ESMO Translational Research Fellowship - Zoltan Lohinai (original) (raw)

Bevacizumab for newly diagnosed pleural mesothelioma in the Mesothelioma Avastin Cisplatin Pemetrexed Study (MAPS): a randomised, controlled, open-label, phase 3 trial

The Lancet, 2016

Background Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis, linked to occupational asbestos exposure. Vascular endothelial growth factor is a key mitogen for malignant pleural mesothelioma cells, therefore targeting of vascular endothelial growth factor might prove eff ective. We aimed to assess the eff ect on survival of bevacizumab when added to the present standard of care, cisplatin plus pemetrexed, as fi rst-line treatment of advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma. Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, phase 3 trial, we recruited patients aged 18-75 years with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma who had not received previous chemotherapy, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, had no substantial cardiovascular comorbidity, were not amenable to curative surgery, had at least one evaluable (pleural eff usion) or measurable (pleural tumour solid thickening) lesion with CT, and a life expectancy of >12 weeks from 73 hospitals in France. Exclusion criteria were presence of central nervous system metastases, use of antiaggregant treatments (aspirin ≥325 mg per day, clopidogrel, ticlopidine, or dipyridamole), anti-vitamin K drugs at a curative dose, treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin at a curative dose, and treatment with non-steroidal anti-infl ammatory drugs. We randomly allocated patients (1:1; minimisation method used [random factor of 0•8]; patients stratifi ed by histology [epithelioid vs sarcomatoid or mixed histology subtypes], performance status score [0-1 vs 2], study centre, or smoking status [never smokers vs smokers]) to receive intravenously 500 mg/m² pemetrexed plus 75 mg/m² cisplatin with (PCB) or without (PC) 15 mg/kg bevacizumab in 21 day cycles for up to six cycles, until progression or toxic eff ects. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) in the intention-to treat population. Treatment was open label. This IFCT-GFPC-0701 trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00651456. Findings From Feb 13, 2008, to Jan 5, 2014, we randomly assigned 448 patients to treatment (223 [50%] to PCB and 225 [50%] to PC). OS was signifi cantly longer with PCB (median 18•8 months [95% CI 15•9-22•6]) than with PC (16•1 months [14•0-17•9]; hazard ratio 0•77 [0•62-0•95]; p=0•0167). Overall, 158 (71%) of 222 patients given PCB and 139 (62%) of 224 patients given PC had grade 3-4 adverse events. We noted more grade 3 or higher hypertension (51 [23%] of 222 vs 0) and thrombotic events (13 [6%] of 222 vs 2 [1%] of 224) with PCB than with PC. Interpretation Addition of bevacizumab to pemetrexed plus cisplatin signifi cantly improved OS in malignant pleural mesothelioma at the cost of expected manageable toxic eff ects, therefore it should be considered as a suitable treatment for the disease. Funding Intergroupe Francophone de Cancérologie Thoracique (IFCT).

LUME-Meso: Design and Rationale of the Phase III Part of a Placebo-Controlled Study of Nintedanib and Pemetrexed/Cisplatin Followed by Maintenance Nintedanib in Patients With Unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Clinical lung cancer, 2017

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive disease: median survival is 6 to 9 months if untreated. Standard first-line treatment for patients with unresectable MPM is cisplatin/pemetrexed, with a median overall survival (OS) of approximately 1 year. Improvements in first-line treatment options are needed. With the benefit of combining bevacizumab with standard therapy shown in the Mesothelioma Avastin Cisplatin Pemetrexed Study (MAPS), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway inhibition has gained renewed interest as a treatment approach. Nintedanib is an oral angiokinase inhibitor targeting multiple signaling pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of MPM, including the VEGF receptor. The phase III part of the international, phase II/III LUME-Meso study is evaluating the efficacy and safety of nintedanib plus pemetrexed/cisplatin in patients with unresectable epithelioid MPM. Originally, this was a double-blind, randomized, phase II exploratory study and...

Chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma: past results and recent developments

Lung Cancer, 2004

This review summarises the results of previously conducted clinical trials, and subsequently presents data arising from all phase II-III studies on chemotherapy of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) published since the last relevant overview. While response rates exceeding 30% have barely been achieved with established cytotoxic drugs in MPM therapy, novel chemotherapeutic agents and their combinations appear more promising. This applies especially to the antimetabolites, and in particular to pemetrexed that produced response rates of up to 45% in combination with platinum compounds. Raltitrexed combined with oxaliplatin has also been shown to be effective, and gemcitabine-applied as a single agent or in combination with cisplatin-as well as vinorelbine appear to improve the quality of life in patients presenting with MPM. Data can now be more precisely analysed by increasingly implemented randomised studies, applying a standardised staging system, and distinguishing prognostic groups. While chemotherapy for MPM remains a challenging task, important steps have clearly been made in the past years to combat this aggressive disease. The publication of pemetrexed with cisplatin phase III results in a peer-reviewed journal may soon establish a standard of care.

Biology and management of malignant pleural mesothelioma

European Journal of Cancer, 2006

Biology Management Pemetrexed Targeted therapy A B S T R A C T Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive tumour, with a poor prognosis and an increasing incidence as a result of widespread exposure to asbestos. The results of the treatments available are poor. Surgery and radiotherapy have a limited role in highly selected patients and systemic therapy is the only potential treatment option for the majority of patients. Despite some definite activity of the novel antifolates such as pemetrexed and raltitrexed, the results, even in combination with platinating agents, are still modest, with a median survival of approximately one year. The better understanding of the biology of mesothelioma makes the assessment of a number of targeted agents particularly interesting. Unfortunately, the targeted agents imatinib, gefitinib, erlotinib and thalidomide have been shown to be ineffective in unselected patients. Studies with anti-angiogenesis agents are ongoing. An improvement of the knowledge of major molecular pathways involved in malignant mesothelioma is needed in order to define proper targets for the systemic treatment of this disease.

Recent Advances in Systemic Therapy for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Focus on Anti-Angiogenic Inhibitors and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

IntechOpen eBooks, 2022

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a neoplasm strongly associated with past exposure to asbestos. In general, the prognosis of patients with MPM is poor; however, in recent years, some encouraging results have been reported for systemic therapies for MPM. In a randomized phase III study, the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab improved overall survival, compared to the standard platinum-based chemotherapy. An important clinical issue is whether the outcome of patients with MPM might be further improved by combining immunotherapies with cytotoxic chemotherapy and/or angiogenesis inhibitors. This chapter covers recent findings on systemic therapies, including cytotoxic chemotherapy, anti-angiogenic inhibitors, and/or immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Phase II study of pemetrexed and carboplatin plus bevacizumab as first-line therapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma

British Journal of Cancer, 2013

Background: The aim of this open label phase II study (NCT00407459) was to assess the activity of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor bevacizumab combined with pemetrexed and carboplatin in patients with previously untreated, unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods: Eligible patients received pemetrexed 500 mg m À 2 , carboplatin area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) 5 mg ml À 1 per minute and bevacizumab 15 mg kg À 1 , administered intravenously every 21 days for six cycles, followed by maintenance bevacizumab. The primary end point of the study was progression-free survival (PFS). A 50% improvement in median PFS in comparison with standard pemetrexed/platinum combinations (from 6 to 9 months) was postulated. Results: Seventy-six patients were evaluable for analysis. A partial response was achieved in 26 cases (34.2%, 95% CI 23.7-46.0%). Forty-four (57.9%, 95% CI 46.0-69.1%) had stable disease. Median PFS and overall survival were 6.9 and 15.3 months, respectively. Haematological and non-haematological toxicities were generally mild; however, some severe adverse events were reported, including grade 3-4 fatigue in 8% and bowel perforation in 4% of patients. Three toxic deaths occurred. Conclusion: The primary end point of the trial was not reached. However, due to the limitation of a non-randomised phase II design, further data are needed before drawing any definite conclusion on the role of bevacizumab in MPM.

JME-001 phase II trial of first-line combination chemotherapy with cisplatin, pemetrexed, and nivolumab for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer

BackgroundJME-001 is a phase II trial assessing the efficacy and safety of cisplatin, pemetrexed, and nivolumab as first-line therapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).Patients and methodsPatients with untreated, unresectable MPM with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0–1 were included. The primary endpoint is the centrally reviewed objective response rate. The secondary endpoints include (1) response rate assessed by investigators, (2) disease control rate, (3) overall survival, (4) progression-free survival, (5) duration of response, and (6) time to response. Safety and adverse events will also be evaluated. Cisplatin (75 mg/m2), pemetrexed (500 mg/m2), and nivolumab (360 mg/body) were administered intravenously every 3 weeks with a total of 4–6 cycles. If patients did not progress during the combination phase, maintenance therapy with nivolumab was administered until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Tissue samples were requ...