total of 435 consecutive patients histologically diagnosed with advanced, metastatic, or recurrent NSCLC treated with ICI monotherapy were enrolled in this study from December 2015 to December 2018. Clinical data were collected from electronic medical records and pharmacy databases.ResultsThe PFS and OS of the patients were 3.4 and 13.0 months, respectively. The objective response and disease control rates were 22.8% and 54.9%, respectively, and the 4-year survival rate was 17.9%. Multivariate analyses revealed that elder patients (>70 years), good Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) score, programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score (PD-L1 TPS) of ≥ 50%, absence of bone metastasis, and presence of immune-related skin toxicity, which is an immune-related adverse event, were correlated with good PFS. Moreover, good ECOG PS score, PD-L1 TPS of ≥ 50%, absence of bone metastasis, and presence of skin toxicity were correlated with good OS.ConclusionsThe 4-year survival rate was 17.9%. Good ECOG PS score, PD-L1 TPS of ≥ 50%, absence of bone metastasis, and presence of skin toxicity were correlated with good PFS and OS.     

Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Tumor Proportion Score and Overall Survival From First-Line Pembrolizumab in Patients With Nonsquamous Versus Squamous NSCLC

IntroductionFor patients with NSCLC receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score (TPS) has been validated as a predictive biomarker for improved overall survival (OS). Nevertheless, its histology-specific predictive value in patients with advanced squamous versus nonsquamous cancers remains unclear. To evaluate the differential value of PD-L1 TPS as a predictive biomarker for OS after first-line pembrolizumab in patients with squamous versus nonsquamous NSCLC.MethodsRetrospective, observational study of patients diagnosed with having advanced NSCLC who were treated between October 2015 and April 2019 at community oncology clinics and academic medical centers in a deidentified electronic health record–derived database. Included patients were diagnosed with having advanced or metastatic NSCLC, received treatment with first-line, single-agent pembrolizumab, and had documentation of PD-L1 testing with a numeric result. Exclusion criteria included alterations in EGFR, ALK, and ROS1. The primary end point was OS from start of first-line pembrolizumab therapy by squamous or nonsquamous histology and PD-1 expression level measured by TPS (low, <50% or high, ≥50%).ResultsThe cohort of 1460 patients with NSCLC who received pembrolizumab as a first-line therapy had a mean age of 72 years. Histology was 28% squamous and 72% nonsquamous. PD-L1 expression was low in 13% and high in 87%. No meaningful differences in age, sex, or smoking history were observed by PD-L1 TPS or histology type. A generalized gamma model adjusting for sex and stage at diagnosis found that for patients with nonsquamous histology, high PD-L1 TPS was significantly associated with improved OS by a median OS difference of 8.4 months (p < 0.001). In contrast, for patients with squamous histology, there was no evidence of association between PD-L1 expression level and OS (p = 0.283). PD-L1–related incremental differences in median OS between the patients with squamous and nonsquamous tumors were significantly different (p = 0.034).ConclusionsAmong patients with NSCLC treated with first-line pembrolizumab, high PD-L1 TPS is associated with OS among patients with nonsquamous NSCLC, but not among patients with squamous NSCLC.     

Real-World Efficacy of First-Line Pembrolizumab in Patients With Advanced or Recurrent Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer and High PD-L1 Tumor Expression

BackgroundIn clinical trials, first-line treatment with pembrolizumab improved overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score of ≥ 50%. However, data on the efficacy of this treatment between clinical trials and actual clinical practice are inconsistent.Patients and MethodsNinety-five patients with histologically diagnosed advanced or recurrent NSCLC and a PD-L1 tumor proportion score of ≥ 50% who received pembrolizumab as first-line treatment were consecutively enrolled onto this multicenter retrospective study from February 2017 to December 2018. Clinical data were collected from electronic medical records. We assessed the objective response rate, progression-free survival (PFS), OS, and immune-related adverse events (irAE), and determined their associations with clinical characteristics.ResultsThe objective response rate was 40.0%. The median PFS was 6.1 months, and OS did not reach the median. Multivariate analyses revealed that nonadenocarcinoma histology (hazard ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-3.03; P = .015) and ≥ 3 metastatic sites (hazard ratio, 3.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.97-8.01; P < .001) were independently correlated with poor PFS. Patients with irAE and patients without interstitial lung disease had significantly longer PFS (14.0 and 4.9 months, respectively; P = .011) than patients without irAE or patients with interstitial lung disease.ConclusionThe outcome of patients receiving first-line pembrolizumab treatment was worse in those with nonadenocarcinoma and with a large number of metastatic sites. Patients with irAE and without interstitial lung disease had a more favorable outcome.     

Five-year survival outcomes for patients with advanced melanoma treated with pembrolizumab in KEYNOTE-001

BackgroundPembrolizumab demonstrated robust antitumor activity and safety in the phase Ib KEYNOTE-001 study (NCT01295827) of advanced melanoma. Five-year outcomes in all patients and treatment-naive patients are reported herein. Patients whose disease progressed following initial response and who received a second course of pembrolizumab were also analyzed.Patients and methodsPatients aged ≥18 years with previously treated or treatment-naive advanced/metastatic melanoma received pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg every 3 weeks, 10 mg/kg every 3 weeks, or 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, or patient/investigator decision to withdraw. Kaplan–Meier estimates of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated. Objective response rate and PFS were based on immune-related response criteria by investigator assessment (data cut-off, September 1, 2017).ResultsKEYNOTE-001 enrolled 655 patients with melanoma; median follow-up was 55 months. Estimated 5-year OS was 34% in all patients and 41% in treatment-naive patients; median OS was 23.8 months (95% CI, 20.2–30.4) and 38.6 months (95% CI, 27.2–not reached), respectively. Estimated 5-year PFS rates were 21% in all patients and 29% in treatment-naive patients; median PFS was 8.3 months (95% CI, 5.8–11.1) and 16.9 months (95% CI, 9.3–35.5), respectively. Median response duration was not reached; 73% of all responses and 82% of treatment-naive responses were ongoing at data cut-off; the longest response was ongoing at 66 months. Four patients [all with prior response of complete response (CR)] whose disease progressed during observation subsequently received second-course pembrolizumab. One patient each achieved CR and partial response (after data cut-off). Treatment-related AEs (TRAEs) occurred in 86% of patients and resulted in study discontinuation in 7.8%; 17% experienced grade 3/4 TRAE.ConclusionsThis 5-year analysis of KEYNOTE-001 represents the longest follow-up for pembrolizumab to date and confirms the durable antitumor activity and tolerability of pembrolizumab in advanced melanoma.Clinical Trial RegistryClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01295827.     

Shorter Survival in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Patients With High PD-L1 Expression Associated With Sarcomatoid or Biphasic Histology Subtype: A Series of 214 Cases From the Bio-MAPS Cohort

BackgroundAnticancer immune responses are negatively regulated by programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) T-cell membrane protein interaction with its ligand, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), on cancer cells. We sought to assess the prognostic role of PD-L1 expression in tumor samples from patients enrolled onto the IFCT-0701 MAPS randomized phase 3 trial (NCT00651456).Patients and MethodsTumor samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for percentages of PD-L1 membrane-stained tumor cells using the E1L3N clone, and data were correlated to survival by multivariate Cox models including stratification variables.ResultsPD-L1 staining was assessed in 214 (47.75%) of 448 patients. Epithelioid subtype represented 83.7% (179/214). Absence of PD-L1 staining occurred in 137 (64.1%) of 214 malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) samples, while 77 (35.9%) of 214 were PD-L1 positive, with 50 (64.9%) of 77 showing < 50% PD-L1–expressing tumor cells. Sarcomatoid/biphasic subtypes were more commonly PD-L1 positive than epithelioid subtype (P < .001). In patients with 1% or more PD-L1–stained tumor cells, median overall survival (OS) was 12.3 months versus 22.2 months for other patients (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.67; P = .14). OS did not differ according to PD-L1 positivity in multivariate analyses (adjusted HR = 1.10; 95% CI, 0.81-1.49; P = .55). With a 50% cutoff, PD-L1–positive patients displayed a 10.5 months median OS versus 19.3 months for patients with lower PD-L1 expression (HR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.27-2.93; P = .002). OS did not significantly differ in adjusted Cox models (adjusted HR = 1.20; 95% CI, 0.74-1.94; P = .47). In the 179 epithelioid MPM patients, high PD-L1 staining (≥ 50% of tumor cells) negatively affected OS, although not significantly, showing a 12.3-month median OS (95% CI, 4.3-21.6) versus 23-month (95% CI, 18.5-25.2) for patients with tumor PD-L1 staining in < 50% cells (P = .071). The progression-free survival (PFS) differences were statistically significant, with a longer 9.9-month median PFS in patients with low PD-L1 staining (< 50% cells) compared to 6.7 months of median PFS in patients with high PD-L1 expression (≥ 50% cells) (P = .0047).ConclusionAlthough high PD-L1 tumor cell expression was associated with poorer OS in MPM patients from the MAPS trial, its prognostic influence was lost in multivariate analyses in the whole cohort, while PD-L1 expression was strongly associated with the sarcomatoid/biphasic subtypes. In the epithelioid MPM subset of patients, high PD-L1 tumor expression (≥ 50%) negatively affected OS and PFS, with this prognostic influence remaining statistically significant for PFS after adjustment in multivariate Cox model.     

Comparison of SP142 and 22C3 Immunohistochemistry PD-L1 Assays for Clinical Efficacy of Atezolizumab in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Results From the Randomized OAK Trial

BackgroundThis phase III OAK trial (NCT02008227) subgroup analysis (data cutoff, January 9, 2019) evaluated the predictive value of 2 PD-L1 IHC tests (VENTANA SP142 and Dako 22C3) for benefit from atezolizumab versus docetaxel by programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) status in patients with previously treated metastatic non–small cell lung cancer.MethodsPD-L1 expression was assessed prospectively with SP142 on tumor cells (TC) and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (IC) and retrospectively with 22C3 using a tumor proportion score (TPS) based on TC membrane staining. Efficacy was assessed in the 22C3 biomarker-evaluable population (22C3-BEP) (n = 577; 47.1% of SP142-intention-to-treat population) and non–22C3-BEP (n = 648) in PD-L1 subgroups (high, low, and negative) and according to selection by 1 or both assays.ResultsIn the 22C3-BEP, overall survival benefits with atezolizumab versus docetaxel were observed across PD-L1 subgroups; benefits were greatest in SP142-defined PD-L1–high (TC3 or IC3: hazard ratio [HR], 0.39 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.25-0.63]) and 22C3-defined PD-L1–high (TPS ≥ 50%: HR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.38-0.82]) and low (TPS, 1% to < 50%: HR, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.37-0.82]) groups. Progression-free survival improved with increasing PD-L1 expression for both assays. SP142 and 22C3 assays identified overlapping and unique patient populations in PD-L1–high, positive, and negative subgroups. Overall survival and progression-free survival benefits favored atezolizumab over docetaxel in double PD-L1–positive and negative groups; patients with both SP142- and 22C3-positive tumors derived the greatest benefit.ConclusionsDespite different scoring algorithms and differing sensitivity levels, the SP142 and 22C3 assays similarly predicted atezolizumab benefit at validated PD-L1 thresholds in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.