A randomized, phase II study of gefitinib alone versus nimotuzumab plus gefitinib after platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (KCSG LU12-01)

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dual inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) with nimotuzumab (EGFR monoclonal antibody) plus gefitinib (EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after platinum-based chemotherapy. An open label, randomized, phase II trial was conducted at 6 centers; 160 patients were randomized (1:1) to either gefitinib alone or nimotuzumab (200 mg, i. v. weekly) plus gefitinib (250 mg p. o. daily) until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) at 3 months. Of the total 160 enrolled patients, 155 (77: gefitinib, 78: nimotuzumab plus gefitinib) received at least one dose and could be evaluated for efficacy and toxicity. The majority had adenocarcinoma (65.2%) and ECOG performance status of 0 to 1 (83.5%). The median follow-up was 22.1 months, and the PFS rate at 3 months was 48.1% in gefitinib and 37.2% in nimotuzumab plus gefitinib (P = not significant, NS). The median PFS and OS were 2.8 and 13.2 months in gefitinib and 2.0 and 14.0 months in nimotuzumab plus gefitinib. Combined treatment was not associated with superior PFS to gefitinib alone in patients with EGFR mutation (13.5 vs. 10.2 months in gefitinib alone, P=NS) or those with wild-type EGFR (0.9 vs. 2.0 months in gefitinib alone, P=NS). Combined treatment did not increase EGFR inhibition-related adverse events with manageable toxicities. The dual inhibition of EGFR with nimotuzumab plus gefitinib was not associated with better outcomes than gefitinib alone as a second-line treatment of advanced NSCLC (NCT01498562).

Angiosarcomas of the Bilateral Breast and Heart: Which One is the Primary Site?

A 29-year-old pregnant woman with recurrent pericardial effusion and a cardiac tumor, diagnosed as an angiosarcoma, was treated with surgical resection of the tumor followed by radiotherapy. Immediately after completion of radiotherapy, she developed bilateral breast masses, which were also confirmed as angiosarcomas. We thought this might be the first case of bilateral angiosarcoma of the breast metastasizing to heart mimicking a primary cardiac angiosarcoma, although we could not conclude with certainty that angiosarcoma of the heart was not the primary site

Osimertinib in Patients with T790M-Positive Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Korean Subgroup Analysis from Phase II Studies

Purpose Osimertinib is a third-generation, irreversible, oral epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that potently and selectively inhibits both EGFR sensitizing mutation and EGFR T790M and has demonstrated efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) central nervous system (CNS) metastases. We present results of a subgroup analysis of Korean patients from the pooled data of two global phase II trials: AURA extension (NCT01802632) and AURA2 (NCT02094261). Materials and Methods Enrolled patients had EGFR T790M-positive NSCLC and disease progression during or after EGFR-TKI therapy. Patients received osimertinib 80 mg orally once daily until disease progression. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). Results In total, 66 Korean patients received osimertinib treatment with a median treatment duration of 19 months. In the evaluable-for-response population (n=62), ORR was 74% (95% confidence interval [CI], 61.5 to 84.5) and median duration of response was 9.8 months (95% CI, 7.1 to 16.8). In the full analysis set (n=66), median progression-free survival was 10.9 months (95% CI, 8.3 to 15.0; data cutoff November 1, 2016), and median overall survival was 29.2 months (95% CI, 24.8 to 35.7; data cutoff May 1, 2018). Eight patients with CNS metastases were evaluable for response, none of whom showed CNS progression. The most common adverse events were rash (53%), cough (33%), paronychia, diarrhea, and decreased appetite (each 32%). Conclusion Efficacy and safety profiles of osimertinib in this subgroup are consistent with the global phase II pooled population, which supports osimertinib as a recommended treatment for Korean patients with T790M positive NSCLC.

Safety, pharmacokinetics, and clinical activity of adavosertib in combination with chemotherapy in Asian patients with advanced solid tumors : Phase Ib study

Background: The WEE1 inhibitor adavosertib (AZD1775) has been investigated in Western patients. Objective: This open-label Phase Ib study (NCT02341456) investigated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and clinical activity of adavosertib in combination with carboplatin alone or paclitaxel plus carboplatin in Asian patients with advanced solid tumors and defined the recommended Phase II dose. Patients and methods: Nineteen patients received adavosertib 175 mg twice daily (bid) for 2.5 days (five doses) in combination with carboplatin (AUC 5) alone or paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) plus carboplatin, or adavosertib 225 mg bid for 2.5 days in combination with paclitaxel plus carboplatin in 21-day cycles. Preliminary safety and dose-limiting toxicity analyses were performed and dose escalation/de-escalation conducted as appropriate. Results: Adavosertib 175 mg bid for 2.5 days with carboplatin alone or paclitaxel plus carboplatin was considered tolerable. Two patients receiving adavosertib 225 mg bid in combination with paclitaxel plus carboplatin experienced dose-limiting toxicities (grade 4 sepsis; grade 5 acute respiratory distress syndrome); this regimen was not considered tolerable. Grade ≥ 3 adverse events reported most commonly in any cohort included: anemia; decreased white blood cell count; decreased neutrophil count; neutropenia; decreased platelet count; thrombocytopenia; and febrile neutropenia. Exposure to adavosertib, as determined by pharmacokinetic analysis, in Asian patients was higher than that previously seen in Western patients. A partial response occurred in 2/12 evaluable patients (16.7%) at the recommended Phase II dose. Conclusions: Adavosertib 175 mg bid for 2.5 days was chosen as the recommended Phase II dose in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin in Asian patients

Poor Outcomes for IgD Multiple Myeloma Patients Following High-Dose Melphalan and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation: A Single Center Experience

Immunoglobulin (Ig) D multiple myeloma (MM) accounts for 2% of all MM cases and has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis compared with other MM subtypes. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of high-dose melphalan treatment and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) on the survival of patients with IgD MM and patients with other MM subtypes. Between November 1998 and January 2005, a total of 77 patients with MM who underwent ASCT at the Asan Medical Center were enrolled in this study. High-dose melphalan (total 200 mg/m2) was used as high-dose chemotherapy. The study population was divided into two groups based on MM subtype: those with IgD MM; and those with other MM subtypes. A total of 8 patients with IgD MM were identified, accounting for about 10% of the study population. Thirty-six patients (47%) had IgG MM, 17 patients (22%) had IgA MM, and 16 patients (20%) had free light-chain MM. The two groups were similar in baseline characteristics. The median follow-up was 17 months and the median overall survival (OS) was 39 months. In the IgD MM group, median event-free survival (EFS) and OS were 6.9 and 12 months, respectively. In the patients with other MM subtypes, median EFS and OS were 11.5 and 55.5 months (p=0.01, p<0.01), respectively. Multivariate analysis of all patients identified IgD subtype (p=0.002) and Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) stage 2 or greater at the time of ASCT (p=0.01) as adverse prognostic factors for survival. In this small study at a single center in Korea, patients with IgD MM had poorer outcomes after ASCT than did patients with other MM subtypes

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Expression in Operable Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma

This study was performed to assay the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and to investigate the relationship between EGFR status and various clinicopathologic features of NSCLC, including angiogenesis and proliferative activity. The expression of EGFR, microvessel count (MVC) measured by CD31 monoclonal antibody, and proliferative activity using Ki-67 labeling index were immunohistochemically analyzed in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 65 patients with completely resected stage II-IIIA NSCLC. Pathologic and clinical records of all patients were retrospectively reviewed. EGFR was expressed in 18 (28%) of 65 NSCLC samples. More squamous tumors (35%) were EGFR-positive than other NSCLCs (23%) (p-value 0.308). There was a statistically significant correlation between EGFR expression and Ki-67 labeling index (p-value 0.042), but no correlation was observed between EGFR expression and tumor histology, stage, or MVC. There were no differences between EGFR positive and negative tumors in 5-yr disease-free survival (60% vs. 52%, p-value 0.5566) and 5-yr overall survival (53% vs. 45%, p-value 0.3382) rates. In conclusion, our findings suggest that NSCLC proliferative activity may be dependent on EGFR expression, but that EGFR expression had no significant impact on survival in curatively resected NSCLC