Raja Mudad

Concomitant weekly docetaxel, cisplatin and radiation therapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a dose finding study

The optimal dose of weekly docetaxel in combination with cisplatin and concomitant thoracic radiation therapy (XRT) in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not well defined. The purpose of this study was to define the maximal tolerated dose (MTD) of docetaxel in this combination. Eligible patients had unresectable stage IIIA or IIIB NSCLC without pleural effusion. Treatment consisted of cisplatin 25 mg/m(2) plus docetaxel weekly and concomitant standard XRT for a total of 60 Gy at 200 cGy/fraction/day 5 times weekly for 6 weeks. The starting dose of docetaxel in the first cohort was 15 mg/m(2)/week. This dose was escalated by 5 mg/m(2) per cohort of 3 patients. No intrapatient dose escalation was allowed. The doses of cisplatin and XRT were not escalated. A total of 23 patients were enrolled, and 19 patients were evaluable for analysis. The first cohort (docetaxel 15 mg/m(2)/week) completed treatment without any Grade 3 or 4 toxicities. The second cohort (docetaxel 20 mg/m(2)/week) was expanded to 6 patients because of Grade 3 cough observed in 1 patient. One of 5 patients experienced Grade 3 esophagitis at the docetaxel 25 mg/m(2)/week dose level. Dose limiting toxicity consisting of Grade 3 esophagitis was reached in 4 of 5 patients receiving docetaxel at 30 mg/m(2)/week. This study determined the MTD of weekly docetaxel to be 25 mg/m(2) when combined with cisplatin 25 mg/m(2) and radiation therapy for locally advanced NSCLC. Further evaluation of this regimen in a phase II trial is underway.

Developing a Predictive Model for Clinical Outcomes of Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Nivolumab

Micro‐Abstract A single biomarker cannot account for the heterogeneous tumor biology and immune interplay in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer who receive programmed death inhibitor. This article reports our initial model development that incorporates differential weightings of clinical and hematologic variables for a future algorithm. The immunotherapy, Sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, Neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and Delta NLR are incorporated into the model that categorizes patients into different risk groups and significantly discriminates each groups clinical outcome. Introduction Despite significant improvement of clinical outcomes of advanced non–small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with immunotherapy, our knowledge of optimal biomarkers is still limited. Patients and Methods We retrospectively evaluated 159 advanced NSCLC patients in our institution treated with nivolumab after disease progression during platinum‐based chemotherapy. We correlated several variables with progression‐free survival (PFS) to develop the immunotherapy, Sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, Neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and Delta NLR (iSEND) model. We categorized patients into iSEND good, intermediate, and poor risk groups and evaluated their clinical outcomes. Performance of iSEND at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months was evaluated according to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and internally validated using bootstrapping. The association of iSEND risk groups with clinical benefit was evaluated using logistic regression. Results Median follow‐up was 11.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.4‐13.1). There were 50 deaths and 43 with disease progression without death. PFS rates at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 78.4%, 63.7%, 55.3%, and 52.2% in iSEND good; 79.4%, 44.3%, 25.9%, and 19.2% in iSEND intermediate; and 65%, 25.9%, 22.8%, and 17.8% in iSEND poor. Time‐dependent area under ROC curves of iSEND for PFS at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 0.718, 0.74, 0.746, and 0.774. The iSEND poor group was significantly associated with progressive disease at 12 ± 2 weeks (odds ratio, 9.59; 95% CI, 3.8‐26.9; P < .0001). Conclusion The iSEND model is an algorithmic model that can characterize clinical outcomes of advanced NSCLC patients receiving nivolumab into good, intermediate, or poor risk groups and might be useful as a predictive model if validated independently.

Comparative effectiveness and safety of nab -paclitaxel plus carboplatin vs gemcitabine plus carboplatin in first-line treatment of advanced squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer in a US community oncology setting

Introduction Real-world comparative effectiveness, safety, and supportive care use of nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin vs gemcitabine plus platinum were analyzed in patients with advanced or metastatic squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and methods Patients who received ≥ 1 cycle of first-line nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin or gemcitabine plus platinum were identified from the Navigating Cancer database. Clinical effectiveness endpoints included overall survival (OS) and time to treatment discontinuation (TTD). Other endpoints included safety and utilization of supportive care. Cox proportional hazards models were used to control for potential confounding effects of baseline characteristics. Results In total, 193 patients were included (nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin, n = 61; gemcitabine plus platinum, n = 132). Baseline characteristics were generally similar between the cohorts. Patients receiving nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin had a significantly longer OS than those receiving gemcitabine plus carboplatin (median, 12.8 vs 9.0 months; P = 0.03). However, the adjusted difference was not statistically significant (adjusted HR 1.55; 95% CI, 0.99–2.42; P = 0.06). nab-Paclitaxel plus carboplatin-treated patients had significantly longer TTD than gemcitabine plus carboplatin-treated patients (median, 4.3 vs 3.5 months; P = 0.03; adjusted HR 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01–1.90; P = 0.04). Grade 3 or 4 anemia and neutropenia were significantly lower in patients treated with nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin vs gemcitabine plus carboplatin. Nausea and neuropathy (grade not specified) were significantly higher in the nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin than the gemcitabine plus carboplatin group. No differences in supportive care use were observed between the cohorts. Conclusion These real-world data support the effectiveness and safety of nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin for first-line treatment of advanced squamous cell NSCLC.

Longitudinal monitoring of ctDNA EGFR mutation burden from urine correlates with patient response to EGFR TKIs: A case series

Targetable, somatic EGFR mutations are highly prevalent in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), making them eligible for tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), isolated from blood or urine, has been demonstrated to reliably identify somatic tumor associated EGFR mutations, specifically in patients with inconclusive biopsy. When conventional imaging modalities are inconclusive, quantitative assessment of systemic ctDNA burden has the potential to assess therapeutic response. We report on the clinical use of non-invasive, urinary ctDNA liquid biopsies for the ultrasensitive detection and longitudinal monitoring of ctDNA EGFR systemic mutation burden in five patients with NSCLC treated with EGFR TKIs. Urinary ctDNA-based quantitative assessment of systemic EGFR mutant allele burden is a non-invasive molecular diagnostic testing modality that has the potential to be utilized as an ancillary tool to assess disease burden and response to therapy.

Complete response to ipilimumab and nivolumab therapy in a patient with extensive extrapulmonary high-grade small cell carcinoma of the pancreas and HIV infection

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) have shown promising results in many solid tumors. There are limited data on the safety and efficacy of these drugs in HIV infected patients as they have traditionally been excluded from CPIs clinical trials.Case presentationWe present a case of an HIV-positive patient with extensive extrapulmonary high-grade small cell carcinoma who was treated with dual CPIs (nivolumab and ipilimumab) with a complete response to therapy and with a manageable safety profile. We performed a comprehensive literature review identifying 62 total HIV positive cases treated with CPIs showing this to be a potentially safe option in HIV-positive patients.ConclusionHIV infection is not an absolute contraindication to CPI therapy. Our case and others provide justification for ongoing trials of CPI therapy in patients with HIV infection, a group that has traditionally been excluded from clinical trials.

Treatment of Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Era of Targeted Therapy

Purpose of ReviewSince the identification of multiple mutations associated with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), many targeted therapies have been developed for the treatment of this subgroup of lung cancers. These targeted therapies have changed the landscape of lung cancer treatment when compared to standard chemotherapy, with improved survival and quality of life. In this review article, we will review the major mutations associated with advanced NSCLC, namely EGFR, ALK, and ROS1. We will discuss their discovery, their clinical significance, and the diagnostic tests used for their detection. We will also review the respective targeted therapies developed, and the clinical trials that led to their approval.Recent FindingsWe will also review the most recent advances in targeted therapies in the treatment of advanced NSCLC, including recent data on tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib showing equal effectiveness to other first-line therapy and accordingly recommended in first line for EGFR-positive advanced NSCLC. We will discuss emerging targetable mutations such as HER2, RET, and MET.SummaryTargeted therapies will likely shape the future of NSCLC treatment. They have been shown to provide survival advantage over chemotherapy, while providing better quality of life through ease of administration (most are oral drugs), as well as tolerability and better toxicity profile. Further elucidation of these and mutations may provide for future more effective targeted therapies.

Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia in a patient with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia receiving nivolumab and intravenous immunoglobulin

We describe a rare case of severe autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) in the setting of underlying chronic lymphocytic leukaemia receiving intravenous immunoglobulin, history of warm IgG autoantibody and treatment with nivolumab for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. In this report, we describe AIHA as a potential serious immune-related adverse event from immune checkpoint inhibitors, discuss other potential contributing factors and review previously described cases of AIHA in patients receiving programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors. In the era of immunotherapy, we hope to add literature to raise awareness of potential immune-related sequelae such as AIHA. We aim to highlight the importance of close monitoring for prompt identification and management of potentially fatal AIHA and immune-related adverse events of PD-1 inhibitors by holding immunotherapy and treating with high-dose steroids, particularly in subgroups which may be at increased risk.