Sverre Sörenson

Palliative chemotherapy beyond three courses conveys no survival or consistent quality-of-life benefits in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

This randomised multicentre trial was conducted to establish the optimal duration of palliative chemotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We compared a policy of three vs six courses of new-generation platinum-based combination chemotherapy with regard to effects on quality of life (QoL) and survival. Patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC and WHO performance status (PS) 0–2 were randomised to receive three (C3) or six (C6) courses of carboplatin (area under the curve (AUC) 4, Chateluts formula, equivalent to Calverts AUC 5) on day 1 and vinorelbine 25 mg m−2 on days 1 and 8 of a 3-week cycle. Key end points were QoL at 18 weeks, measured with EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ)-C30 and QLQ-LC13, and overall survival. Secondary end points were progression-free survival and need of palliative radiotherapy. Two hundred and ninety-seven patients were randomised (C3 150, C6 147). Their median age was 65 years, 30% had PS 2 and 76% stage IV disease. Seventy-eight and 54% of C3 and C6 patients, respectively, completed all scheduled chemotherapy courses. Compliance with QoL questionnaires was 88%. There were no significant group differences in global QoL, pain or fatigue up to 26 weeks. The dyspnoea palliation rate was lower in the C3 arm at 18 and 26 weeks (P<0.05), but this finding was inconsistent across different methods of analysis. Median survival in the C3 group was 28 vs 32 weeks in the C6 group (P=0.75, HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.82–1.31). One- and 2-year survival rates were 25 and 9% vs 25 and 5% in the C3 and C6 arm, respectively. Median progression-free survival was 16 and 21 weeks in the C3 and C6 groups, respectively (P=0.21, HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.68–1.08). In conclusion, palliative chemotherapy with carboplatin and vinorelbine beyond three courses conveys no survival or consistent QoL benefits in advanced NSCLC.

Irinotecan Plus Carboplatin Versus Oral Etoposide Plus Carboplatin in Extensive Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Randomized Phase III Trial

PURPOSE A Japanese randomized trial showed superior survival for patients with extensive-disease (ED) small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) receiving irinotecan plus cisplatin compared with etoposide plus cisplatin. The present trial evaluated the efficacy of irinotecan plus carboplatin (IC) compared with oral etoposide plus carboplatin (EC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with ED SCLC were randomly assigned to receive either IC, which consisted of carboplatin (area under the curve = 4; Chatelut formula) and irinotecan (175 mg/m2) intravenously both on day 1, or EC, which consisted of carboplatin as in IC and etoposide (120 mg/m(2)/d) orally on days 1 through 5. Courses were repeated every 3 weeks with four cycles planned. Doses were reduced by one third in patients with a WHO performance status (PS) of 3 to 4 and/or age older than 70 years. Primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points were quality of life (QOL) and complete response (CR) rate. RESULTS Of 220 randomly assigned patients, 209 were eligible for analysis (IC, n = 105; EC, n = 104). Thirty-five percent were older than 70 years, and 47% had a PS of 2 to 4. The groups were well balanced with respect to prognostic factors. OS was inferior in the EC group (hazard ratio = 1.41; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.87; P = .02). Median survival time was 8.5 months for IC compared with 7.1 months for EC. One-year survival rate was 34% for IC and 24% for EC. CR was seen in 18 IC patients compared with seven EC patients (P = .02). There were no statistically significant differences in hematologic grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Grade 3 or 4 diarrhea was more common in the IC group. QOL differences were small, with a trend toward prolonged palliation with the IC regimen. CONCLUSION IC prolongs survival in ED SCLC with slightly better scores for QOL.

A randomized phase III trial comparing standard and high-dose pemetrexed as second-line treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND This phase III randomized trial compared pemetrexed 500 mg/m(2) (P500) with pemetrexed 900 mg/m(2) (P900) to determine whether higher dosing benefits non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients as second-line therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC, previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, were randomly assigned to receive i.v. P500 or P900 every 3 week. RESULTS Accrual was terminated with 588/600 patients enrolled because an interim analysis indicated a low probability of improved survival and numerically greater toxicity on the P900 arm. P900 patients were permitted to continue treatment at P500. No statistical difference was observed between the treatment arms (P500 versus P900) for median survival {6.7 versus 6.9 months, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.0132 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.837-1.226]}, progression-free survival [2.6 versus 2.8 months, HR = 0.9681 (95% CI 0.817-1.147)], or best overall tumor response [7.1% versus 4.3% (P = 0.1616)]. The incidence of drug-related grade 3/4 toxicity was typically <5% on both treatment arms, but was numerically higher on the P900 arm for most toxicity categories. CONCLUSIONS P900 did not improve any efficacy measure over P500. P500 i.v. every 3 week remains the standard pemetrexed dose for second-line treatment of platinum-pretreated advanced NSCLC.

Prognostic Significance of C-Reactive Protein and Smoking in Patients with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with First-Line Palliative Chemotherapy

Hypothesis: The objective of the study was to analyze if C-reactive protein (CRP) and smoking status provide prognostic information in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving palliative first-line chemotherapy. Methods: Retrospective, single-institutional study, comprising all patients with NSCLC stage IIIB/IV and World Health Organization performance status (PS) 0–2 who started palliative first-line chemotherapy between January 1, 2002, and January 31, 2007. Patient records were reviewed. Cox’s proportional hazards model was used to identify prognostic factors. Results: Two hundred eight-nine consecutive patients were evaluable. Sixty-eight percent had stage IV disease and 67% had PS 0 or 1. Median survival was 7.4 months. At onset of chemotherapy, 206 patients (71%) had elevated CRP values (≥10 mg/liter). One-hundred-forty-four patients (50%) were current smokers. On univariate analysis, patients with elevated CRP levels had inferior survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28–2.19, p < 0.001). Smoking at onset of treatment was associated with shorter survival (HR 1.56, 95% CI, 1.22–1.98, p < 0.001). Ever smokers had shorter survival than never smokers (HR 1.80, 95% CI, 1.25–2.59, p = 0.001). On multivariate analysis, with stage, PS, albumin, and gender as covariates, both smoking at start of chemotherapy and CRP elevation were independent negative prognostic factors for survival. Conclusions: CRP and smoking status are independent prognostic factors for survival in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving palliative first-line chemotherapy and provide additional information to established prognostic factors such as stage of disease and performance status.

Effect of celecoxib on survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A double blind randomised clinical phase III trial (CYCLUS study) by the Swedish Lung Cancer Study Group

BACKGROUND Increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is common in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and has been associated with poor prognosis. Experimental and clinical phase II trials have indicated that the addition of the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib to palliative chemotherapy might increase survival time in patients with advanced NSCLC. METHODS We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre phase III trial at 13 centres in Sweden. Three hundred and nineteen patients with advanced NSCLC stage IIIB-IV and performance status 0-2 were randomised to receive celecoxib 400mg b.i.d. or placebo in addition to palliative chemotherapy. The primary objective was to compare overall survival. Other end-points were quality of life, progression-free survival, toxicity, cardiovascular events and biological markers. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT00300729. FINDINGS Three hundred and sixteen patients were included in the analysis, 158 in each treatment group. Median survival time was 8.5 months. There was no survival difference between the treatment arms. Small but not statistically significant differences in global quality of life and pain were seen favouring the celecoxib group. No increased incidence of cardiovascular events was observed in the celecoxib group. INTERPRETATION This study failed to demonstrate a survival benefit of the addition of celecoxib to palliative chemotherapy.

Predictive role of plasma vascular endothelial growth factor for the effect of celecoxib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with chemotherapy

AIM OF THE STUDY The primary purpose of this study is to investigate if pretreatment plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are predictive of the effect of celecoxib on survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with palliative chemotherapy. A secondary objective is to describe the course of plasma VEGF levels during and after treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy combined with celecoxib or placebo. METHODS In a previously published double-blind multicenter phase III trial, 316 patients with NSCLC stage IIIB or IV and World Health Organisation (WHO) performance status 0-2 were randomised to receive celecoxib 400mg b.i.d. or placebo in combination with two-drug platinum-based chemotherapy. Chemotherapy cycle length was three weeks and planned duration of chemotherapy was four cycles. Celecoxib was given for a maximum of one year but was stopped earlier in case of disease progression or prohibitive toxicity. In a subset of patients, plasma VEGF levels were examined at onset of treatment and at 6, 12 and 20 weeks. RESULTS VEGF levels at start of treatment were obtained in 107 patients at four study sites. The median value was 70 pg/ml. Mean values declined during the first 12 weeks and then increased at 20 weeks. A subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot (STEPP) analysis showed an inverse relationship between initial plasma VEGF and the impact of celecoxib on survival with zero effect at 200 pg/ml. The effect on survival by celecoxib in the whole subset of patients was positive (hazard ratio (HR)=0.64 [confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.95], p=0.028). CONCLUSION Low pretreatment plasma levels of VEGF appear to be predictive of a positive effect of celecoxib on survival.

O-87 Duration of chemotherapy and survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A multicenter, prospective randomised study

Duration of chemotherapy and survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A multicenter prospective randomised study.

Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in lung cancer cells evaluated by immunocytochemistry†

Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) expression may be a prognostic factor in lung cancer. In previous studies, COX‐2 expression has almost exclusively been evaluated with immunohistochemical methods performed on histology sections of tissue biopsies. However, in clinical practice, lung cancer is often diagnosed with cytological techniques only. We present methodology and results from analysis of COX‐2 expression with immunochemistry on cytological material in 53 patients with lung cancer. Preparation and staining with the method established at our laboratory were easy to perform and resulted in good quality slides. The percentage COX‐2‐stained cells and the intensity of staining varied widely between and within the different cases. The proportion of positively stained tumor cells was as follows: <1% in 20 patients, 1–10% in 7 patients, 11–50% in 17 patients, and more than 50% in 9 patients. In 17 cases, groups of cells with different intensity of COX‐2 staining were found in the same slide. In conclusion, immunocytochemical analysis of COX‐2 expression is technically easy to perform with routine diagnostic procedures. There is a great variation in the proportion of COX‐2‐positive cells among patients and in the intensity of staining among individual cells in many single cases. Diagn. Cytopathol.2011;39:188–193.

Role of non-taxane-containing chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Treatment for advanced-stage NSCLC generally includes the use of systemic chemotherapy as well as biologic therapies (targeted therapy) at later stages of the disease. However, in general, NSCLC is moderately sensitive to the currently available cytotoxic drugs, so the intention of chemotherapeutic treatment in the advanced setting is mainly palliative. Several treatment regimens are available, but in the first-line setting, treatment traditions differ both within countries and between various parts of the world. The role of taxane-platinum chemotherapeutic combinations (mainly used in North America) has been questioned in the palliative setting since these combinations are known to cause neutropenia, skin and nail problems, as well as neurological toxicity.This review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the role of non-taxane therapy for patients with advanced NSCLC, with a focus on gemcitabine, vinorelbine, etoposide, pemetrexed, irinotecan, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-inhibiting agents, angiogenesis inhibitors, and small molecules. The compilation of literature in the present review indicates that the use of non-taxane treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC has an anti-tumor effect that is not different from that which can be seen with various taxane combinations. Furthermore, the combination of cisplatin with gemcitabine or vinorelbine seems to be a most compelling regimen in the first-line setting because of its modest toxicity (when administered by experienced staff), favorable clinical response, and relatively low drug cost. It is also clear that the novel therapies (EGFR inhibitors and inhibitors of angiogenesis) that have been approved so far will be of great clinical value; however, their use will be restricted to small, well defined, subpopulations of patients. The great challenge now is to define the populations benefiting from these novel therapies.

O-57 Quality of life as related to duration of chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A randomized study comprising 297 patients

Quality of life as related to duration of chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer : a randomised study comprising 297 patients.