Lapatinib minimally effective for non-small-cell lung cancer, F2 `' m' s/ ^8 o7 z0 I
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although well tolerated, lapatinib is minimally effective as monotherapy for advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a report in the March 15th Clinical Cancer Research.
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+ D* W8 ~* @1 ALapatinib (GlaxoSmithKline) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of both epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER2, the authors explain, and thus has theoretical advantages over inhibition of either EGFR or HER2 alone.
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1 b% [1 @4 i5 R0 DDr. Helen J. Ross, from Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, and colleagues evaluated the overall response rate to lapatinib in 131 patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC. Sixty-five patients were randomized to lapatinib 1500 mg once daily and 66 to lapatinib 500 mg twice daily.; Z) @2 ^" N5 ]. f$ K1 L
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When the study began, patients with any type of advanced or metastatic NSCLC were recruited ("non-targeted" population). However, when data from other studies began to show that EGFR inhibitors are particularly effective in patients with bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and in never-smokers with any histology of NSCLC, recruitment began to "target" such patients.
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The targeted population included 24 patients in the 1500 mg/day group and 32 in the 500 mg twice daily group. The corresponding numbers in the non-targeted population were 41 and 34.
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At the interim analysis of the first 30 targeted patients to reach the initial response evaluation, the response rate was 0% in both treatment groups. In the non-targeted population, one patient in the 1500-mg group achieved a partial response. 1 Y1 ^, e7 m$ r
' y7 B) Q9 C0 }+ DOverall, 31 of 131 patients (24%) had stable disease or better.
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Based on these findings, the study was stopped for reasons of futility, the investigators state.
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1 ]% t t2 x. F; i4 s+ XOverall survival in the targeted population was 15.2 months for the 1500-mg once-daily group and 13.9 months for the 500-mg twice-daily group, and in the nontargeted population, overall survival was 11.4 months for the 1500-mg once-daily group and 8.1 months for the 500-mg twice-daily group.
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Median progression-free survival was 15.6 weeks (1500-mg once-daily) and 8.7 weeks (500-mg twice-daily) in the targeted population and 12.0 weeks (1500-mg once-daily) and 8.6 weeks (500-mg twice-daily) in the nontargeted population. 9 C% }# R. u1 F* l* m _
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The incidence of adverse events considered to be related to study medication was 89% for 1500 mg once daily and 83% for 500 mg twice daily, but only 8% of patients in each group experienced serious adverse events related to study medication.
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8 O1 M* y1 W3 [6 H# E: B" x- PAmong 92 patients with tumor tissue available, 2 had mutations in EGFR and 1 had mutations in both EGFR and KRAS. None had mutations in HER2.
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Of 77 patients with sufficient DNA for gene copy evaluation, 5 (8.8%) had increased EGFR copy number and 2 (3.5%) had increased HER2 gene copy number.
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3 @: Z9 e/ {6 L) P( INone of the patients with EGFR mutations responded to lapatinib, and only 1 patient with HER2 amplification had an unconfirmed decrease of 51% in tumor measurement. : l' {" g3 e* {
; G, T0 w6 D5 J8 X% y( M"Lapatinib as a single agent at the doses studied seems to have minimal single-agent activity, at least as measured by response rates," the authors conclude, "although progression-free survival in the 1500-mg once-daily group was in the range that would be expected with first-line chemotherapy." + l% |; E$ `" S e
- \7 ?- G {5 d"Patients in this small study had a suggestion of disease stabilization with lapatinib," Dr. Ross said. "It would be of interest to examine it in the adjuvant setting after resection perhaps, after chemoradiotherapy perhaps or after up-front chemotherapy. It is possible that combination with other targeted agents, such as anti-angiogenic agents, might be useful."
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0 M! e! }& k U$ i) G' q; x$ r1 r& d; S0 xThe study was sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline.3 B( E8 r, B( I! d6 h* ?* l4 V
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