Targeting colorectal cancer with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies: focus on panitumumab

Panitumumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody with a high degree of affinity for the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor. Phase II clinical evaluation of this drug, when administered as a single agent, in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to chemotherapy, demonstrated a modest objective radiographic response rate with acceptable toxicity; the most frequently observed side effect is rash. A randomized phase III study in subjects with chemotherapy-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer documented a progression-free survival advantage in subjects treated with panitumumab plus best supportive care versus best supportive care alone; a difference in survival was not observed, likely due to the high cross over rate. Primary tumor KRAS mutation analysis performed in this study indicated that the benefit was confined to those patients whose tumors did not contain a KRAS mutation. Further studies with panitumumab will be required to develop biomarkers of response and to determine if panitumumab has a role in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy. This article summarizes the current state-of-the-science knowledge on panitumumab therapy in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer

Ibrutinib for Hospitalized Adults With Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection: Results of the Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled iNSPIRE Study

Background Few therapies are approved for hospitalized patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Ibrutinib, a once-daily Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, may mitigate COVID-19-induced lung damage by reducing inflammatory cytokines. The multicenter, randomized, double-blind phase 2 iNSPIRE study evaluated ibrutinib for prevention of respiratory failure in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. Methods Adult patients with severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization and supplemental oxygen but without respiratory failure were randomized 1:1 (stratified by remdesivir prescription) to ibrutinib 420 mg or placebo once daily for up to 28 days plus standard of care (SOC), including remdesivir and/or dexamethasone. Results Forty-six patients were randomized to ibrutinib plus SOC (n = 22) or placebo plus SOC (n = 24). The primary endpoint (proportion of patients alive and without respiratory failure through day 28) was not met, with no statistically significant difference adjusting for remdesivir prescription (86% with ibrutinib plus SOC vs 79% with placebo plus SOC; adjusted difference, 5.8% [80% confidence interval, -9.2% to 20.4%]; P = .599). Secondary endpoints also showed no statistically significant improvement with ibrutinib plus SOC. Median treatment duration was 14 days for ibrutinib and placebo. Adverse events were similar with ibrutinib plus SOC vs placebo plus SOC (overall: 55% vs 50%; serious: 18% vs 13%) and were consistent with the known safety profile of ibrutinib. Conclusions Addition of ibrutinib to SOC did not improve the proportion of patients alive and without respiratory failure through day 28 in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. Ibrutinib had a manageable safety profile, with similar safety to placebo. Ibrutinib had a manageable safety profile but did not improve the proportion of patients alive and without respiratory failure through day 28 vs placebo in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 also receiving supportive standard of care, including remdesivir and/or dexamethasone

Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) for treatment of second-line (2L) transplant noneligible (TNE) relapsed/refractory (R/R) aggressive large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL): Updated results from the PILOT study.

Background: Patients (pts) with aggressive large B-cell NHL who are R/R after first-line immunochemotherapy and not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy and HSCT have a poor prognosis and no established standard of care. The ongoing, open-label phase 2 PILOT study is the first to assess the safety and efficacy of liso-cel, an investigational, CD19-directed, defined composition, 4-1BB CAR T cell product infused at equal target doses of CD8+ and CD4+ CAR+ T cells, as 2L therapy in TNE pts (NCT03483103). Methods: Eligible pts had aggressive R/R diffuse large B-cell lymphoma NOS (de novo or transformed follicular lymphoma [FL]), high-grade B-cell lymphoma, or FL grade 3B with 1 line of prior therapy containing an anthracycline and anti-CD20 agent. Pts were deemed TNE by meeting ≥1 criteria: age ≥70 y, ECOG PS 2, or impaired organ function (DLCO ≤60% [but SaO2 ≥92% and CTCAE ≤1 dyspnea], LVEF ≥40% to \u3c 50%, creatinine clearance \u3e 30 to \u3c 60 mL/min, or AST/ALT \u3e 2 to ≤5 × ULN). Liso-cel (100 × 106 CAR+ T cells) was administered 2–7 days after lymphodepletion (LD) with fludarabine/cyclophosphamide. The primary endpoint is ORR; key secondary endpoints are AEs and CR rate. Results: At data cutoff, 25 pts had LD followed by liso-cel infusion. Pt characteristics are summarized in the Table. Overall, 48% (n = 12) had high tumor burden and 48% were primary refractory. 18/25 (72%) pts had grade ≥3 treatment-emergent AEs, 40% of which were cytopenias. No grade 5 AEs occurred within the first 30 days after liso-cel. Five pts (20%) had cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and 3 (12%) had neurological events (NEs). No grade 3/4 CRS was observed; 2 pts (8%) had grade 3/4 NEs. Five pts (20%) received tocilizumab and/or dexamethasone for CRS/NEs. At a median follow-up of 3.5 mo, the ORR was 80% (95% CI, 59–93; n = 20); 48% of pts (n = 12) achieved CR. Conclusions: These interim data suggest that elderly and/or comorbid pts with R/R aggressive large B-cell NHL, who are not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy and HSCT, can receive 2L liso-cel with similar safety and efficacy to 3L+ pts as previously reported (Abramson, ASH 2019 #241). Updated data with longer follow-up will be presented. Clinical trial information: NCT03483103

Outcomes of Treatment with the Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cell Therapy Lisocabtagene Maraleucel (liso-cel) in the Nonuniversity Setting: Initial Results from the Outreach Study

Background: Currently approved CAR T cell therapies are generally administered as inpatient treatment at university medical centers due to concerns about the frequency, onset, severity, and management of AEs, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurological events (NEs). Infusion and monitoring of patients who receive CAR T cell therapy at nonuniversity medical centers and in outpatient settings have not been specifically studied. Liso-cel is an investigational, CD19-directed, defined composition, 4-1BB CAR T cell product administered at equal target doses of CD8+ and CD4+ CAR+ T cells. The liso-cel clinical program allows outpatient treatment per investigator discretion, with standardized guidelines for safety monitoring and AE management. Here we present preliminary safety and efficacy outcomes of liso-cel in relapsed/refractory (R/R) aggressive large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) across inpatient and outpatient settings at nonuniversity medical centers in the OUTREACH study (NCT03744676). Methods: This open-label, multicenter, phase 2 study enrolled adult patients with R/R LBCL at nonuniversity medical centers, including those with university affiliations and centers naïve to CAR T cell therapy. Inclusion criteria included ECOG PS of 0-1, PET-positive disease, adequate organ function, and R/R disease after ≥2 lines of prior systemic therapy including chemoimmunotherapy. Prior autologous HSCT was permitted, but prior allogeneic HSCT was prohibited. After leukapheresis and 3 days of lymphodepleting chemotherapy, patients received liso-cel infusion at a dose of 100 × 106 CAR+ T cells. The primary endpoint was incidence of grade ≥3 CRS, NEs, prolonged cytopenias through day 29, and infections. Secondary endpoints included safety and overall response rate (ORR). All study sites had a multidisciplinary CAR T cell therapy team and standard operating procedures for toxicity monitoring/management of patients treated and/or monitored as outpatients. CRS was graded as per 2014 Lee criteria; NEs were defined as liso-cel-related investigator-assessed events and graded as per NCI CTCAE v4.03. Results: At data cutoff, 34 patients were treated with liso-cel (inpatients, n = 12; outpatients, n = 22); 5 patients were treated at non-Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT)-accredited sites. Demographics and baseline disease characteristics were similar between inpatients and outpatients (Table); overall, median age was 66 years (range, 34-83), 68% had diffuse LBCL not otherwise specified, and 88% were refractory to last therapy. CRS was reported in 4 inpatients (33%) and 9 outpatients (41%), with no grade ≥3 events. NEs were reported in 3 inpatients (25%) and 6 outpatients (27%), with 1 grade 3 event in the outpatient group. Median (range) time to onset of CRS and NEs, respectively, was 2.5 (1-3) and 10 (5-16) days for inpatients and 6 (2-9) and 8.5 (6-13) days for outpatients. Tocilizumab and/or corticosteroid use for CRS and/or NE management was generally low (inpatients, n = 2 [17%]; outpatients, n = 5 [23%]). Overall, the most common (≥45%) treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs) were neutropenia (76%), leukopenia (50%), and anemia (47%). Prolonged cytopenias (grade ≥3 lab values at Day 29) were reported for 7 (21%) patients. No grade 5 TEAEs were reported. Early (≤ study Day 4) and overall hospitalization in outpatients was 18% and 50%, respectively; median time to hospitalization was 5 (2-9) days and median length of stay was 6 (1-18) days. Among efficacy-evaluable patients (n = 31), ORR was 75% for inpatients and 84% for outpatients; CR rate was 50% and 68%, respectively. Of the 5 patients treated at non-FACT-accredited sites (inpatients, n = 1; outpatients, n = 4), 2 had CRS and/or NEs, but none were grade ≥3 events; none of these patients received tocilizumab or corticosteroids. Of these 5 patients, 1 achieved CR and 1 achieved PR; 2 had stable disease and 1 had progressive disease. Conclusions: Patients with R/R aggressive LBCL were successfully treated with liso-cel and monitored for CAR T cell therapy-related toxicities at nonuniversity medical centers in inpatient and outpatient settings using standard operating procedures and multidisciplinary teams. Incidences of severe CRS and NEs were low, as was tocilizumab and/or corticosteroid use. Liso-cel showed encouraging preliminary efficacy in both inpatients and outpatients. This trial is ongoing and actively recruiting

Outpatient treatment with lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) across a variety of clinical sites from three ongoing clinical studies in relapsed/refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL).

Background: Currently approved CAR T cell therapies are generally administered as inpatient (inpt) treatment at university medical centers due to concerns about frequency, onset, severity, and management of AEs, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic events (NEs). We sought to characterize whether patients (pts) could be safely monitored in the outpatient (outpt) setting after receiving liso-cel, an investigational, CD19-directed CAR T cell product administered at equal target doses of CD8+ and CD4+ CAR+ T cells, across university and non-university sites in TRANSCEND NHL 001 (NCT02631044), OUTREACH (NCT03744676), and PILOT (NCT03483103). Methods: Eligible pts had R/R LBCL after systemic chemoimmunotherapy; moderately impaired organ function was allowed. For outpt infusion of liso-cel, pts were required to receive safety monitoring education, have a caregiver and stay within 1 h travel to site of care for 30 d post-treatment. All study sites had a multidisciplinary CAR T cell team and standard operating procedures for toxicity monitoring and management. Results: At data cutoff, 53 pts had received liso-cel on Study Day 1 and were monitored as outpts (university, n = 33; non-university, n = 20), including pts ≥65 y of age (n = 23) and with high tumor burden (SPD ≥50 cm2; n = 16). Any grade CRS and NEs were reported in 18 (34%) and 14 pts (26%), respectively. Severe CRS and/or NEs occurred in only 2 pts (4%) and were reversible. Median (range) time to onset of CRS and NEs was 5 (2–9) and 8.5 (3–22) d, respectively. Tocilizumab and/or corticosteroids for treatment of CRS and/or NEs were required in 8 pts (15%). Overall, 30 pts (57%) required hospitalization post-treatment, with a median (range) time to hospitalization post-treatment of 5.5 (2–22) d; 9 pts (17%) were hospitalized Study Day 4 or earlier. Two pts required ICU-level care. There were no grade 5 treatment-emergent AEs. Safety in pts monitored as outpts was comparable across types of sites. Overall response rate was 81% (95% CI, 68–91). Safety and efficacy were consistent with data from inpts across the 3 studies (N = 270). Conclusions: Pts with R/R LBCL were successfully treated with liso-cel and monitored for CAR T cell-related toxicity in the outpt setting across different types of sites. Incidences of severe CRS, NEs, and early hospitalization were low; 43% of pts did not require hospitalization. A larger dataset will be presented, including comparisons of outpts vs inpts and sites of care. Clinical trial information: NCT02631044 (TRANSCEND NHL 001), NCT03744676 (OUTREACH), NCT03483103 (PILOT)