Epacadostat plus pembrolizumab versus placebo plus pembrolizumab as first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with high levels of programmed death-ligand 1: a randomized, double-blind phase 2 study.


Journal

BMC cancer
ISSN: 1471-2407
Titre abrégé: BMC Cancer
Pays: England
ID NLM: 100967800

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
25 Jul 2024
Historique:
received: 19 08 2022
accepted: 19 07 2023
medline: 26 7 2024
pubmed: 26 7 2024
entrez: 25 7 2024
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Pembrolizumab is a first-line therapy for certain patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Combining pembrolizumab with other immunotherapies may enhance tumor cell killing and clinical outcomes. Epacadostat is a selective inhibitor of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1, an immuno-regulatory enzyme involved in tryptophan to kynurenine metabolism that inhibits T cell-mediated immune responses. In this randomized phase II study, patients with metastatic NSCLC expressing high (≥ 50%) programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) levels received pembrolizumab 200 mg every 21 days plus oral epacadostat 100 mg twice daily (combination) or matching placebo (control). The primary objective was objective response rate (ORR); secondary objectives were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), duration of response (DOR) and safety/tolerability. 154 patients were randomized (77 per group). Median (range) follow-up was 6.8 months (0.1-11.4) and 7.0 months (0.2-11.9) in the combination and control groups, respectively Confirmed ORR was similar between groups (combination: 32.5%, 95% CI 22.2-44.1; control: 39.0%, 95% CI 28.0-50.8; difference: - 6.5, 95% CI - 21.5 to 8.7; 1-sided P = 0.8000). Median (range) DOR was 6.2 months (1.9 + to 6.5 +) and not reached (1.9 + to 8.6 +) in the combination and control groups, respectively. Although not formally tested, median PFS was 6.7 and 6.2 months for the combination and control groups, respectively, and median OS was not reached in either group. Circulating kynurenine levels increased from C1D1 to C2D1 (P < 0.01) in the control group and decreased from C1D1 to C2D1 (P < 0.01) in the combination group but were not normalized in most patients. The most frequent serious adverse events (AEs) (≥ 2%) were pneumonia (4.0%), anemia (2.7%), atelectasis (2.7%) and pneumonitis (2.7%) in the combination group and pneumonia (3.9%), pneumonitis (2.6%) and hypotension (2.6%) in the control group. Two deaths due to drug-related AEs were reported, both in the control group. Addition of epacadostat to pembrolizumab therapy for PD-L1-high metastatic NSCLC was generally well tolerated but did not demonstrate an improved therapeutic effect. Evaluating higher doses of epacadostat that normalize kynurenine levels when given in combination with checkpoint inhibitors may be warranted. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03322540. Registered 10/26/2017.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
Pembrolizumab is a first-line therapy for certain patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Combining pembrolizumab with other immunotherapies may enhance tumor cell killing and clinical outcomes. Epacadostat is a selective inhibitor of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1, an immuno-regulatory enzyme involved in tryptophan to kynurenine metabolism that inhibits T cell-mediated immune responses.
METHODS METHODS
In this randomized phase II study, patients with metastatic NSCLC expressing high (≥ 50%) programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) levels received pembrolizumab 200 mg every 21 days plus oral epacadostat 100 mg twice daily (combination) or matching placebo (control). The primary objective was objective response rate (ORR); secondary objectives were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), duration of response (DOR) and safety/tolerability.
RESULTS RESULTS
154 patients were randomized (77 per group). Median (range) follow-up was 6.8 months (0.1-11.4) and 7.0 months (0.2-11.9) in the combination and control groups, respectively Confirmed ORR was similar between groups (combination: 32.5%, 95% CI 22.2-44.1; control: 39.0%, 95% CI 28.0-50.8; difference: - 6.5, 95% CI - 21.5 to 8.7; 1-sided P = 0.8000). Median (range) DOR was 6.2 months (1.9 + to 6.5 +) and not reached (1.9 + to 8.6 +) in the combination and control groups, respectively. Although not formally tested, median PFS was 6.7 and 6.2 months for the combination and control groups, respectively, and median OS was not reached in either group. Circulating kynurenine levels increased from C1D1 to C2D1 (P < 0.01) in the control group and decreased from C1D1 to C2D1 (P < 0.01) in the combination group but were not normalized in most patients. The most frequent serious adverse events (AEs) (≥ 2%) were pneumonia (4.0%), anemia (2.7%), atelectasis (2.7%) and pneumonitis (2.7%) in the combination group and pneumonia (3.9%), pneumonitis (2.6%) and hypotension (2.6%) in the control group. Two deaths due to drug-related AEs were reported, both in the control group.
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
Addition of epacadostat to pembrolizumab therapy for PD-L1-high metastatic NSCLC was generally well tolerated but did not demonstrate an improved therapeutic effect. Evaluating higher doses of epacadostat that normalize kynurenine levels when given in combination with checkpoint inhibitors may be warranted.
TRIAL REGISTRATION BACKGROUND
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03322540. Registered 10/26/2017.

Identifiants

pubmed: 39054476
doi: 10.1186/s12885-023-11203-8
pii: 10.1186/s12885-023-11203-8
doi:

Substances chimiques

pembrolizumab DPT0O3T46P
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized 0
epacadostat 71596A9R13
B7-H1 Antigen 0
Sulfonamides 0
CD274 protein, human 0
Oximes 0

Banques de données

ClinicalTrials.gov
['NCT03322540']

Types de publication

Journal Article Clinical Trial, Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

1251

Informations de copyright

© 2023. The Author(s).

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Auteurs

Takaaki Tokito (T)

Division of Respirology, Neurology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume, Fukuoka, 830-0011, Japan. tokitou_takaaki@kurume-u.ac.jp.

Oleksii Kolesnik (O)

Zaporizhzhya Regional Clinical Oncology Center, Zaporizhzhya State Medical University, Zaporozhye, Ukraine.

Jens Sørensen (J)

Department of Oncology, Centre for Cancer and Organ Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mehmet Artac (M)

Department of Medical Oncology, Necmettin Erbakan Universitesi Meram Tip Fakultesi Hastanesi, Konya, Turkey.

Martín Lázaro Quintela (ML)

Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Álvaro Cunqueiro-Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Vigo, Spain.

Jong-Seok Lee (JS)

Division of Hematology-Oncology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.

Maen Hussein (M)

Florida Cancer Specialists, Tavares, FL, USA.

Miklos Pless (M)

Department of Medical Oncology, Kantonsspital Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland.

Luis Paz-Ares (L)

Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, Universidad Complutense & Ciberonc, Madrid, Spain.

Lance Leopold (L)

Incyte Corporation, Wilmington, DE, United States.

Jeannie Daniel (J)

Incyte Corporation, Wilmington, DE, United States.

Mihaela Munteanu (M)

Incyte Corporation, Wilmington, DE, United States.

Ayman Samkari (A)

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.

Lu Xu (L)

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.

Charles Butts (C)

Department of Oncology, Division of Medical Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Canada.

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