Prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia with lipegfilgrastim in patients with lung cancer: final results from the non-interventional study NADIR

OBJECTIVE

Real-world evidence on the application of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor lipegfilgrastim for the reduction of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia (FN) is limited. The NADIR study aimed to evaluate effectiveness and safety of lipegfilgrastim as primary or secondary prophylaxis in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy in routine clinical practice.

METHODS

The non-interventional study NADIR (German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) Number DRKS00005711) enrolled 156 patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and 145 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who received lipegfilgrastim during chemotherapy. Primary endpoint was the incidence of severe neutropenia (CTCAE grade 3/4) and FN. The analysis was stratified for age groups (≤65 years vs. >65 years).

RESULTS

Approximately half of the patients were aged >65 years (SCLC 54.5%; NSCLC 46.9%). Intention of antineoplastic treatment was mostly palliative (SCLC 89.1%; NSCLC 73.1%). Patients with high FN risk (SCLC 44.9%; NSCLC 28.3%) mostly received lipegfilgrastim for primary prophylaxis (SCLC 81.4%; NSCLC 70.7%). FN was reported in 1.9% SCLC and 1.4% NSCLC patients. At least one severe neutropenia was documented in 30.1% SCLC and 17.9% NSCLC patients. For NSCLC patients aged >65 years, less severe neutropenia was reported as compared to younger patients (14.7% vs. 20.8%). Lipegfilgrastim-related adverse events were reported in 10.3% SCLC and 7.7% NSCLC patients.

CONCLUSION

Lipegfilgrastim in routine clinical practice of patients with lung cancer showed similar effectiveness and safety as compared to the pivotal trial. Interestingly, in older patients severe neutropenia was reported less frequently. While most patients with high FN risk received lipegfilgrastim for primary prophylaxis as recommended, there are still 20-30% of patients at high FN risk without primary prophylaxis who could benefit from better adherence to guidelines.

Improving Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Breast or Colon Cancer after End of (Neo)adjuvant Therapy: Results from the Observational Study STEFANO

INTRODUCTION

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect persisting after completion of neurotoxic chemotherapies. This observational study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the dietary supplement OnLife® (patented mixture of specific fatty acids and palmitoylethanolamide) in improving symptoms of CIPN in breast and colon cancer patients.

METHODS

Improvement of CIPN was evaluated in adult patients, previously treated with (neo)adjuvant paclitaxel- (breast cancer) or oxaliplatin-based (colon cancer) therapies, receiving OnLife® for 3 months after completion of chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was to compare the severity of peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN) and peripheral motor neuropathy (PMN) before and at the end of OnLife® treatment. Secondary endpoints included the assessment of patient-reported quality of life and CIPN symptoms as assessed by questionnaires.

RESULTS

146 patients (n = 75 breast cancer patients and n = 71 colon cancer patients) qualified for analysis; 31.1% and 37.5% of breast cancer patients had an improvement of PSN and PMN, respectively. In colon cancer patients, PSN and PMN improved in 16.9% and 20.0% of patients, respectively. According to patient-reported outcomes, 45.9% and 37.5% of patients with paclitaxel-induced PSN and PMN, and 23.9% and 22.0% of patients with oxaliplatin-induced PSN and PMN experienced a reduction of CIPN symptoms, respectively.

CONCLUSION

OnLife® treatment confirmed to be beneficial in reducing CIPN severity and in limiting the progression of neuropathy, more markedly in paclitaxel-treated patients and also in patients with oxaliplatin-induced CIPN.

Patient, nurse, and physician preferences: final results of the CONVENIENCE study evaluating pegfilgrastim prophylaxis via pre-filled syringe or on-body injector in cancer patients

Purpose

The on-body injector (OBI) automatically delivers pegfilgrastim the day after chemotherapy (CTx), thus eliminating the need of return visits to the medical office for guideline-compliant pegfilgrastim administration. The CONVENIENCE study aimed to evaluate patient, nurse, and physician preferences as well as health economics for pegfilgrastim administration either with OBI or manually using a pre-filled syringe (PS).

Methods

Patients with early breast cancer, receiving two or three weekly anthracycline/cyclophosphamide or three weekly taxane-based CTx, and patients with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) receiving first-line R-CHOP-14 or -21 were randomized 1:1 to receive both pegfilgrastim application forms for four consecutive CTx cycles in an alternating sequence starting either with OBI or PS. Primary endpoint was patient preference, assessed by questionnaires.

Results

A total of 308 patients were evaluable in the per-protocol analysis. Patients slightly preferred OBI over PS (OBI, n = 133, 43.2%; vs. PS, n = 111, 36.0%; p-value = 0.159), while study nurses slightly preferred PS (n = 19, 46.3%) over OBI (n = 18, 43.9%) and physicians clearly preferred PS (n = 24, 58.8%) over OBI (n = 15, 36.6%). Among patients with preference for OBI, saving of time was their major reason for preference (53.4%). Pegfilgrastim was administered 24–72 h after each CTx cycle in 97.6% of OBI and 63.1% of PS applications.

Conclusion

The OBI was slightly preferred by patients and saving time was the major reason for their preference. PS was physicians’ most preferable choice and slightly preferred by nurses. Using OBI, pegfilgrastim was almost always administered within the time period recommended by current guidelines, while it was often not applied as specified using PS.

Trial registration

No: ClinicalTrials.gov No. NCT03619993. Registered on June 25, 2018

Everolimus after failure of one prior VEGF-targeted therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: Final results of the MARC-2 trial

MARC-2, a prospective, multicenter phase IV trial, aimed to investigate clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with everolimus after failure of one initial vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGFR-TKI) therapy and to identify subgroups benefiting most, based on clinical characteristics and biomarkers. Patients with clear cell mRCC failing one initial VEGFR-TKI received everolimus until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Primary endpoint was 6-month progression-free survival rate (6moPFS). Secondary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR), PFS, overall survival (OS), and safety. Between 2011 and 2015, 63 patients were enrolled. Median age was 65.4 years (range 43.3-81.1). 6moPFS was 39.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 27.0-51.3) overall, 54.4% (95% CI, 35.2-70.1) vs 23.7% (95% CI, 10.5-39.9) for patients aged ≥65 vs <65 years and 51.4% (95% CI, 34.7-65.7) vs 18.2% (95% CI, 5.7-36.3) for patients with body mass index (BMI) >25 vs ≤25 kg/m² . A Cox proportional hazards model confirmed a longer PFS for patients aged ≥65 years (hazard ratio [HR] 0.46; 95% CI, 0.26-0.80) and a longer OS for patients with BMI >25 kg/m² (HR 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18-0.71). Median PFS and median OS were 3.8 months (95% CI, 3.2-6.2) and 16.8 months (95% CI, 14.3-24.3). ORR was 7.9% and disease control rate was 60.3%. No new safety signals emerged. Most common adverse events were stomatitis (31.7%), fatigue (31.7%), and anemia (30.2%). One patient died from treatment-related upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Everolimus remains a safe and effective treatment option for mRCC patients after one prior VEGFR-TKI therapy. Patients aged ≥65 years and patients with BMI >25 kg/m² benefited most.

Effectiveness and Tolerability of Nab-paclitaxel in Younger versus Elderly Patients With Metastatic HR-positive/HER2-negative Breast Cancer: Results From the Noninterventional, Prospective Study NABUCCO

BACKGROUND

There are only scarce data on treatment of elderly patients with nab-paclitaxel for metastatic breast cancer, especially from the real-world setting. Here we present data from the noninterventional study NABUCCO with special focus on taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (TIPN) in younger and elderly patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 407 patients with HR-positive/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer were enrolled between April 2012 and April 2015 into the prospective, multicenter, noninterventional study NABUCCO. Details on effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of nab-paclitaxel were evaluated for younger (<70 years) and elderly (≥70 years) patients.

RESULTS

Neither median time to progression (TTP, younger 6.0 months, 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.5-7.1; elderly 6.9 months, 95% CI, 5.5-8.6) nor median overall survival (younger 16.4 months, 95% CI, 14.2-18.1; elderly 14.5 months, 95% CI, 11.9-17.4) differed by age group, also not in view of prior treatments. A multivariate regression model revealed that age did not significantly influence the TTP. TIPN was reported by 49.0% younger (44.3% common terminology criteria for adverse events [CTCAE] grade 1/2, 4.7% grade 3/4) and 45.8% elderly patients (41.1% CTCAE grade 1/2, 4.7% grade 3/4). The cumulative nab-paclitaxel dose did not correlate with the severity/grading of TIPN.

CONCLUSION

Treatment with nab-paclitaxel in first- or further-line of metastatic HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer resulted in similar effectiveness and safety, irrespective of age. Therefore, nab-paclitaxel is a valid treatment option for elderly and partially heavily pretreated patients. However, incidence of TIPN is high, influencing the patients' quality of life. A close monitoring and awareness for early TIPN symptoms is warranted.

Similar effectiveness of R-CHOP-14 and -21 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-data from the prospective German Tumour Registry Lymphatic Neoplasms

OBJECTIVES

R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) is the standard therapy for patients with previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). Dose-dense two-weekly 'R-CHOP-14' was not superior over three-weekly 'R-CHOP-21' in randomised clinical trials (RCTs). We present real-world data on effectiveness of R-CHOP-14 and R-CHOP-21 in patients with DLBCL treated in German routine practice.

METHODS

We identified 582 patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP-14 or R-CHOP-21 in 92 sites from the prospective clinical cohort study Tumour Registry Lymphatic Neoplasms. Patients' schedules were classified by (a) length of the initial first cycle and (b) length of cycles 1-4.

RESULTS

About 55% of patients received R-CHOP-21, 45% R-CHOP-14, in median 6 cycles. 51% and 55% of patients, respectively, were able to continue their initial R-CHOP-14 and R-CHOP-21 schedule. While most characteristics between the patient cohorts were similar, patients receiving R-CHOP-21 presented slightly more often with tumour stage I and lower IPI risk. 3-year overall survival of patients with R-CHOP-14 and R-CHOP-21 did not differ: 84% vs 84% (first cycle), 87% vs 89% (cycles 1-4).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with DLBCL in Germany are slightly more likely to receive R-CHOP-21 than R-CHOP-14. Both schedules are similarly effective in routine practice confirming the results from RCTs.

Prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia with lipegfilgrastim in 2489 cancer patients: final results from the non-interventional study NADIR

Objectives: The non-interventional study (NIS) NADIR (DRKS00005711) evaluated the effectiveness and safety of prophylaxis with lipegfilgrastim, a glycopegylated granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, in 2500 patients undergoing chemotherapy in routine clinical practice. Primary objective was the incidence of chemotherapy-induced severe neutropenia, febrile neutropenia (FN), and neutropenia-associated complications. Methods: NADIR was a prospective NIS conducted in 201 study centers in Germany. Results: The analysis included 2489 patients. Main tumor types were breast cancer (n = 1198, 48.1%), lung cancer (n = 303, 12.2%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL; n = 337, 13.5%), and prostate cancer (n = 111, 4.5%). Nine hundred and ten (36.6%) patients were aged ≥65 years (regarded as "elderly" patients). Severe neutropenia (CTCAE grade 3/4) was reported in 26.8% (n = 666) and 25.2% (n = 229) of the total population and elderly patients, respectively. FN was documented in 2.7% (n = 68) of the total population vs 3.0% (n = 27) of elderly patients. Primary prophylaxis with lipegfilgrastim among patients with high risk of FN (>20%) was documented in 83.5% of the total population and 75.1% of elderly patients. Infections (CTCAE grade 3/4) were documented in 99 patients (4.0%) in the total population vs 47 (5.1%) elderly patients. Fatal infections were reported in 14 (0.6%) patients in the total population vs 11 (1.2%) elderly patients. Overall, most frequent lipegfilgrastim-related adverse events (AEs) included bone pain (8.0%), anemia (3.2%), leucocytosis (2.7%), and thrombocytopenia (2.5%). Of the patients, 18.0% had ≥1 documented serious AE; none of the fatal events (2.7%) was lipegfilgrastim-related. Conclusions: Lipegfilgrastim administered to patients with solid tumor/NHL undergoing chemotherapy in routine clinical practice showed similar effectiveness and safety compared to the pivotal trials.

An observational study to evaluate the potential of Onlife to improve chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: Final results of the STEFANO trial

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Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common, long-term side effect of many antineoplastic agents and has a detrimental impact on patients (pts)’ quality of life and functional activities of daily living. Currently, preventive measures and treatment options for CIPN are quite limited. OnLife is a dietary supplement that contains a patented mixture of fatty acids with anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and antinociceptive properties. Methods: The STEFANO study – an observational, prospective, two-cohort, multicenter study of dietary supplementation – was designed to evaluate the potential of OnLife to improve CIPN in adult pts with completed neo-/adjuvant chemotherapy and manifest CIPN (grade 1-3) (Cohort A: colon cancer, oxaliplatin-containing therapy; cohort B: breast cancer, paclitaxel therapy). Pts received OnLife for 3 months. The primary objective – assessment of changes in CIPN – was evaluated by comparing the severity of sensory and motor CIPN according to CTCAE v4.03 before, during and after treatment with OnLife. Secondary endpoints included patient-reported experience of symptoms and functional limitations related to CIPN. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Results: In total, 75 breast cancer pts with paclitaxel-induced and 71 colon cancer pts with oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy, respectively, received OnLife. Based on physician-rated CTCAE grades, 21.3% of breast cancer pts and 12.7% of colon cancer pts had a sustained improvement of sensory CIPN after OnLife treatment. Concerning motor CIPN, the proportions were 12.0% and 9.9%, respectively. According to patient-reported outcomes, 45.3% of breast cancer pts and 23.9% of colon cancer pts had less symptoms and functional limitations related to sensory CIPN after OnLife treatment. Concerning motor CIPN, the proportions were 32.0% and 22.5%, respectively. Conclusions: STEFANO provides indications of the potential of OnLife to reduce severity of objective and subjective CIPN-related symptoms. Therefore, it is a promising agent to meet the unmet medical need of management options for patients with established CIPN. Clinical trial information: NCT03065478.

Quality of life in pre- and postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer: a comprehensive analysis from the prospective MaLife project

Purpose

Quality of life (QoL) plays an important role in recovery—especially after an incisive diagnosis such as breast cancer. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of QoL for pre- and postmenopausal patients, starting from initial systemic treatment of early breast cancer until 3 years later, in patients from a so-called “real-world” setting.

Methods

251 premenopausal and 478 postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer have been recruited into the longitudinal MaLife project within the prospective, multicentre, German Tumour Registry Breast Cancer between 2011 and 2015. The questionnaires FACT-G, FACT-Taxane, FACT-ES, EORTC QLQ-BR23, BFI and HADS were filled in at start of treatment (T0), 6, 12, 24 and 36 months later. The proportion of patients with clinically meaningful changes at 36 months was determined.

Results

This first interim analysis shows that the FACT-G global QoL improved over time regardless of the menopausal status. However, clinically meaningful decrease of social/family well-being (48–51%), arm symptoms (44–49%) and symptoms of neurotoxicity (55–56%) was frequently reported 3 years after start of treatment. Many premenopausal patients also reported a clinically meaningful worsening of endocrine symptoms (64%), emotional well-being (36%) and fatigue intensity (37%). Additionally, 3 years after start of treatment, 15% of the patients were classified as doubtful cases and 18% as definite cases of anxiety.

Conclusions

Despite improvements in global QoL, breast cancer survivors report worsened ailments 3 years after start of therapy. Follow-up care should distinguish between premenopausal patients needing special attention for emotional/menopausal issues, and postmenopausal patients needing particular care regarding physical concerns.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10549-019-05197-whttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-019-05197-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia with lipegfilgrastim in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NADIR study)

OBJECTIVE

The prospective non-interventional study (NIS) NADIR was designed to evaluate both effectiveness and safety of prophylactic use of lipegfilgrastim (Lonquex^® ), a glycopegylated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, in cancer patients with different tumor entities undergoing chemotherapy in routine clinical practice. The primary objective was incidence of severe neutropenia, febrile neutropenia (FN), and neutropenia-associated complications.

METHOD

NADIR was a national, multicenter, prospective NIS.

RESULTS

Here, we present the data on patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Final analysis comprised 337 NHL patients having received ≥1 administration of lipegfilgrastim. Primary prophylaxis with lipegfilgrastim was documented in 78.7% of patients with high risk to develop FN. In total, ≥1 severe neutropenia (grade 3/4) was reported in 115 (34.1%) patients and ≥1 event of FN documented in 15 (4.5%) patients. Grade 3/4 infections were reported in 22 (6.5%) patients overall. Most frequently reported adverse events (AEs) related to lipegfilgrastim in total were bone pain (5.4%), leukocytosis (2.1%), back pain (1.8%), platelet count decreased (1.2%), and myalgia (1.2%). Fatal serious AEs were documented in 9 (2.7%) patients; none were attributable to lipegfilgrastim.

CONCLUSION

Prophylaxis or therapeutic intention with lipegfilgrastim in NHL patients in routine clinical practice showed similar effectiveness and safety as demonstrated in the pivotal trials.

Final Effectiveness and Safety Results of NABUCCO: Real-World Data From a Noninterventional, Prospective, Multicenter Study in 697 Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer Treated With nab-Paclitaxel

BACKGROUND

One of the most effective chemotherapies for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is nab-paclitaxel (nab-P), which is approved for treatment of MBC after failure of first-line therapy and when anthracyclines are not indicated. Randomized clinical trials have shown high efficacy and acceptable toxicity. Real-world data of nab-P in MBC, however, are still limited.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The prospective multicenter noninterventional study NABUCCO collected data on the routine treatment of patients with MBC receiving nab-P in 128 sites across Germany. The primary objective was time to progression. Secondary objectives were overall response rate, overall survival, safety, and quality of life.

RESULTS

Between April 2012 and April 2015, a total of 705 patients with MBC at 128 active sites had been enrolled. A total of 697 patients had evaluable data with a median follow-up of 17.7 months. Median time to progression was 5.9 months (95% confidence interval, 5.6-6.4), overall response rate was 37.2%, and median overall survival was 15.6 months (95% confidence interval, 14.2-17.2). The results were similar in patients aged < 65 versus ≥ 65 years as well as in patients who received nab-P on a weekly or a triweekly schedule. The most frequently reported grade 3/4 adverse events were leukopenia (55, 7.9%), peripheral sensory neuropathy (30, 4.3%), and infections (29, 4.2%). Patients reported no apparent treatment-related impact on global quality of life.

CONCLUSION

The results of the NABUCCO study confirm the clinical trial outcomes and the favorable safety profile of nab-P in patients with metastatic breast cancer in a real-world setting.

Lenalidomide plus dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: Final results of a non-interventional study and comparison with the pivotal phase 3 clinical trials

Lenalidomide (LEN) is an immunomodulatory drug with significant clinical activity against relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM). Based on the pivotal phase 3 trials MM-009 and MM-010, LEN in combination with dexamethasone (DEX) is approved for treatment of patients with MM who have received at least one prior therapy. LEN monotherapy is also approved in first line treatment. Here, we evaluated LEN/DEX combination therapy in a non-interventional study in patients with r/r MM in routine clinical practice. Patients received LEN/DEX as per Summary of Product Characteristics. Ninety-eight patients were treated with at least 1 cycle of LEN/DEX (median age 71 years; range, 42-88), forty-eight patients with at least 6 cycles. The Kaplan-Meier estimate for overall median time to progression was 12.0 months, 13.9 months for patients receiving second-line therapy and 10.3 months for third-line or higher-line therapy. The overall response rate was 60.2%. The median overall survival was 24.3 months. The most common adverse events were anemia (32.7%), thrombocytopenia (27.6%) and leukopenia (24.5%). Seven (7.1%) patients developed thromboembolic events despite prophylaxis. In conclusion, the combination of LEN/DEX administered to patients with r/r MM in routine clinical practice showed similar effectiveness and safety as demonstrated in the registration trials.

Routine clinical use of nab-paclitaxel for advanced / metastatic breast cancer in Germany: Final results of the prospective observational study NABUCCO

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Background: nab-Paclitaxel ( nab-P) is approved for treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) on a 3-week schedule based on results from the pivotal trial in which nab-P 260 mg/m2 showed a significant increase of progression-free survival compared with solvent-based paclitaxel. However, numerous studies suggest a weekly schedule might be a more effective and less toxic option (Gradishar 2011). Data beyond clinical trials is limited. Here we report on prospective non-interventional real-world effectiveness and safety data. Methods: The NABUCCO study was designed to collect data on routine treatment of 700 patients (pts) with MBC in Germany. Primary objective was time to progression (TTP), secondary objectives were overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), dosage scheme of nab-P and safety parameters. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. TTP and OS were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Between 4/2012 and 4/2015 697 evaluable pts at 128 sites had been enrolled. Baseline characteristics: Median age 62.3 years (range 29.2-89.3), age ≥ 70 years n = 200 (28.7%), ECOG PS ≥ 2 n = 49 (7.0%), visceral metastases n = 511 (73.3%). The majority of pts received nab-P as 1st-line (n = 280, 40.2%) or 2nd-line (n = 169, 24.2%) chemotherapy. 194 pts (27.8%) received a 3-week schedule, 491 pts (70.4%) a weekly schedule, 12 pts (1.7%) other. In the overall population, median TTP was 5.9 months (95% CI 5.6-6.4), median OS 15.5 months (95 % CI 14.2-17.3). For pts ≥ 70 years median TTP was 6.9 months (95 % CI 5.7-8.5), median OS 14.8 months (95 % CI 12.6-18.8). In the 3-week group median TTP was 5.7 months (95 % CI 5.2-6.9), median OS 15.1 months (95 % CI 12.3-17.5). In the weekly group median TTP was 6.0 months (95 % CI 5.6-6.5), median OS 16.3 months (95 % CI 14.4-18.5). 34.3% of pts developed adverse events grade 3/4 including leukopenia (7.9%), peripheral sensory neuropathy (4.3%) and infections (4.2%). Further subgroup analyses will be presented. Conclusions: nab-P is an effective and safe therapy for pts with MBC in a real world setting. It is as effective in older women as it is in their younger counterparts. A weekly schedule could be a reasonable option.

Survival of Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma in Routine Practice Differs From That in Clinical Trials-Analyses From the German Clinical RCC Registry

INTRODUCTION

Because "real-life" patients often do not meet the strict eligibility criteria of clinical trials, we assessed the trial eligibility of patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in routine practice and compared the survival of "trial-ineligible" and potentially "trial-eligible" patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The present prospective, multicenter German cohort study is recruiting patients from 110 oncology/urology outpatient centers and hospitals at initiation of systemic first-line treatment. The demographic, clinical, treatment, and survival data were collected. We defined patients as "trial-ineligible" when ≥ 1 exclusion criterion (Karnofsky performance status < 80%, hemoglobin less than the lower limit of normal, non-clear cell carcinoma histology) was documented. Otherwise, the patients were considered "trial-eligible".

RESULTS

Of 732 patients included, 57% were classified as "trial-ineligible". Overall, the median first-line progression-free survival (PFS) was 7.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.9-8.9 months). The median first-line PFS of "trial-eligible" and "trial-ineligible" patients was 11.0 months (95% CI, 9.6-13.1 months) and 5.3 months (95% CI, 4.6-6.5 months), respectively. The median OS of the "trial-eligible" and "trial-ineligible" patients was 26.0 months (95% CI, 22.1-29.7 months) and 12.6 months (95% CI, 10.6-15.8 months), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that patients in routine practice differ from patients treated in clinical trials and that almost 60% of mRCC patients in German routine practice would be ineligible for participation in clinical trials. While their first-line PFS and OS were shorter than those of "trial-eligible" patients, the PFS and OS of "trial-eligible" patients were comparable with the results from clinical trials. Physicians should be aware of these differences when discussing treatment options and outcome expectations with patients.

NADIR: A Non-Interventional Study on the Prophylaxis of Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia Using Lipegfilgrastim - First Interim Analysis

BACKGROUND

The non-interventional study (NIS) NADIR was designed to assess the effectiveness and safety of lipegfilgrastim, a novel glycopegylated granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, in reducing the risk of both febrile and severe neutropenia.

METHODS

Here, the interim analysis of NIS Nadir performed under real-world conditions at 80 oncology practices across Germany is reported. For a patient to be included, lipegfilgrastim at a subcutaneous single dose of 6 mg had to be administered during at least 1 cycle of the chemotherapy under consideration.

RESULTS

The interim analysis included 224 patients. Median patient age was 61.1 years (interquartile range 51.2-70.2 years). Main tumor type was breast cancer followed by lung cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (46.0, 13.4, and 10.7%, respectively). When lipegfilgrastim was given as primary prophylaxis, no patient developed febrile neutropenia (FN). 1.3% of patients developed FN when primary prophylaxis was withheld. Only 68.6% of patients undergoing chemotherapy and at high risk (> 20%) of developing FN were treated with lipegfilgrastim during the first cycle, exposing disparity between real-world practices and current treatment guidelines. Lipegfilgrastim was well tolerated. The only grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse event was anemia in 1 patient.

CONCLUSION

Lipegfilgrastim was effective and safe when administered for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia under real-world conditions.

Expression and function of the Transforming Growth Factor-b system in the human and rat enteric nervous system

BACKGROUND

Transforming growth factor-betas (TGF-bs) are pleiotropic growth factors exerting neurotrophic functions upon various neuronal populations of the central nervous system. In contrast, the role of TGF-b isoforms in the enteric nervous system (ENS) is largely unknown. We therefore analyzed the gene expression pattern of the TGF-b system in the human colon and in rat myenteric plexus, and smooth muscle cell cultures and determined the effect of TGF-b isoforms on neuronal differentiation.

METHODS

Human colonic samples as well as cultured rat myenteric plexus, and smooth muscle cells were assessed for mRNA expression levels of the TGF-b system (TGF-b1-3, TbR-1-3) by qPCR. The colonic wall was separated into mucosa and tunica muscularis and enteric ganglia were isolated by laser microdissection (LMD) to allow site-specific gene expression analysis. Effects of TGF-b isoforms on neurite outgrowth and branching pattern of cultured myenteric neurons were monitored.

KEY RESULTS

mRNA expression of the TGF-b system was detected in all compartments of the human colonic wall as well as in LMD-isolated myenteric ganglia. Cultured myenteric neurons and smooth muscle cells of rat intestine also showed mRNA expression of all ligands and receptors. Transforming growth factor-b2 treatment increased neurite length and branching pattern in cultured myenteric neurons.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

The TGF-b system is abundantly expressed in the human and rat ENS arguing for an auto-/paracrine function of this system on enteric neurons. Transforming growth factor-b2 promotes neuronal differentiation and plasticity characterizing this molecule as a relevant neurotrophic factor for the ENS.