Category: Hem/Onc Updates

Updated Data on Fixed Duration VENCLEXTA® for Frontline Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

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SUMMARY: The American Cancer Society estimates that for 2021, about 21,250 new cases of CLL will be diagnosed in the US and 4320 patients will die of the disease. CLL accounts for about one-quarter of the new cases of leukemia. The average age of patients diagnosed with CLL is around 70 years, and is rarely seen in people under age 40, and is extremely rare in children.

The pro-survival (anti-apoptotic) protein BCL2 is over expressed by CLL cells and regulates clonal selection and cell survival. A new class of anticancer agents known as BH3-mimetic drugs mimic the activity of the physiologic antagonists of BCL2 and related proteins and promote apoptosis (programmed cell death). VENCLEXTA® is a second generation, oral, selective, small molecule inhibitor of BCL2 and restores the apoptotic processes in tumor cells.MOA-of-VENCLEXTA

CLL14 Trial is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized Phase III study conducted in close collaboration with the German CLL Study Group (DCLLSG). This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed duration combination of VENCLEXTA® and GAZYVA® (Obinutuzumab) versus GAZYVA® and Chlorambucil in previously-untreated patients with CLL and coexisting medical conditions. In this trial, 432 treatment-naïve patients with CLL were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive fixed duration of 12 months of VENCLEXTA® in combination with six cycles of GAZYVA®, or 6 cycles of GAZYVA® in combination with Chlorambucil. Both treatment groups were well balanced and the median patient age was 72 years. The Primary endpoint was Progression Free Survival (PFS) assessed by an Independent Review Committee. Secondary endpoints included Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) status, Overall Response Rate, Complete Response, Complete Remission with Incomplete Hematologic Recovery (CRi), Overall Survival, duration of response, Time to Next CLL Treatment, and safety.

The median PFS was not reached in either treatment groups after a median follow-up of 28 months. The trial demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in PFS for patients who received VENCLEXTA® plus GAZYVA®, compared with those who received GAZYVA® plus Chlorambucil (HR 0.33; P<0.0001), suggesting a 67% reduction in the risk of progression or death with the VENCLEXTA® plus GAZYVA® combination. The Overall Response Rate was 85% in VENCLEXTA® plus GAZYVA® group compared to 71% in GAZYVA® plus Chlorambucil group (P=0.0007). Based on this data, the FDA in May 2019 approved VENCLEXTA® (Venetoclax) as frontline treatment for adult patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia or Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL).

The authors in this presentation provided updated efficacy and safety data from the ongoing follow up of the CLL14 study, with all patients off study treatment for at least 3 years. After a median follow-up of 52.4 months, PFS continued to be superior for VENCLEXTA® plus GAZYVA® group, compared to GAZYVA® plus Chlorambucil (median Not Reached versus 36.4 months; HR=0.33 P<0.0001). At 4 years after randomization, the estimated PFS rate was 74.0% in the VENCLEXTA® plus GAZYVA® arm and 35.4% in the GAZYVA® plus Chlorambucil arm. This benefit was noted across all clinical and biological risk groups, including patients with TP53 mutation/deletion (4-year PFS 53.0% versus 20.8%) and unmutated IGHV status (4-year PFS 68.0% versus 19.8%). Time to Next Treatment was significantly longer in the VENCLEXTA® plus GAZYVA® group, compared to GAZYVA® plus Chlorambucil group (4-year TTNT 81.1% versus 59.9%; HR=0.46, P<0.0001). Further, majority of patients received and responded to BTK inhibitor monotherapy as a second-line treatment after progressive disease in both the treatment groups.

Assessment of MRD in peripheral blood 30 months after the end of treatment showed that 26.9% of patients in the VENCLEXTA® group still had undetectable MRD (less than 10-4), compared with 3.2% in the GAZYVA® plus Chlorambucil group. The median OS has not yet been reached in either treatment groups. No new safety signals were observed.

It was concluded that the fixed duration combination of VENCLEXTA® plus GAZYVA® continued to confer a PFS advantage over GAZYVA® plus Chlorambucil, for patients with previously untreated CLL, and remains an effective treatment for all patients with CLL and with coexisting conditions.

Venetoclax-obinutuzumab for previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia: 4-year follow-up analysis of the randomized CLL14 study. Al-Sawaf O, Zhang C, Robrecht S, et al. Presented at: European Hematology Association 2021 Virtual Congress; June 9-17, 2021. Abstract S146.

Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases among Older Breast Cancer Survivors

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SUMMARY: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the US and about 1 in 8 women (12%) will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. Approximately 284,200 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2021 and about 44,130 individuals will die of the disease, largely due to metastatic recurrence.

Significant progress in breast cancer screening techniques, as well as new and novel therapies, have resulted in early cancer detection and improvement in the breast cancer 5-year survival rate in the US from 75% in the 1970s to 91% in the 2010s. Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the most frequent cause of noncancer-related death, and cardiotoxicities associated with cancer treatments may increase cardiovascular risk in this population of breast cancer survivors. However, few studies have in detail quantified the risks of the different clinically important cardiovascular outcomes. The authors therefore assessed the prevalence of the different clinically specific cardiovascular outcomes at breast cancer diagnosis, and their incidence after diagnosis, among survivors 65 years or older in the US, and compared this with similar women without cancer.

The researchers performed a matched cohort study using prospectively collected data from the SEER-Medicare linked claims-based database and identified all women older than 65 years of age with an incident Stage I-III breast cancer diagnosis in 2004 through 2013. Each patient with breast cancer was matched at diagnosis with 5 cancer-free female counterparts. Baseline prevalence of specific cardiovascular outcomes was measured, and the risk for individual cardiovascular outcomes during follow up was calculated, taking into consideration time since diagnosis, race/ethnicity, prior Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), and age. This study included a total of 91,473 women with breast cancer and 454,197 without breast cancer.

It was noted that women with breast cancer had lower baseline prevalence of all CVDs. Breast cancer survivors had substantially increased risks of Deep Vein Thrombosis and pericarditis, compared with cancer-free female counterparts. There was also evidence of smaller increased risks of sudden cardiac arrest, arrhythmia, heart failure, and valvular heart disease. The increased risks of arrhythmia, heart failure, pericarditis, and Deep Vein Thrombosis were most pronounced in the first year and persisted for more than 5 years after cancer diagnosis. There was evidence of a decreased risk of incident angina, myocardial infarction, revascularization, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke in breast cancer survivors, although this was not constant over time.

The CVD risk during follow up was consistently higher in African American women diagnosed with breast cancer compared with Caucasian women, regardless of whether there was an overall increased or decreased risk of outcomes during the entire follow up period, and this is consistent with racial differences in overall CVD risk in the US.

Finally, there was consistently a greater risk of all cardiovascular outcomes in those diagnosed with Stage III, Grade 3, and ER/PR-negative breast cancer, which may be a reflection of the more aggressive cancer treatment regimens used in these subtypes.

The authors concluded that there is evidence of increased risk of several cardiovascular diseases in elderly women diagnosed with breast cancer in the US, compared with similar women without cancer, with this risk persisting for several years after diagnosis. They added that these results highlight the importance of periodic cardiovascular evaluation throughout the long term follow up of women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases Among Older Breast Cancer Survivors in the United States: A Matched Cohort Study. Matthews AA, Hinton SP, Stanway S, et al. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2021;19:275-284.

Subcutaneous DARZALEX® Plus POMALYST® and Dexamethasone Improves Progression Free Survival in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

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SUMMARY: Multiple Myeloma is a clonal disorder of plasma cells in the bone marrow and the American Cancer Society estimates that in the United States, 34,920 new cases will be diagnosed in 2021 and 12,410 patients are expected to die of the disease. Multiple Myeloma (MM) in 2021 remains an incurable disease. The therapeutic goal therefore is to improve Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS). Multiple Myeloma is a disease of the elderly, with a median age at diagnosis of 69 years and characterized by intrinsic clonal heterogeneity. Almost all patients eventually will relapse, and patients with a high-risk cytogenetic profile, extramedullary disease or refractory disease have the worst outcomes. The median survival for patients with myeloma is over 10 years.

DARZALEX® is a human IgG1 antibody that targets CD38, a transmembrane glycoprotein abundantly expressed on malignant plasma cells and with low levels of expression on normal lymphoid and myeloid cells. DARZALEX® exerts its cytotoxic effect on myeloma cells by multiple mechanisms, including Antibody Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC), Complement Mediated Cytotoxicity and direct apoptosis. Additionally, DARZALEX® may have a role in immunomodulation, by depleting CD38-positive regulator Immune suppressor cells, and thereby expanding T cells, in patients responding to therapy. DARZALEX® has activity as both a single agent and when combined with other standard regimens. POMALYST® (Pomalidomide) is a novel, oral, immunomodulatory drug which is far more potent than THALOMID® (Thalidomide) and REVLIMID® (Lenalidomide), and has been shown to be active in REVLIMID® and VELCADE® refractory patients. In the EQUULEUS Phase Ib study, intravenous DARZALEX® in combination with POMALYST® and Dexamethasone in heavily pretreated relapsed or refractory Multiple Myeloma, resulted in a Very Good Partial Response (VGPR) or better in 42% of patients.Mechanism-of-Action-of-Daratumumab

Recently published studies have concluded that the subcutaneous formulation of DARZALEX® resulted in non-inferior pharmacokinetics and efficacy compared to the current IV formulation, and also importantly offers the potential for a fixed-dose administration, shorter administration times and a lower rate of infusion-related reactions with improved safety profile.

APOLLO study is an open-label, randomized, multicenter, Phase III trial, conducted by the European Myeloma Network investigators, to evaluate SubCutaneous (SC) formulation of DARZALEX® in combination with POMALYST® and Dexamethasone (D-Pd; N=151) versus POMALYST® and Dexamethasone (Pd; N=153) alone, in relapsed/refractory Multiple Myeloma patients who have received one or more prior lines of therapy including REVLIMID® and a Proteasome Inhibitor. This study enrolled 304 patients with relapsed or refractory Multiple Myeloma, and prior treatment with anti-CD38 antibody or POMALYST® was not permitted. Treatment for all patients consisted of POMALYST® 4 mg orally daily plus Dexamethasone 40 mg orally on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 (20 mg for patients aged 75 years or older), given every 28 days. Patients in the D-Pd group additionally received DARZALEX® 1800 mg SC co-formulated with recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (rHuPH20; ENHANZE® drug delivery technology, Halozyme, Inc.), given weekly for cycles 1 to 2, every 2 weeks for cycles 3 to 6, and every 4 weeks thereafter. The median age was 67 years, and 35% had high cytogenetic risk (presence of del17p, t[14;16], or t[4;14]). The median prior lines of therapy were 2, approximately 80% of patients were refractory to REVLIMID®, 48% of patients were refractory to a Proteosome Inhibitor, and 42% of patients were refractory to both agents. Treatment was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The median duration of treatment was 11.5 months with D-Pd, compared with 6.6 months with Pd. The Primary endpoint was Progression Free Survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included Overall Response Rate (ORR), Very Good Partial Response (VGPR), Complete Response (CR), MRD negativity rate, Overall Survival (OS), and Safety.

The study met its Primary endpoint of improved PFS in the primary analysis at a median follow up of 16.9 months. The median PFS for the D-Pd group was 12.4 months versus 6.9 months for Pd group (HR=0.63; P=0.0018). This represented a 37% reduction in the risk of progression or death in patients treated with D-Pd. Among patients who were refractory to REVLIMID®, median PFS was 9.9 months in the D-Pd group versus 6.5 months in the Pd group. This benefit was seen across all subgroups of patients, regardless of age, stage, prior line of therapy, REVLIMID® refractoriness and cytogenetic risk. D-Pd regimen was also superior to Pd regimen in terms of other endpoints, including ORR (69% versus 46%), VGPR or better (51% versus 20%), CR (25% versus 4%), and MRD negativity (9% versus 2%). Survival data are immature and follow up is ongoing. Infusion-related events were rare, and seen in 6% of patients treated with D-Pd, and local injection-site reactions which were all Grade 1 were seen in 2% of patients in the D-Pd group. Treatment discontinuation due to treatment-related adverse events, were similar for the D-Pd and Pd groups (2% versus 3%).

It was concluded that Subcutaneous DARZALEX® given along with POMALYST® and Dexamethasone significantly reduced the risk of progression or death by 37% in patients with relapsed/refractory Multiple Myeloma, compared to POMALYST® and Dexamethasone alone. The infusion-related reaction rate was very low and median duration of injection administration was short at 5 minutes. Subcutaneous DARZALEX® thus has a high likelihood of changing clinical practice, increasing convenience for patients and decreasing treatment burden.

Daratumumab plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone versus pomalidomide and dexamethasone alone in previously treated multiple myeloma (APOLLO): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial. Dimopoulos MA, Terpos E, Boccadoro M, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2021;22:801-812. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00128-5

Adjuvant TECENTRIQ® Improves Disease Free Survival in Early Stage Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

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SUMMARY: Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women and accounts for about 14% of all new cancers and 27% of all cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that for 2021, about 235,760 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed and 131,880 patients will die of the disease. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancers. Of the three main subtypes of NSCLC, 30% are Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCC), 40% are Adenocarcinomas and 10% are Large Cell Carcinomas. With changes in the cigarette composition and decline in tobacco consumption over the past several decades, Adenocarcinoma now is the most frequent histologic subtype of lung cancer.
Surgical resection is the primary treatment for approximately 30% of patients with NSCLC who present with early Stage (I–IIIA) disease. These patients are often treated with platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy to decrease the risk of recurrence. Nonetheless, 45-75% of these patients develop recurrent disease. There is therefore an unmet need for this patient population.

TECENTRIQ® (Atezolizumab) is an anti PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, designed to directly bind to PD-L1 expressed on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells, thereby blocking its interactions with PD-1 and B7.1 receptors expressed on activated T cells. PD-L1 inhibition may prevent T-cell deactivation and further enable the activation of T cells.

IMpower 010 is a global, multicentre, open-label, randomized Phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of TECENTRIQ® compared with Best Supportive Care (BSC), in patients with Stage IB-IIIA NSCLC, following surgical resection and up to 4 cycles of adjuvant Cisplatin-based chemotherapy. In this study, 1005 patients were randomized 1:1 to receive TECENTRIQ® 1200 mg IV every 3 weeks for 16 cycles, or BSC. Both study groups were well balanced and eligible patients had an ECOG PS of 0-1. The Primary endpoint was Disease Free Survival (DFS) in the PD-L1-positive Stage II-IIIA patients, all randomized Stage II-IIIA patients and Intent to Treat (ITT) Stage IB-IIIA populations. Key Secondary endpoints included Overall Survival (OS) in the overall study population and ITT Stage IB-IIIA NSCLC patients. At data cutoff on January 21, 2021, median follow up was 32.2 months in the ITT population.

Treatment with TECENTRIQ® following surgery and chemotherapy reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death (DFS) by 34% (HR=0.66; P=0.0039), in patients with Stage II-IIIA NSCLC, whose tumor PD-L1 expression was 1% or more, compared with BSC. In this patient population, median DFS was Not Reached for TECENTRIQ®, compared with 35.3 months for BSC.

In the larger population of all randomized Stage II-IIIA study patients, TECENTRIQ® reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 21% (HR=0.79, P=0.02). In this patient population, TECENTRIQ® increased DFS by a median of seven months, compared with BSC (42.3 months versus 35.3 months).

The significance boundary was not crossed for DFS in the ITT patient population. Overall Survival data were immature and not formally tested. Safety data for TECENTRIQ® were consistent with its known safety profile and no new safety signals were identified.

It was concluded that this study met its Primary endpoint, and is the first Phase III study to demonstrate that treatment with TECENTRIQ® following surgery and chemotherapy can significantly delay disease recurrence in patients with early stage lung cancer, with a more pronounced benefit noted, in patients with tumor PD-LI expression of 1% or more.

IMpower010: Primary results of a phase III global study of atezolizumab versus best supportive care after adjuvant chemotherapy in resected stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Wakelee HA, Altorki NK, Zhou C, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2021;39:(suppl 15; abstr 8500). doi:10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.8500

FDA Approves KEYTRUDA® plus Trastuzumab and Chemotherapy for HER2 Positive Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

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SUMMARY: The FDA on May 5, 2021 granted accelerated approval to KEYTRUDA® (Pembrolizumab) in combination with Trastuzumab, Fluoropyrimidine and Platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive Gastric or GastroEsophageal Junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. The American Cancer Society estimates that in the US, about 26,560 new cases of Gastric cancer will be diagnosed in 2021 and about 11,180 people will die of the disease. It is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the world. Several hereditary syndromes such as Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC), Lynch syndrome (Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer) and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) have been associated with a predisposition for Gastric cancer. Additionally, one of the strongest risk factor for Gastric adenocarcinoma is infection with Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori), which is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped microaerophilic bacterium.

Majority of the patients with Gastric and GastroEsophageal (GE) Adenocarcinoma have advanced disease at the time of initial presentation and have limited therapeutic options with little or no chance for cure. The Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor (HER) or erbB family of receptors, consist of HER1, HER2, HER3 and HER4. Approximately 15-20% of advanced Gastric and GastroEsophageal (GE) junction cancers, overexpress or have amplification of the HER2 oncogene. These patients often receive first line treatment with a combination of chemotherapy plus anti-HER2 antibody, Trastuzumab, as there is Overall Survival (OS) benefit with this combination regimen.
KEYTRUDA® is a fully humanized, Immunoglobulin G4, anti-PD-1, monoclonal antibody, that binds to the PD-1 receptor expressed on activated T cells, and blocks its interaction with ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. It thereby reverses the PD-1 pathway-mediated inhibition of the immune response and unleashes the tumor-specific effector T cells. In two Phase II studies, KEYTRUDA® in combination with Trastuzumab and chemotherapy showed promising efficacy with manageable toxicities.

The present FDA approval was based on KEYNOTE-811 trial, an ongoing global, multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, Phase III study, which assessed whether adding KEYTRUDA® to Standard of Care chemotherapy improved efficacy, compared to Standard of Care alone, among patients with HER2+ metastatic Gastric/GEJ cancer. A total of 692 patients were enrolled and patients were randomized (1:1) to receive KEYTRUDA® 200 mg IV or placebo IV every 3 weeks, in combination with Trastuzumab and investigator’s choice of Fluorouracil plus Cisplatin (FP), or Capecitabine plus Oxaliplatin (CAPOX). Treatment is being given for up to 2 years or until intolerable toxicity or progressive disease. Patients were enrolled irrespective of PD-L1 status, and HER2-positive status was defined as ImmunoHistoChemistry (IHC) 3+ or IHC 2+ and FISH positivity. The dual Primary end points are Progression Free Survival (PFS) by Blinded, Independent Central Review (BICR) and Overall Survival (OS). Secondary end points are Overall Response Rate (ORR) and Duration of Response (DOR) assessed by BICR, and Safety.

The first interim analysis included 264 patients with a median follow up of 12 months. At the time of this interim analysis, 133 patients were randomized to KEYTRUDA® plus Standard of Care and 131 patients to Placebo plus Standard of care. Approximately 88% and 85% of the patients in the KEYTRUDA® and Placebo groups respectively, had a PD-L1 Combined Positive Score of 1 or more.
The confirmed ORR was 74.4% for KEYTRUDA® plus Standard of Care versus 51.9% for Placebo plus Standard of care (P=0.00006). The Complete Response rate was 11.3% versus 3.1% and Disease Control Rate was 96.2% versus 89.3% respectively. The median Duration of Response was 10.6 months for patients treated with KEYTRUDA® and 9.5 months for those in the placebo group. Adverse Events were similar between the two treatment groups and immune-mediated pneumonitis and colitis were more common as expected, in the KEYTRUDA® group.

It was concluded that the addition of KEYTRUDA® to Trastuzumab and chemotherapy, as first line therapy for HER2+ metastatic Gastric/GE Junction cancer, resulted in a substantial, statistically significant increase in Overall Response Rate, compared to Trastuzumab and chemotherapy alone. The authors added that these initial data are practice-changing and support KEYTRUDA® plus Trastuzumab and chemotherapy as a potential new treatment option for this patient group.

Pembrolizumab plus trastuzumab and chemotherapy for HER2+ metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) cancer: Initial findings of the global phase 3 KEYNOTE-811 study. Janjigian YY, Kawazoe A, Yanez PE, et al. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.4013 Journal of Clinical Oncology 39, no. 15_suppl (May 20, 2021) 4013-4013.

Platinum Chemotherapy Inferior to XELODA® in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

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SUMMARY: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the US and about 1 in 8 women (12%) will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. Approximately 284,200 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2021 and about 44,130 individuals will die of the disease, largely due to metastatic recurrence.

Breast cancer is heterogeneous malignancy and using global gene expression analyses, 6 breast cancer intrinsic subtypes have been established. They include Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-enriched, Claudin-low, Basal-like, and a Normal breast-like group. Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous, molecularly diverse group of breast cancers and are ER (Estrogen Receptor), PR (Progesterone Receptor) and HER2 (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2) negative. TNBC accounts for 15-20% of invasive breast cancers, with a higher incidence noted in young patients and African American females. It is a surrogate for the inherently aggressive Basal-like breast cancer subtype. This group has the worse prognosis compared to other breast cancer subtypes and is usually aggressive, and tumors tend to be high grade. Patients with TNBC are at a higher risk for both local and distant recurrence and often develop visceral metastases. Those with metastatic disease have one of the worst prognoses of all cancers, with a median Overall Survival of 13 months. The majority of patients with TNBC who develop metastatic disease do so within the first 3 years after diagnosis, whereas those without recurrence during this period of time have survival rates similar to those with ER-positive breast cancers. Basal-like breast cancer subtype is also a marker of hereditary breast cancer susceptibility. Multiparity may increase the risk of TNBC and reduce the likelihood of developing ER-positive breast cancer. The lack of known recurrent oncogenic drivers in patients with metastatic TNBC, presents a major therapeutic challenge.Molecular-Subtypes-of-Breast-Cancer

Nonetheless, patients with TNBC often receive chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant or metastatic settings and approximately 30-40% of patients achieve a pathological Complete Response (pCR) in the neoadjuvant setting. In addition to increasing the likelihood of tumor resectability and breast preservation, patients achieving a pCR following neoadjuvant chemotherapy have a longer Event Free Survival (EFS) and Overall Survival (OS). Those who do not achieve a pathological Complete Response tend to have a poor prognosis. For all these reasons, pCR is considered a valid endpoint for clinical testing of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with early stage TNBC. Patients with TNBC are at a high risk for recurrence if they have residual invasive disease, following completion of standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

In the Phase III CREATE-X trial, the addition of adjuvant XELODA® (Capecitabine) therapy was found to be safe and effective in prolonging Disease Free Survival (DFS) and Overall Survival (OS) among patients with HER2-negative breast cancer, who had residual invasive disease on pathological evaluation, following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (N Engl J Med 2017;376:2147-2159).

Based on the preclinical models supporting the use of platinum agents in the TNBC Basal-like subtype, the EA1131 trial was conducted to test the hypothesis that adjuvant platinum chemotherapy would improve invasive DFS compared with XELODA®, in patients with clinical Stage II-III TNBC, who had Basal-like subtype invasive residual disease in the breast, following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to assess whether platinum chemotherapy would be as effective, or more effective than XELODA® (noninferiority design with superiority alternative – Hybrid design).

In this study, 410 patients with clinical Stage II or III TNBC who had completed at least one full cycle of taxane with or without anthracycline-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive XELODA® 1000 mg/m2 orally twice daily, days 1-14, every 3 weeks, for a total of six cycles, or a platinum agent (treating physician choice of Cisplatin 75 mg/m2 or Carboplatin AUC 6 on day 1) IV, once every 3 weeks, for a total of four cycles. Radiation Therapy before or after study treatment completion, was required for all patients after breast-conservation surgery. Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy was required for patients with primary tumors more than 5 cm or those with 4 or more positive axillary lymph nodes. TNBC subtype (Basal versus non-Basal) was determined by PAM50 in the residual disease. The Primary end point was invasive DFS (time from random assignment to the earliest disease recurrence, invasive contralateral cancer, second primary cancer, or death) in patients with Basal subtype TNBC.

After a recent interim analysis, the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee recommended stopping the trial, as it was unlikely that further follow up would show noninferiority or superiority of platinum chemotherapy. After a median follow up of 20 months, the 3-year invasive DFS among the 308 patients with Basal subtype TNBC for platinum chemotherapy was 42% versus 49% for XELODA®. Further, Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were more common in the platinum chemotherapy group. The 3-year Relapse Free Survival as well as Overall Survival was also in favor of XELODA® group versus Platinum group. There was no benefit noted with platinum chemotherapy in any of the subsets of randomized patients.

It was concluded from this study that platinum agents do not improve outcomes in patients with Basal subtype TNBC, who have residual disease following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and are associated with more severe toxicities, when compared with XELODA®. All participants in this study had a lower than expected 3-year invasive DFS regardless of study treatment, highlighting the need for better therapies in this high-risk population. The authors added that these study findings have an immediate impact in clinical practice, and adjuvant use of platinum agents in this patient population should only be considered in the context of a clinical trial.

Randomized Phase III Postoperative Trial of Platinum-Based Chemotherapy Versus Capecitabine in Patients With Residual Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: ECOG-ACRIN EA1131. Mayer IA, Zhao F, Arteaga CL, et al. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.21.00976 Journal of Clinical Oncology. Published online June 06, 2021.

DARZALEX® with REVLIMID® and Dexamethasone Improves Overall Survival in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

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SUMMARY: Multiple Myeloma is a clonal disorder of plasma cells in the bone marrow and the American Cancer Society estimates that in the United States, 34,920 new cases will be diagnosed in 2021 and 12,410 patients are expected to die of the disease. Multiple Myeloma (MM) in 2021 remains an incurable disease. The therapeutic goal therefore is to improve Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS). Multiple Myeloma is a disease of the elderly, with a median age at diagnosis of 69 years and characterized by intrinsic clonal heterogeneity. Almost all patients eventually will relapse, and patients with a high-risk cytogenetic profile, extramedullary disease or refractory disease have the worst outcomes. The median survival for patients with myeloma is over 10 years.

REVLIMID® (Lenalidomide) based regimens are often prescribed for patients with newly diagnosed, transplant-ineligible Multiple Myeloma. REVLIMID®, a thalidomide analogue has immunomodulatory, tumoricidal, and antiangiogenic properties, and synergizes with Dexamethasone to enhance anti-myeloma activity. DARZALEX® is a human IgG1 antibody that targets CD38, a transmembrane glycoprotein abundantly expressed on malignant plasma cells and with low levels of expression on normal lymphoid and myeloid cells. DARZALEX® exerts its cytotoxic effect on myeloma cells by multiple mechanisms, including Antibody Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC), Complement Mediated Cytotoxicity and direct apoptosis. Additionally, DARZALEX® may have a role in immunomodulation by depleting CD38-positive regulator Immune suppressor cells, and thereby expanding T cells, in patients responding to therapy. DARZALEX® has activity as both a single agent and when combined with other standard regimens. The primary analyses of several Phase III studies (ALCYONE, MAIA, and CASSIOPEIA) demonstrated superior clinical efficacy of DARZALEX® in combination with standard-of-care regimens, compared to standard of care alone, for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The MAIA study compared the efficacy and safety of DARZALEX® plus REVLIMID® and Dexamathasone (D-Rd) with REVLIMID® and Dexamathasone (Rd), in transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed Multiple Myeloma patients.Mechanism-of-Action-of-Daratumumab

The MAIA study is a multicenter, international, open-label, phase III trial, which included 737 newly diagnosed Myeloma patients who were not candidates for high-dose chemotherapy and Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT), due to age 65 years or older or comorbidities. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive REVLIMID® 25 mg orally on days 1-21 of each 28-day cycle and Dexamethasone 40 mg once a week, with or without DARZALEX®. Patients assigned DARZALEX® (D-Rd regimen) received 16 mg/kg weekly for the first 8 weeks (cycles 1 and 2), every other week for 16 weeks (cycles 3 to 6), and then every 4 weeks (cycle 7 and beyond) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Treatment groups were well balanced. The median patient age was 73 years, 99% of patients were 65 years or older and 44% of patients were 75-90 years old. Cytogenetic risk level could be determined in 642 patients of the total population. Eighty-six percent (86%) of these patients were standard risk and 14% were considered high risk. The Primary end point was Progression Free Survival (PFS). Key Secondary endpoints included Overall Survival (OS), Overall Response Rate (ORR), Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) negativity rate (10-5 sensitivity), and Safety.

In the primary analysis of the MAIA trial, D-Rd regimen reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 44%, compared to Rd. The authors now reported the updated efficacy and safety of D-Rd, compared to Rd, after almost 5 years of median follow up, in transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed Multiple Myeloma patients, from the prespecified interim OS analysis of MAIA.

After a median follow up of almost 5 years (56.2 months), the median OS was not reached (NR) in either treatment groups. The estimated 5-year OS rate was 66.3% with D-Rd and 53.1% with Rd (HR=0.68; P=0.0013). D-Rd reduced the risk of death by 32%. The updated median PFS was Not Reached with D-Rd versus 34.4 months with Rd. The estimated 5-year PFS rate was 52.5% with D-Rd and 28.7% with Rd (HR=0.53; P<0.0001). D-Rd reduced the risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 47%. The updated ORR was 92.9% with D-Rd versus 81.6% with Rd (P<0.0001).

The authors concluded that after almost 5 years of follow-up, the addition of DARZALEX® to REVLIMID® and Dexamethasone resulted in a significant improvement in Overall Survival, as well as significant reduction in the risk of disease progression or death, in newly diagnosed Multiple Myeloma patients, who are transplant-ineligible. The authors added that these results are more meaningful and support D-Rd as a new standard of care for this patient group, as this study population of elderly patients, never receive subsequent therapy.

OVERALL SURVIVAL RESULTS WITH DARATUMUMAB, LENALIDOMIDE, AND DEXAMETHASONE VERSUS LENALIDOMIDE AND DEXAMETHASONE IN TRANSPLANT-INELIGIBLE NEWLY DIAGNOSED MULTIPLE MYELOMA: PHASE 3 MAIA STUDY. Facon T, Kumar SK, Plesner T, et al. Presented at: European Hematology Association Annual Meeting; June 9-17, 2021; Virtual. Abstract LB1901.

Late Breaking Abstract – ASCO 2021: PSMA Targeted Radioligand Therapy Improves Progression Free Survival and Overall Survival in Metastatic Prostate Cancer

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SUMMARY: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men with the exclusion of skin cancer, and 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. It is estimated that in the United States, about 248,530 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2021 and 34,130 men will die of the disease.

The development and progression of prostate cancer is driven by androgens. Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) or testosterone suppression has therefore been the cornerstone of treatment of advanced prostate cancer, and is the first treatment intervention. Approximately 10-20% of patients with advanced Prostate cancer will progress to Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) within five years during ADT, and over 80% of these patients will have metastatic disease at the time of CRPC diagnosis. Among those patients without metastases at CRPC diagnosis, 33% are likely to develop metastases within two years. Progression to Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) often manifests itself with a rising PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) and the estimated mean survival of patients with CRPC is 9-36 months, and there is therefore an unmet need for new effective therapies.

Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) is a type II cell membrane glycoprotein that is selectively expressed in prostate cells, with higher levels of expression in prostatic adenocarcinoma. PSMA is a therefore an excellent target for molecular imaging and therapeutics, due to its high specificity for prostate cancer.

Lu-177-PSMA-617 is a radiopharmaceutical that targets PSMA. It is comprised of Lutetium-177, linked to the ligand PSMA-617, a small molecule designed to bind with high affinity to PSMA. Radioligand therapy with Lu-177-PSMA-617 targets PSMA and releases its payload of lethal beta radiation into the prostate cancer cell. The antitumor activity and safety of Lu-177-PSMA-617 have been established previously in a Phase II study (Lancet Oncol. 2018;19:825-833).

VISION is an international, randomized, open-label Phase III study in which the benefit of Lu-177-PSMA-617 was evaluated in men with PSMA-positive mCRPC, previously treated with second generation Androgen Receptor signaling pathway inhibitor (XTANDI®-Enzalutamide or ZYTIGA®-Abiraterone acetate), and 1-2 taxane chemotherapy regimens. In this trial, 831 patients were randomized 2:1 to receive Lu-177-PSMA-617, 7.4 GBq every 6 weeks for 6 cycles plus Standard of Care as determined by the treating physician (N=551), or Standard of Care only (N=280). Both treatment groups were well balanced and this trial excluded patients treated with XOFIGO® (Radium-223). Enrolled patients had a castrate level or serum/plasma testosterone of lower than 50 ng/dL, and PET imaging with 68Ga-PSMA-11 was used to determine PSMA positivity by central review. The Primary endpoints were radiographic Progression Free Survival (rPFS) by Independent Central Review (ICR) and Overall Survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included Objective Response Rate (ORR), Disease Control Rate (DCR), and time to first Symptomatic Skeletal Event (SSE). The median study follow up was 20.9 months.

Lu-177-PSMA-617 plus Standard of Care significantly improved rPFS by 60%, compared to Standard of Care alone (median rPFS 8.7 versus 3.4 months, HR=0.40; P<0.001). The median OS was also significantly improved by 38% with Lu-177-PSMA-617 plus Standard of Care compared to Standard of Care alone (median OS 15.3 versus 11.3 months, HR=0.62; P<0.001). All key secondary endpoints including Objective Response Rate, Disease Control Rate, and time to first Symptomatic Skeletal Event were statistically significant, and in favor of Lu-177-PSMA-617 plus Standard of Care.

It was concluded that radioligand therapy with Lutetium-177–PSMA-617 significantly improved radiographic Progression Free Survival and Overall Survival when added to Standard of Care, compared with Standard of Care alone, in men with PSMA-positive metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Phase 3 study of lutetium-177-PSMA-617 in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (VISION). Morris MJ, De Bono JS, Chi KN, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2021;39(suppl 15):LBA4.

Late Breaking Abstract – ASCO 2021: Adjuvant KEYTRUDA® Improves Disease Free Survival in Renal Cell Carcinoma

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SUMMARY: The American Cancer Society estimates that 76,080 new cases of kidney cancers will be diagnosed in the United States in 2021 and about 13,780 people will die from the disease. Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is by far the most common type of kidney cancer and is about twice as common in men as in women. Modifiable risk factors include smoking, obesity, workplace exposure to certain substances and high blood pressure. The five year survival of patients with advanced RCC is less than 10% and there is a significant unmet need for improved therapies for this disease.

The prognosis for patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is dependent on the stage of disease and risk factors. Two validated models, the University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System (UISS) and the Stage, Size, Grade, and Necrosis (SSIGN) score were developed, to assess the risk for relapse. UISS is based on ECOG Performance Status, Fuhrman nuclear grading and TNM pathological stage, whereas the SSIGN score takes Stage, Size, Grade and Necrosis into consideration. Approximately 16% of patients with RCC present with Locoregional disease, and up to 40% of these patients relapse with metastatic disease, following nephrectomy. The 5-year survival for locoregional (stage III) disease is 53%, and 8% for metastatic disease. The standard management of high risk patients following nephrectomy has been surveillance, as there has been limited data demonstrating the benefit of adjuvant therapy in reducing the risk of relapse. Adjuvant therapy with immune check point inhibitors therapy is a potentially attractive treatment strategy for this patient group.

KEYNOTE-564 is a multicenter, double-blind, Phase III trial in which the benefit of adjuvant therapy with KEYTRUDA® was compared with placebo, following nephrectomy, in patients with clear cell RCC. In this study, 994 patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either KEYTRUDA® or placebo at least 12 weeks after surgery. Enrolled patients had histologically confirmed clear cell RCC, with Intermediate-High risk (pT2, Grade 4 or Sarcomatoid, N0 M0; or pT3, any Grade, N0 M0), High risk (pT4, any Grade, N0 M0; or pT any Stage, any Grade, N+ M0), or M1 with No Evidence of Disease after primary tumor and soft tissue metastases were completely resected, 1 year or less from nephrectomy. Treatment consisted of KEYTRUDA® 200 mg IV every 3 weeks (N=496) or placebo (N=498), every 3 weeks, for approximately 1 year. Both treatment groups were well balanced. The Primary end point of the trial was Disease Free Survival (DFS) assessment in all randomized patients and Secondary end points included Overall Survival (OS) and Safety. The median follow up at the time of data cut-off was 24.1 months.

At first prespecified interim analysis, the Primary endpoint of DFS was met. The median DFS was not reached for both treatment groups. KEYTRUDA® reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 32% compared with placebo, and this difference was statistically significant (HR=0.68; P=0.0010). The estimated DFS rate at 24 months was 77.3% with KEYTRUDA® versus 68.1% with placebo and this DFS benefit was consistent across subgroups. The estimated OS rate at 24 months was 96.6% with KEYTRUDA® versus 93.5% with placebo. Survival data are premature and additional follow up is planned for OS.

It was concluded that KEYTRUDA® demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in Disease Free Survival compared to placebo, in patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma, with a high risk of recurrence. The authors added that this is the first positive Phase III study with a checkpoint inhibitor, in adjuvant Renal Cell Carcinoma, and these practice changing results support KEYTRUDA® as a potential new standard of care for this patient group.

Pembrolizumab versus placebo as post-nephrectomy adjuvant therapy for patients with renal cell carcinoma: Randomized, double-blind, phase III KEYNOTE-564 study. Choueiri TK, Tomczak P, Park SH, et al. J Clin Oncol 2021; 39: (suppl 15; abstr LBA5) DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.LBA5

Late Breaking Abstract – ASCO 2021: Adjuvant LYNPARZA® Improves Disease Free Survival in BRCA Positive Breast Cancer

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SUMMARY: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the US and about 1 in 8 women (12%) will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. Approximately 284,200 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2021 and about 44,130 individuals will die of the disease, largely due to metastatic recurrence.

DNA can be damaged due to errors during its replication or as a result of environmental exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or other toxins. The tumor suppressor genes such as BRCA1 (Breast Cancer 1) and BRCA2 help repair damaged DNA and thus play an important role in maintaining cellular genetic integrity, failing which these genetic aberrations can result in malignancies. The BRCA1 gene is located on the long (q) arm of chromosome 17 whereas BRCA2 is located on the long arm of chromosome 13. Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for about 20 to 25 percent of hereditary breast cancers and about 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancers. These mutations can be inherited from either of the parents and a child has a 50 percent chance of inheriting this mutation, and the deleterious effects of the mutations are seen even when an individual’s second copy of the gene is normal. Patients with BRCA mutations can present with aggressive, high-risk disease and are at a high risk of recurrence following completion of multimodality therapy including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. This is an area of unmet need, warranting identification of additional novel and effective therapies.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor suppressor genes and they recognize and repair double strand DNA breaks via Homologous Recombination (HR) pathway. Homologous Recombination is a DNA repair pathway utilized by cells to accurately repair DNA double-stranded breaks during the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle, and thereby maintain genomic integrity. The PARP (Poly ADP Ribose Polymerase) family of enzymes include PARP1 and PARP2, and is a related enzymatic pathway that repairs single strand breaks in DNA. In a BRCA mutant, the cancer cell relies solely on PARP pathway for DNA repair to survive.

LYNPARZA® is a PARP inhibitor, that traps PARP onto DNA at sites of single-strand breaks, thereby preventing their repair and generate double-strand breaks. These breaks cannot be repaired accurately in tumors harboring defects in Homologous Recombination Repair pathway genes, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, and this leads to cumulative DNA damage and tumor cell death. LYNPARZA® is presently approved by the FDA for metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer with BRCA1/2 germline mutation. The researchers in this study evaluated the benefit of LYNPARZA® in patients with germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative, early stage breast cancer.MOA-of-LYNPARZA

OlympiA is a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, Phase III trial of adjuvant LYNPARZA® after neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy, in patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations, and high-risk HER2-negative early breast cancer. This trial enrolled 1836 patients, including triple negative and hormone receptor positive breast cancer. All enrolled patients had already received standard adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery and if needed, radiation therapy, for early stage breast cancer (Stage II-III). Inclusion criteria also required that patients have a high risk of disease recurrence and those with lower risk of invasive disease recurrence were excluded. For example, patients with hormone receptor positive breast cancer had 4 or more positive lymph nodes prior to adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive LYNPARZA® 300 mg PO BID continuously for 1 year (N=921) or placebo (N=915). Endocrine therapy and bisphosphonates were allowed. The Primary endpoint was invasive Disease Free Survival (IDFS) and Secondary endpoints included distant DFS (DDFS), Overall Survival (OS) and Safety. The study results were reported early, at a median follow up of 2.5 years, after a planned interim analysis was reviewed by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee.

At the pre-specified interim analysis (2.5 years), the estimated 3-year invasive DFS (IDFS) was 85.9% for patients who received LYNPARZA® compared with 77.1% for those who received placebo (HR=0.58; P<0.001), representing a 42% reduction in the risk of IDFS with LYNPARZA® compared to placebo. The estimated 3-year distant DFS (DDFS) was 87.5% versus 80.4% respectively (HR=0.57; P<0.001). This represented a 43% reduction in DDFS with adjuvant LYNPARZA® compared to placebo. At the time of this interim analysis, Overall Survival data were considered immature. The side effects were consistent with the known safety profile of LYNPARZA®, and no new safety signals were noted during the trial.

The authors concluded that adjuvant LYNPARZA® following adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved invasive DFS and distant DFS with acceptable toxicity, in patients with germline BRCA mutated, and high risk HER-2 negative early stage breast cancer. The authors added that this is the first study to report the benefit of a PARP inhibitor given as adjuvant therapy on survival endpoints, in this patient group. Overall Survival data are awaited, as follow up data matures.

Adjuvant Olaparib for Patients with BRCA1- or BRCA2-Mutated Breast Cancer. Tutt AJ, Garber JE, Kaufman B, et al. June 3, 2021, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2105215.