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M. Thomas



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    O02 - NSCLC - Combined Modality Therapy I (ID 111)

    • Event: WCLC 2013
    • Type: Oral Abstract Session
    • Track: Combined Modality
    • Presentations: 1
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      O02.01 - Geographic differences in the combined-modality treatment of stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer: Results from a global phase III trial of tecemotide (L-BLP25) (ID 2712)

      10:30 - 12:00  |  Author(s): M. Thomas

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background
      Chemo-radiotherapy (chemo/RT) is the standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but little is known about differences in clinical practice between regions of the world. The START trial is a global phase III trial of the MUC1-specific cancer immunotherapy tecemotide (L-BLP25), for which key efficacy and safety results have been reported previously. Here we report regional differences in diagnostic procedures and treatment of stage III NSCLC prior to enrolment in START.

      Methods
      The START trial recruited patients (performance status 0/1) with unresectable stage III NSCLC who had not progressed within 28–84 days of completing ≥2 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy with concurrent or sequential radiotherapy (≥50 Gy). Baseline characteristics, diagnostic procedures and the initial chemo/RT administered of those recruited were compared between centers in different regions.

      Results
      From Jan 2007 to Nov 2011, 1513 patients were recruited at >250 centers in 33 countries: Western Europe 40.3%, Eastern Europe 26.0%, North America 21.8%, Latin America 5.7%, Asia 3.4%, Australia 2.8%. The majority of patients (92.1%) were Caucasian and median age was 61 years. Overall, 6.3% of patients were never-smokers with little inter-regional variation except for Asia (31.4%). The proportion of current smokers upon entry into the trial was highest in Eastern Europe (36.3%) and lowest in Australia (11.6%). Median tobacco consumption by region ranged from 36.2 (Eastern Europe) to 53.6 (Latin America) pack-years. The proportion of patients considered for the START trial who received concurrent rather than sequential chemo/RT varied widely between regions and was highest in North America and Australia, lower in Western Europe, Latin America and Asia, and lowest in Eastern Europe. There were also substantial variations in the diagnostic procedures between the regions, although pathological confirmation of N-status was infrequent in all regions. Detailed results by region for the time from diagnosis to randomization, duration of chemo- and radiotherapy, and chemotherapy agents used will be presented.

      Proportion of patients (%) with:
      Use of concurrent chemo/RT N-status determined with PET or PET/CT N-status determined with mediastinoscopy
      Australia (n=43) 100 74.4 2.3
      North America (n=330) 92.7 37.9 18.5
      Asia (n=51) 66.7 21.5 2.0
      Latin America (n=86) 65.1 7.0 5.8
      Western Europe (n=609) 67.2 32.2 6.9
      Eastern Europe (n=394) 28.9 7.3 3.6

      Conclusion
      Baseline data from the START trial suggest substantial variations in the management of unresectable stage III NSCLC between different regions of the world. While recruited patients from North American and Australian centers mostly received concurrent chemo/RT in accordance with current recommendations, a substantial proportion of patients in Europe, Latin America and Asia received sequential chemo/RT. More frequent use of concurrent chemo/RT as the recommended standard of care should be made across geographic regions.

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    O04 - Molecular Pathology I (ID 126)

    • Event: WCLC 2013
    • Type: Oral Abstract Session
    • Track: Pathology
    • Presentations: 1
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      O04.05 - Epidemiology of PI3K pathway alterations in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): findings from the international BASALT-1 study (ID 1810)

      10:30 - 12:00  |  Author(s): M. Thomas

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background
      Buparlisib (BKM120) is an oral PI3K inhibitor that inhibits all four isoforms of class I PI3K (α, β, γ, δ) and has demonstrated antiproliferative, proapoptotic, and antiangiogenic activity in multiple preclinical cancer models. NSCLC cell lines with PIK3CA mutations (muts) have demonstrated increased sensitivity to buparlisib in vitro. BASALT-1 – an ongoing, multicenter, open-label, two-stage Phase ll study (NCT01297491) – evaluates the safety and efficacy of single-agent buparlisib in patients (pts) with NSCLC and an activated PI3K pathway. Here we report data on the prevalence of PI3K pathway alterations in pts with squamous (sq) or non-squamous (non-sq) NSCLC prescreened for entry into BASALT-1.

      Methods
      Pts prescreened for BASALT-1 were ≥18 years of age with previously treated metastatic NSCLC of sq or non-sq histology. PI3K pathway activation (defined as PIK3CA mut and/or PTEN mut and/or PTEN negative [neg; <10% protein expression at 1+ by immunohistochemistry]) was measured in archival or newly acquired tumor tissue collected at prescreening. PIK3CA (exons 1, 5, 7, 9, and 20) and PTEN (exons 1–9) muts were detected primarily using Sanger sequencing in a centralized fashion. Local analysis was permitted at selected sites where a SnapShot approach was most commonly used.

      Results
      As of April 10, 2013, 1183 pts had submitted tumor samples to be assayed (1179 tumors had known histology). PI3K pathway activation was detected in 16.0% of sq and 11.3% of non-sq tumors. In sq tumors (N=612), loss of PTEN protein expression (8.2%) was the most common single alteration observed, followed by PIK3CA mut only (3.1%) and PTEN mut only (2.9%). In non-sq tumors (N=567), PTEN mut only was the most common alteration (4.9%), followed by PIK3CA mut only (2.6%) and PTEN neg only (2.1%). Frequencies of co-existing genetic alterations were: PTEN mut + PTEN neg only (1.0% sq vs 0.4% non-sq), PIK3CA mut + PTEN neg only (0.7% sq vs 0.4% non-sq), PIK3CA mut + PTEN mut only (0% sq vs 0.9% non-sq), and PIK3CA mut + PTEN mut + PTEN neg (0.2% sq vs 0% non-sq). No clear gender, age or ethnicity effects were observed (Table). Figure 1

      Conclusion
      The findings from our large dataset indicate that genetic alterations in the PI3K pathway occur in a clinically significant proportion of pts with sq and non-sq relapsed NSCLC. An accurate characterization of PI3K pathway alteration frequencies in NSCLC will help guide the design of future clinical trials of PI3K inhibitors.

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    P2.08 - Poster Session 2 - Radiotherapy (ID 198)

    • Event: WCLC 2013
    • Type: Poster Session
    • Track: Radiation Oncology + Radiotherapy
    • Presentations: 1
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      P2.08-019 - Palliative radiation during pemetrexed plus cisplatin first-line treatment or pemetrexed continuation maintenance treatment in advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): A report of patient safety in the PARAMOUNT trial (ID 2364)

      09:30 - 16:30  |  Author(s): M. Thomas

      • Abstract

      Background
      Patient (pt) safety is of utmost concern to radiation oncologists. Pemetrexed (Pem) is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. The safety of palliative radiation (XRT) during Pem treatment was studied in this subset of pts in the PARAMOUNT trial.

      Methods
      In PARAMOUNT, a randomized, double-blind study, 939 pts received 4 cycles of induction Pem (500 mg/m[2]) + cisplatin (Cis) (75 mg/m[2]) on day 1 every 21 days. Patients without progressive disease (PD) and with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 0/1 (n=539) were then randomized (2:1) to maintenance Pem (500 mg/m[2], day 1) + best supportive care (BSC) (Arm A) or placebo + BSC (Arm B) until PD. Best supportive care (BSC) was defined as treatment without a specific antineoplastic regimen and included palliative XRT to extrathoracic structures. Safety was assessed via the incidence of adverse events (AEs) by maximum grade (Gr; CTCAE, v3).

      Results
      The 55 pts who received palliative XRT to extrathoracic structures during treatment had stage IV nonsquamous NSCLC. The majority of pts were male (58%), with an ECOG PS of 1 (75%). Patients’ median age was 61 yrs (range, 32-74) yrs, with 13% of pts ≥70 yrs. The most common location irradiated was bone (43/55 pts). Non-bone locations were: lymph node (3), mediastinum (2), chest (2), and adrenal gland, intraocular, lung, brain, and abdomen (1 each). Forty-five pts received XRT during Pem+Cis induction, 3 of whom also received XRT during maintenance. Seven pts (Arm A) and 6 pts (Arm B) received palliative XRT during maintenance. Total XRT doses ranged from 8-66 Gy. The time interval between day 1 of last chemotherapy cycle and the start of palliative XRT ranged from 0-28 days. Of 55 pts, 12 (22%) had ≥1 AE(s) during XRT considered possibly related to Pem and/or XRT (Table 1). All pts except 1 experienced the AE during induction. The most common AE was Gr 2 anemia. Three pts had Gr 3/4 anemia. Five pts had nonhematologic toxicities. One pt in Arm B, who received a total dose of 20 Gy in the hip during maintenance treatment, had pneumonitis. No AEs were reported for pts who received palliative XRT during Pem maintenance treatment.

      Table 1: AEs during palliative XRT or within 2 weeks after the end of the last fraction in both phases of the PARAMOUNT trial.
      Pts receiving palliative XRT (N=55)
      Patients with AEs during induction and/or maintenance (n=12, 22%)
      Toxicity Gr 1, n (%) Gr 2, n (%) Gr 3-4, n (%)
      Hematologic
      Hemoglobin 1 (1.8) 4 (7.3) 3 (5.5)
      Leukocytes 0 2 (3.6) 1 (1.8)
      Platelets 0 1 (1.8) 0
      Nonhematologic
      Rash/dermatitis 1 (1.8) 1 (1.8) 0
      Rash/desquamation 1 (1.8) 1 (1.8) 0
      Pneumonitis 0 0 1 (1.8)*
      *Pneumonitis was the only event reported for a pt during the maintenance phase. The pt was assigned to placebo.

      Conclusion
      Conclusions: In PARAMOUNT, palliative XRT is well tolerated and can be safely administered at low and high doses during Pem+Cis chemotherapy or Pem monotherapy to pts with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC.

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    P2.10 - Poster Session 2 - Chemotherapy (ID 207)

    • Event: WCLC 2013
    • Type: Poster Session
    • Track: Medical Oncology
    • Presentations: 1
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      P2.10-037 - Efficacy and safety of maintenance pemetrexed in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after completing at least 4 cycles of pemetrexed plus cisplatin induction treatment: a cross-trial analysis of two phase III trials (ID 2449)

      09:30 - 16:30  |  Author(s): M. Thomas

      • Abstract

      Background
      In a phase III trial, JMDB, the subgroup of patients with nonsquamous histology showed a significant improvement in survival after treatment with first-line pemetrexed + cisplatin (pem 500 mg/m[2] + cis 75 mg/m[2] every 21 days for a maximum of 6 cycles). In PARAMOUNT, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial, 539 patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 0 or 1 were randomized to maintenance pem or placebo after completing 4 cycles of pem+cis without disease progression.

      Methods
      We compared patients from the two randomized arms of PARAMOUNT with a selected homogeneous population from JMDB: 346 patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC and an ECOG PS of 0 or 1 who completed at least 4 cycles of pem+cis without disease progression. Efficacy outcomes included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) measured from the start of treatment with pem+cis and analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox methods. Rates of toxicities were calculated without formal statistical comparison.

      Results
      Outcomes for the JMDB homogeneous group were similar to the PARAMOUNT placebo arm (PFS: 6.24 vs 5.59, p=0.117; OS: 14.23 vs 13.96, p=0.979). The PARAMOUNT pem group had statistically superior efficacy compared with the JMDB homogeneous group (PFS: 7.46 vs 6.24 p<0.00001; OS: 16.89 vs 14.23 p=0.003). Patients who received pem maintenance displayed numerically higher incidences of drug-related serious adverse events (SAEs) compared with JMDB patients who received ≥4 cycles of pem+cis (10.6% vs 2.9%); grade 3/4 anemia and fatigue were higher in the pem arm of PARAMOUNT. A comparable number of patients (approximately 2/3) on both arms of PARAMOUNT and on JMDB received post-discontinuation systemic therapy (PDT). Results are summarized in Table 1. Table 1: Summary of survival, post-discontinuation systemic therapy , and selected drug-related adverse events in the PARAMOUNT pem and placebo arms and the JMDB homogeneous group

      PARAMOUNT pem arm (n=359) PARAMOUNT placebo arm (n=180) JMDB homogeneous group (n=346)
      PFS
      Median (95% CI), mos 7.46 (6.90-8.57) 5.59 (5.45-5.95) 6.24 (5.91-6.54)
      Cox unadjusted HR (95% CI) 0.66 (0.56-0.77)* 0.86 (0.72-1.04)**
      Unadjusted log-rank p-value <0.00001* 0.117**
      OS
      Median (95% CI), mos 16.89 (15.77-18.99) 13.96 (12.88-15.51) 14.23 (12.94-15.05)
      Cox unadjusted HR (95% CI) 0.75 (0.63-0.91)* 1.00 (0.81-1.24)**
      Unadjusted log-rank p-value 0.003* 0.979**
      Received any PDT, n % 231 (64.3) 129 (71.7) 207 (59.8)
      Patients with ≥1 drug-related SAE, n (%) 38 (10.6) 8 (4.4) 10 (2.9)
      Hematologic grade 3/4 toxicities, n (%)
      Anemia Hemoglobin decreased Hemoglobin 16 (4.5) 2 (0.6) 0 (0.0) 2 (1.1) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 10 (2.9)
      Neutropenia Neutophils/granulocytes 17 (4.7) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 18 (5.2)
      Nonhematologic grade 3/4 toxicities, n (%)
      Fatigue 11 (3.1) 2 (1.1) 5 (1.4)
      *PARAMOUNT pem arm vs JMDB homogeneous group; **PARAMOUNT placebo arm vs JMDB homogeneous group. Abbreviations: PDT=post-discontinuation systemic therapy; PFS: progression-free survival; OS: overall survival; SAE: serious adverse event

      Conclusion
      The PARAMOUNT placebo arm showed results consistent with the JMDB homogeneous group treated with pem+cis. The addition of pem continuation maintenance treatment results in a statistically significant increase in OS and PFS. Although there was an increase in the incidence of grade 3/4 toxicities with longer exposure to pem+cis or maintenance pem, the overall incidence remains low, underscoring the relative safety of these treatment regimens.