Ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma after platinum-based therapy (RANGE): overall survival and updated results of a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial

Cabozantinib Plus Durvalumab in Patients With Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma After Platinum Chemotherapy: Safety and Preliminary Activity of the Open-Label, Single-Arm, Phase 2 ARCADIA Trial

BACKGROUND

Durvalumab and cabozantinib have shown single-agent activity in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). ARCADIA is a phase 2 study evaluating their combination in patients with platinum-treated, advanced UC (NCT03824691). Herein, we report the results of the planned interim safety analysis and the preliminary activity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) 0 or 1, UC and non-UC histology, and failure of a maximum of two regimens received cabozantinib 40 mg daily, orally, in combination with durvalumab 1500 mg, intravenously, every 28 days. Response was evaluated by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 every two cycles and by fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scans.

RESULTS

As of August 20, 2020, 16 patients were enrolled with a median follow-up of 6.7 months (range, 2-11). Four patients (25%) had ECOG PS 1 and had received two prior regimens. No grades 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred within the first two cycles. The most common grades 1 and 2 TRAEs were fatigue (7, 43.8%), diarrhea (5, 31.3%), and dysphonia (5, 31.3%). Objective responses were seen in six patients (37.5%; 95% confidence interval, 15.2-64.6), including two complete responses (12.5%). One additional patient with bone-only disease obtained a decrease in FDG uptake and in circulating tumor DNA consistent with response. Angiogenesis-related gene alterations were found in 57% responders versus 0% nonresponders.

CONCLUSION

The durvalumab and cabozantinib combination was safe and endowed with preliminary clinical activity in patients with advanced UC. Mature results will clarify the role of cabozantinib and that of tumor biomarkers in this tumor type.

Enfortumab Vedotin in Previously Treated Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma have poor overall survival after platinum-containing chemotherapy and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor treatment.

METHODS

We conducted a global, open-label, phase 3 trial of enfortumab vedotin for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who had previously received platinum-containing chemotherapy and had had disease progression during or after treatment with a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive enfortumab vedotin (at a dose of 1.25 mg per kilogram of body weight on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle) or investigator-chosen chemotherapy (standard docetaxel, paclitaxel, or vinflunine), administered on day 1 of a 21-day cycle. The primary end point was overall survival.

RESULTS

A total of 608 patients underwent randomization; 301 were assigned to receive enfortumab vedotin and 307 to receive chemotherapy. As of July 15, 2020, a total of 301 deaths had occurred (134 in the enfortumab vedotin group and 167 in the chemotherapy group). At the prespecified interim analysis, the median follow-up was 11.1 months. Overall survival was longer in the enfortumab vedotin group than in the chemotherapy group (median overall survival, 12.88 vs. 8.97 months; hazard ratio for death, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56 to 0.89; P = 0.001). Progression-free survival was also longer in the enfortumab vedotin group than in the chemotherapy group (median progression-free survival, 5.55 vs. 3.71 months; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.75; P<0.001). The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was similar in the two groups (93.9% in the enfortumab vedotin group and 91.8% in the chemotherapy group); the incidence of events of grade 3 or higher was also similar in the two groups (51.4% and 49.8%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Enfortumab vedotin significantly prolonged survival as compared with standard chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who had previously received platinum-based treatment and a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor. (Funded by Astellas Pharma US and Seagen; EV-301 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03474107.).

Health-related quality of life in the randomized phase 3 study of ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel in platinum-refractory advanced urothelial carcinoma (RANGE)

BACKGROUND

To evaluate patient-reported outcomes with ramucirumab plus docetaxel, a regimen which improved progression-free survival in platinum-refractory advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC).

METHODS

RANGE-a randomized, double-blinded, phase 3 trial in patients with platinum-refractory aUC. Ramucirumab (10 mg/kg) plus docetaxel (75 mg/m2) or placebo plus docetaxel were administered every 21 days until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients received maximum 10 cycles of docetaxel. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and EuroQoL five-dimensions (EQ-5D-5L) were administered at baseline, start of each cycle, and 30-day follow-up visit. A ≥ 10-point change in QLQ-C30 scores was considered meaningful. Rates of improved/stable scores were compared between treatment arms using Fisher's exact test. Time to deterioration (TtD) was estimated and compared using Kaplan-Meier estimation and log-rank test.

RESULTS

Of the 530 patients, ~ 97% patients in each arm provided baseline QLQ-C30 data. On-treatment compliance was ≥ 88% for first 8 cycles. Mean baseline QLQ-C30 scores were similar between arms, with global quality of life (QoL), fatigue, pain, and insomnia having greatest impairment. Postbaseline rates of improved/stable QLQ-C30 scores were similar between treatment arms except for greater improvement in pain score with ramucirumab. TtD of QLQ-C30 scales favored ramucirumab arm. Baseline EQ-5D-5L index and visual analogue scale scores were similar between arms, followed by relatively stable on-treatment scores. EQ-5D-5L scores worsened at post-discontinuation follow-up visit.

CONCLUSIONS

Ramucirumab plus docetaxel did not negatively impact QoL compared with docetaxel alone in platinum-refractory aUC. Improved TtD and tumor associated rates of pain favored ramucirumab treatment.

CLINICAL TRAIL REGISTRATION

NCT02426125. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02426125 . Date of registration: April 24th 2015.

Targeted Molecular Therapeutics for Bladder Cancer-A New Option beyond the Mixed Fortunes of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors?

The fact that there are now five immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monoclonal antibodies approved since 2016 that target programmed cell death protein 1 or programmed death ligand-1 for the treatment of metastatic and refractory bladder cancer is an outstanding achievement. Although patients can display pronounced responses that extend survival when treated with ICIs, the main benefit of these drugs compared to traditional chemotherapy is that they are better tolerated and result in reduced adverse events (AEs). Unfortunately, response rates to ICI treatment are relatively low and, these drugs are expensive and have a high economic burden. As a result, their clinical efficacy/cost-value relationship is debated. Long sought after targeted molecular therapeutics have now emerged and are boasting impressive response rates in heavily pre-treated, including ICI treated, patients with metastatic bladder cancer. The antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) enfortumab vedotin (EV) and sacituzumab govitecan (SG) have demonstrated the ability to provide objective response rates (ORRs) of 44% and 31% in patients with bladder tumor cells that express Nectin-4 and Trop-2, respectively. As a result, EV was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer who have previously received ICI and platinum-containing chemotherapy. SG has been granted fast track designation. The small molecule Erdafitinib was recently approved for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer with genetic alterations in fibroblast growth factor receptors that have previously been treated with a platinum-containing chemotherapy. Erdafitinib achieved an ORR of 40% in patients including a proportion who had previously received ICI therapy. In addition, these targeted drugs are sufficiently tolerated or AEs can be appropriately managed. Hence, the early performance in clinical effectiveness of these targeted drugs are substantially increased relative to ICIs. In this article, the most up to date follow-ups on treatment efficacy and AEs of the ICIs and targeted therapeutics are described. In addition, drug price and cost-effectiveness are described. For best overall value taking into account clinical effectiveness, price and cost-effectiveness, results favor avelumab and atezolizumab for ICIs. Although therapeutically promising, it is too early to determine if the described targeted therapeutics provide the best overall value as cost-effectiveness analyses have yet to be performed and long-term follow-ups are needed. Nonetheless, with the arrival of targeted molecular therapeutics and their increased effectiveness relative to ICIs, creates a potential novel paradigm based on 'targeting' for affecting clinical practice for metastatic bladder cancer treatment.

Apatinib sensitizes chemoresistant NSCLC cells to doxetaxel via regulating autophagy and enhances the therapeutic efficacy in advanced and refractory/recurrent NSCLC

The prognosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is poor; therefore, identifying novel treatment strategies for patients with NSCLC is important. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of apatinib plus docetaxel vs. docetaxel alone, as well as their effects on regulating autophagy markers in patients with advanced NSCLC. Furthermore, it was evaluated whether apatinib sensitized chemoresistant NSCLC cells to docetaxel via regulating autophagy. A total of 39 patients with advanced NSCLC were consecutively enrolled and treated with apatinib plus docetaxel (n=19) or docetaxel alone (n=20) for four treatment cycles. The treatment response, adverse events and expression levels of autophagy markers [(light chain 3 α (LC3A) and Beclin-1] were evaluated in tumor samples, which were obtained via biopsy, before treatment and after 2-cycle treatment. In addition, in a mechanistic in vitro experiment, apatinib, docetaxel, the autophagy activator rapamycin and the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) were used to treat docetaxel-resistant A549 (A549/DTX) cells alone or in various combinations. The expression levels of LC3A, Beclin-1, poly (ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP) and phosphorylated (p)-AKT were detected via western blotting, while the cell apoptosis rate was detected with an Annexin V/PI assay. The overall remission rate (37 vs. 10%; P=0.047) and disease control rate (84 vs. 45%; P=0.011) were increased in the Apatinib plus docetaxel group compared with the Docetaxel group. Most of the adverse events were mild and tolerable, and there was no difference between the two groups except for total hypertension and hand-foot syndrome, which were higher in the Apatinib plus docetaxel group). Compared with the levels prior to treatment, Beclin-1 and LC3A remained unchanged post-treatment in the Apatinib plus docetaxel group, while they were increased in the Docetaxel group. Docetaxel increased LC3A, Beclin-1 and p-AKT expression levels, PARP cleavage and the cell apoptosis rate in A549/DTX cells, and rapamycin further enhanced, while 3-MA reduced these effects of docetaxel. Moreover, apatinib repressed LC3A, Beclin-1, p-AKT expression levels and promoted the cell apoptosis rate in A549/DTX cells and docetaxel-treated A549/DTX cells. In conclusion, apatinib synergize the effect of docetaxel in treating patients with advanced NSCLC and chemoresistant NSCLC cells via inhibiting autophagy.

[Second-line treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma : Update immuno-oncology]

The approval of the PD‑1 and PD-L1 (programmed cell death [ligand] 1) antibodies pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and atezolizumab has fundamentally changed the therapeutic landscape of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) are the standard of care in second-line treatment if not already used in first line. They replace conventional chemotherapeutics such as vinflunine, paclitaxel, or docetaxel and offer a superior toxicity profile. This article provides an overview of current second-line treatment strategies for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Systemic treatment for advanced urothelial cancer: an update on recent clinical trials and current treatment options

After cisplatin-based chemotherapy became the standard treatment for metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC), very little progress has been made in the treatment landscape of this condition until recently. With increased knowledge about the molecular biology of mUC and advances in the field of cancer immunobiology, there has been an explosion in the number of clinical trials for mUC, and systemic treatment of mUC is rapidly changing. Despite the availability of several novel therapeutic agents, cisplatin-based cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the standard, first-line treatment option. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including programmed death-1 and programmed death ligand-1 inhibitors, are preferred second-line treatment options that are also used in first-line cisplatin-ineligible settings. For patients with actionable fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) or FGFR3 genomic alterations, erdafitinib can be considered after platinum-based treatment. Enfortumab vedotin, a monoclonal antibody targeting nectin-4 conjugated to monomethyl auristatin E, has been approved for patients who do not respond to both cytotoxic chemotherapy and ICIs. In this review, we address the clinical trial data that have established the current standard treatments and ongoing clinical trials of various agents with different mechanisms as well as provide a brief overview of current practice guidelines and recommendations in patients with mUC.

An evaluation of avelumab for the treatment of genitourinary tumors

INTRODUCTION

The immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) programmed cell death protein and ligands 1 (PD1- and PD-L1) as well as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 have demonstrated clinical efficacy in genitourinary cancer. While different ICI exist, focus of the current study work was to evaluate the PD-L1 antibody avelumab within this framework of ICI.

AREAS COVERED

The manuscript reviews the pharmacological characteristics and preclinical and clinical data of avelumab in the treatment for advanced or metastatic genitourinary cancers. It highlights its respective clinical relevance and special features in the context of the other available ICI.

EXPERT OPINION

Avelumab has shown promising antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in patients with mRCC and mUC as mono- and combination therapy. The approach of an avelumab maintenance therapy in mUC is promising and could become part of future clinical practice. Results of ICI used in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting are eagerly awaited. Avelumab's uniqueness is its capacity to enhance antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Because of this, currently ongoing clinical trials investigate the combination of avelumab with other immune modulating agents like IL-12 and IL-15. Thereby, it can be assumed that avelumab will have an ongoing role in the treatment of patients with genitourinary tumors.

Current Strategies and Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a frequent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Metastatic UC has been historically associated with poor prognosis, with a median overall survival of approximately 15 months and a 5-year survival rate of 18%. Although platinum-based chemotherapy remains the mainstay of medical treatment for patients with metastatic UC, chemotherapy clinical trials produced modest benefit with short-lived, disappointing responses. In recent years, the better understanding of the role of immune system in cancer control has led to the development and approval of several immunotherapeutic approaches in UC therapy, where immune checkpoint inhibitors have been revolutionizing the treatment of metastatic UC. Because of a better tumor molecular profiling, FGFR inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, anti-HER2 agents, and antibody drug conjugates targeting Nectin-4 are also emerging as new therapeutic options. Moreover, a wide number of trials is ongoing with the aim to evaluate several other alterations and pathways as new potential targets in metastatic UC. In this review, we will discuss the recent advances and highlight future directions of the medical treatment of UC, with a particular focus on recently published data and ongoing active and recruiting trials.

Emerging biomarkers in urothelial carcinoma: Challenges and opportunities

Advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a very important cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality with, until recently, only a few available therapeutic options. The treatment landscape has dramatically changed in recent years with the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the development of novel targeted agents, such as erdafitinib, and antibody-drug conjugates, such as enfortumab vedotin. Cost-effective utilization of this rapidly expanding therapeutic armamentarium can be further optimized via the identification and validation of reliable prognostic and predictive biomarkers that inform prognostication and patient selection. In this review, we aim to summarize examples of recent developments in the rapidly expanding field of emerging biomarkers in UC, outlining challenges and opportunities.

Biophysical Techniques for Target Validation and Drug Discovery in Transcription-Targeted Therapy

In the post-genome era, pathologies become associated with specific gene expression profiles and defined molecular lesions can be identified. The traditional therapeutic strategy is to block the identified aberrant biochemical activity. However, an attractive alternative could aim at antagonizing key transcriptional events underlying the pathogenesis, thereby blocking the consequences of a disorder, irrespective of the original biochemical nature. This approach, called transcription therapy, is now rendered possible by major advances in biophysical technologies. In the last two decades, techniques have evolved to become key components of drug discovery platforms, within pharmaceutical companies as well as academic laboratories. This review outlines the current biophysical strategies for transcription manipulation and provides examples of successful applications. It also provides insights into the future development of biophysical methods in drug discovery and personalized medicine.