De-escalated neoadjuvant weekly nab-paclitaxel with trastuzumab and pertuzumab versus docetaxel, carboplatin, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer (HELEN-006): a multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial.

A previous phase 2 trial showed promising outcomes for patients with HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer using neoadjuvant de-escalation chemotherapy with paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of weekly nab-paclitaxel compared with the standard regimen of docetaxel plus carboplatin, both with trastuzumab and pertuzumab, as neoadjuvant therapies for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. HELEN-006 was a multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial done at six hospitals in China. We enrolled patients aged 18-70 years with untreated, histologically confirmed stage II-III invasive HER2-positive breast cancer and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. Using an interactive response system, patients were randomly assigned (1:1) under a permuted block randomisation scheme (block size of four), stratified by tumour stage, nodal status, and hormone receptor status. Patients received either intravenous nab-paclitaxel (125 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15) for six 3-week cycles, or intravenous docetaxel (75 mg/m2 on day 1) plus intravenous carboplatin (area under the concentration-time curve 6 mg/mL per min on day 1) for six 3-week cycles. Both groups also received concurrent intravenous trastuzumab, with an initial loading dose of 8 mg/kg and a maintenance dose of 6 mg/kg on day 1, as well as intravenous pertuzumab with a loading dose of 840 mg and a maintenance dose of 420 mg on day 1. This report is the final analysis of the primary endpoint, pathological complete response (ypT0/is ypN0), analysed in all patients who started treatment (modified intention to treat). The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04547907, and follow-up of the adjuvant phase is ongoing. Between Sept 20, 2020, and March 1, 2023, 789 patients were screened for eligibility, 689 of whom were randomly assigned (343 to the nab-paclitaxel group and 346 to the docetaxel plus carboplatin group). All 689 patients were Asian women. 669 patients received at least one dose of the study treatment and were included in the full analysis set (332 in the nab-paclitaxel group and 337 in the docetaxel plus carboplatin group). Median age of the patients was 50 years (IQR 43-55). Median follow-up time was 26 months (IQR 19-32). 220 (66·3% [95% CI 61·2-71·4]) patients in the nab-paclitaxel group had a pathological complete response, compared with 194 (57·6% [52·3-62·9]) in the docetaxel plus carboplatin group (combined odds ratio 1·54 [95% CI 1·10-2·14]; stratified p=0·011). 100 (30%) patients in the nab-paclitaxel group and 128 (38%) in the docetaxel plus carboplatin group had grade 3-4 adverse events. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were nausea (22 [7%] in the nab-paclitaxel group vs 76 [23%] in the docetaxel plus carboplatin group), diarrhoea (25 [8%] vs 55 [16%]), and neuropathy (43 [13%] vs eight [2%]). Serious drug-related adverse events were reported in three (1%) patients in the nab-paclitaxel group and five (2%) in the docetaxel plus carboplatin group. No treatment-related deaths were reported in either group. These findings might suggest a potential advantage of nab-paclitaxel combined with trastuzumab and pertuzumab compared with the standard regimen in neoadjuvant therapy for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, suggesting that this new combination might establish a new standard for neoadjuvant treatment in this patient population. National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Science and Technology Research Projects of Henan Province, China. For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Chen XC ，Jiao DC ，Qiao JH ，Wang CZ ，Sun XF ，Lu ZD ，Li LF ，Zhang CJ ，Yan M ，Wei Y ，Chen B ，Feng YQ ，Deng M ，Ma MD ，Plichta JK ，He YW ，Liu ZZ ... -  《-》

Objective responses to first-line neoadjuvant carboplatin-paclitaxel regimens for ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma (ICON8): post-hoc exploratory analysis of a randomised, phase 3 trial.

Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by delayed primary surgery (DPS) is an established strategy for women with newly diagnosed, advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. Although this therapeutic approach has been validated in randomised, phase 3 trials, evaluation of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1 (RECIST), and cancer antigen 125 (CA125) has not been reported. We describe RECIST and Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) CA125 responses in patients receiving platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by DPS in the ICON8 trial. ICON8 was an international, multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial done across 117 hospitals in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, South Korea, and Ireland. The trial included women aged 18 years or older with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, life expectancy of more than 12 weeks, and newly diagnosed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO; 1988) stage IC-IIA high-grade serous, clear cell, or any poorly differentiated or grade 3 histological subtype, or any FIGO (1988) stage IIB-IV epithelial cancer of the ovary, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneum. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive intravenous carboplatin (area under the curve [AUC]5 or AUC6) and intravenous paclitaxel (175 mg/m2 by body surface area) on day 1 of every 21-day cycle (control group; group 1); intravenous carboplatin (AUC5 or AUC6) on day 1 and intravenous dose-fractionated paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 by body surface area) on days 1, 8, and 15 of every 21-day cycle (group 2); or intravenous dose-fractionated carboplatin (AUC2) and intravenous dose-fractionated paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 by body surface area) on days 1, 8, and 15 of every 21-day cycle (group 3). The maximum number of cycles of chemotherapy permitted was six. Randomisation was done with a minimisation method, and patients were stratified according to GCIG group, disease stage, and timing and outcome of cytoreductive surgery. Patients and clinicians were not masked to group allocation. The scheduling of surgery and use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were determined by local multidisciplinary case review. In this post-hoc exploratory analysis of ICON8, progression-free survival was analysed using the landmark method and defined as the time interval between the date of pre-surgical planning radiological tumour assessment to the date of investigator-assessed clinical or radiological progression or death, whichever occurred first. This definition is different from the intention-to-treat primary progression-free survival analysis of ICON8, which defined progression-free survival as the time from randomisation to the date of first clinical or radiological progression or death, whichever occurred first. We also compared the extent of surgical cytoreduction with RECIST and GCIG CA125 responses. This post-hoc exploratory analysis includes only women recruited to ICON8 who were planned for neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by DPS and had RECIST and/or GCIG CA125-evaluable disease. ICON8 is closed for enrolment and follow-up, and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01654146. Between June 6, 2011, and Nov 28, 2014, 1566 women were enrolled in ICON8, of whom 779 (50%) were planned for neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by DPS. Median follow-up was 29·5 months (IQR 15·6-54·3) for the neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by DPS population. Of 564 women who had RECIST-evaluable disease at trial entry, 348 (62%) had a complete or partial response. Of 727 women who were evaluable by GCIG CA125 criteria at the time of diagnosis, 610 (84%) had a CA125 response. Median progression-free survival was 14·4 months (95% CI 9·2-28·0; 297 events) for patients with a RECIST complete or partial response and 13·3 months (8·1-20·1; 171 events) for those with RECIST stable disease. Median progression-free survival for women with a GCIG CA125 response was 13·8 months (95% CI 8·8-23·4; 544 events) and 9·7 months (5·8-14·5; 111 events) for those without a GCIG CA125 response. Complete cytoreduction (R0) was achieved in 187 (56%) of 335 women with a RECIST complete or partial response and 73 (42%) of 172 women with RECIST stable disease. Complete cytoreduction was achieved in 290 (50%) of 576 women with a GCIG CA125 response and 30 (30%) of 101 women without a GCIG CA125 response. The RECIST-defined radiological response rate was lower than that frequently quoted to patients in the clinic. RECIST and GCIG CA125 responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian cancer should not be used as individual predictive markers to stratify patients who are likely to benefit from DPS, but instead used in conjunction with the patient's clinical capacity to undergo cytoreductive surgery. A patient should not be denied surgery based solely on the lack of a RECIST or GCIG CA125 response. Cancer Research UK, UK Medical Research Council, Health Research Board in Ireland, Irish Cancer Society, and Cancer Australia.

Morgan RD ，McNeish IA ，Cook AD ，James EC ，Lord R ，Dark G ，Glasspool RM ，Krell J ，Parkinson C ，Poole CJ ，Hall M ，Gallardo-Rincón D ，Lockley M ，Essapen S ，Summers J ，Anand A ，Zachariah A ，Williams S ，Jones R ，Scatchard K ，Walther A ，Kim JW ，Sundar S ，Jayson GC ，Ledermann JA ，Clamp AR ... -  《-》

Ramucirumab plus paclitaxel as switch maintenance versus continuation of first-line oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (ARMANI): a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase

Paclitaxel plus ramucirumab is recommended as a second-line treatment regimen in patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer. We aimed to assess whether switch maintenance or early second-line therapy with paclitaxel plus ramucirumab improved outcomes compared with continuation of oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine doublet chemotherapy as a first-line strategy. ARMANI was a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial done in 31 hospitals in Italy. We enrolled patients aged 18 years or older with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1 and locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer, who had disease control after 3 months of FOLFOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) or CAPOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin). Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to either paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 plus ramucirumab at 8 mg/kg on days 1 and 15 every 28 days intravenously (switch maintenance group) or continuation of oxaliplatin-based doublet chemotherapy (FOLFOX or CAPOX) for an additional 12 weeks, followed by fluoropyrimidine monotherapy maintenance (control group). Randomisation was stratified by previous gastrectomy (no vs yes), peritoneal carcinomatosis (yes vs no), and primary tumour location (gastro-oesophageal junction vs gastric). Treatment group allocation was done using a web-based system with a minimisation algorithm implementing a random component. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival, analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. The safety population included patients who received at least one dose of the study treatment. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02934464, and is complete. Between Jan 1, 2017, and Oct 2, 2023, 280 patients were randomly assigned to receive paclitaxel plus ramucirumab (switch maintenance group; n=144) or to continue FOLFOX or CAPOX (control group; n=136). All patients were White. 180 (64%) of 280 patients were male and 100 (36%) were female. At a median follow-up of 43·7 months (IQR 24·0-57·9), 253 (90%) of 280 patients had a progression-free survival event: 131 (91%) of 144 patients in the switch maintenance group and 122 (90%) of 136 patients in the control group. Median progression-free survival was 6·6 months (95% CI 5·9-7·8) in the switch maintenance group and 3·5 months (2·8-4·2) in the control group (HR 0·61, 95% CI 0·48-0·79; p=0·0002). The assumption of proportional hazards was violated; in an analysis of 24-month restricted mean survival time, restricted mean progression-free survival was 8·8 months (95% CI 7·7-9·9) in the switch maintenance group and 6·1 months (5·0-7·2) in the control group (p=0·0010). The most frequent grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events were neutropenia (37 [26%] patients in the switch maintenance group vs 13 [10%] patients in the control group), peripheral neuropathy (eight [6%] vs nine [7%]) and arterial hypertension (nine [6%] vs none). Serious adverse events occurred in 28 (20%) of 141 patients in the experimental group and 15 (11%) of 135 patients in the control group; these events were treatment-related in two (1%) patients in the switch maintenance group (pulmonary embolism) and two (1%) patients in the control group (mucositis and anaemia). No treatment-related deaths occurred. Paclitaxel and ramucirumab switch maintenance could be a potential treatment strategy in patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer who are not eligible for immunotherapy or targeted agents. Partly funded by Eli Lilly.

Randon G ，Lonardi S ，Fassan M ，Palermo F ，Tamberi S ，Giommoni E ，Ceccon C ，Di Donato S ，Fornaro L ，Brunetti O ，De Vita F ，Bittoni A ，Chini C ，Spallanzani A ，Nappo F ，Bethaz V ，Strippoli A ，Latiano T ，Cardellino GG ，Giuliani F ，Morano F ，Niger M ，Raimondi A ，Prisciandaro M ，Pircher CC ，Sciortino C ，Marchesi S ，Garattini SK ，Airò G ，Miceli R ，Di Bartolomeo M ，Pietrantonio F ... -  《-》

Primary lung tumour stereotactic body radiotherapy followed by concurrent mediastinal chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant immunotherapy for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial.

Patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who undergo concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy often experience synergistic toxicity, and local regional control rates remain poor. We assessed the activity and safety outcomes of primary tumour stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) followed by conventional chemoradiotherapy to the lymph nodes and consolidation immunotherapy in patients with unresectable locally advanced NSCLC. In this multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial, patients aged 18 years and older were enrolled at eight regional cancer centres in North Carolina and South Carolina, USA. Patients were eligible if they had stage II-III, unresectable, locally advanced NSCLC (any histology), with peripheral or central primary tumours that were 7 cm or smaller, excluding central tumours within 2 cm of involved nodal disease, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. Patients who had previously received systemic therapy or radiotherapy were excluded. Participants received SBRT to the primary tumour (50-54 Gy in three to five fractions) followed by standard radiotherapy (planned up to 60 Gy in 30 2 Gy fractions) to the involved lymph nodes with concurrent platinum doublet chemotherapy (either paclitaxel 50 mg/m2 intravenously plus carboplatin area under the curve 2 mg/mL per min every 7 days for a total of six 1-week cycles or etoposide 50 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1-5 and days 29-33 plus cisplatin 50 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1, 8, 29, and 36 for two cycles of 4 weeks). An amendment to the protocol (Dec 11, 2017) permitted the administration of consolidation durvalumab at the discretion of the treating investigator. An additional protocol amendment on Jan 13, 2021, directed patients without disease progression after chemoradiotherapy to receive consolidation durvalumab (10 mg/kg intravenously on day 1 and day 15 of a 4-week cycle for up to 12 cycles or 1500 mg intravenously on day 1 of a 4-week cycle for up to 12 cycles). The primary endpoint was 1-year progression-free survival (per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours version 1.1), assessed in all participants who received at least one fraction of SBRT and had radiological follow-up data up to 1 year. A 1-year progression-free survival rate of greater than 60% was required to reject the null hypothesis and show significant improvement in 1-year progression-free survival. One-sided exact binomial tests were used to compare the primary endpoint versus the historical control 1-year progression-free survival rate used to determine the sample size. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one fraction of SBRT. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03141359, and is closed to accrual. Between May 11, 2017, and June 27, 2022, 61 patients were enrolled and received at least one dose of fractionated SBRT, of whom 59 were evaluable for the primary endpoint. Median age was 67 years (IQR 61-72), 28 (46%) of 61 were female, 33 (54%) were male, 51 (84%) were White, seven (11%) were Black, and three (5%) were of other or unknown race. Of the 61 patients enrolled, 47 received at least one dose of consolidation durvalumab. As of data cutoff (July 12, 2023), median follow-up was 29·5 months (IQR 14·9-47·1). 1-year progression-free survival was 62·7% (90% CI 51·2-73·2; one-sided p=0·39, compared with the historical control rate), with 37 of 59 evaluable participants progression free and alive 1 year after enrolment (n=14 progressed, n=8 died). The most common grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events were decreased neutrophil count (nine [15%] of 61 patients), decreased white blood cell count (five [8%]), and anaemia (four [7%]). Treatment-related serious adverse events occurred in 11 (18%) of 61 patients, which included lung infection (three [5%]), pneumonitis (two [3%]), decreased neutrophil count (two [3%]), febrile neutropenia (two [3%]), and dyspnoea, hypoxia, respiratory failure, sinus tachycardia, bronchial infection, and acute kidney injury (each in one [2%] patient). Treatment-related deaths occurred in four (7%) of 61 patients (one each of respiratory failure, respiratory failure and dyspnoea, lung infection, and pneumonitis). Although this study did not meet the primary endpoint, activity and safety profiles of primary lung tumour SBRT followed by concurrent mediastinal chemoradiotherapy were favourable compared with other modern trials treating locally advanced NSCLC with chemoradiotherapy. These findings serve as the basis for the ongoing randomised phase 3 study NRG Oncology LU008 (NCT05624996). AstraZeneca and Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute.

Heinzerling JH ，Mileham KF ，Robinson MM ，Symanowski JT ，Induru RR ，Brouse GM ，Corso CD ，Prabhu RS ，Haggstrom DE ，Moeller BJ ，Bobo WE ，Fasola CE ，Thakkar VV ，Pal SE ，Gregory JM ，Norek SL ，Begic XJ ，Kesarwala AH ，Burri SH ，Simone CB 2nd ... -  《-》

Neoadjuvant and adjuvant toripalimab for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a randomised, single-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial.

Patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma with a high pretreatment plasma concentration of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA remain at high risk for recurrence after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant-adjuvant treatment with the PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab and concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus placebo and concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This randomised, single-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial was conducted at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Centre in Guangzhou, China. Adult patients (aged 18-65 years) with newly diagnosed high-risk stage III-IVa locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, with a pretreatment plasma EBV DNA concentration of at least 1500 copies per mL and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score of 0-1, were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) using an interactive web response system (block size of six), stratified by TNM stage (III vs IVa), to neoadjuvant toripalimab (240 mg intravenously) or placebo once every 2 weeks for two cycles, followed by concurrent cisplatin (100 mg/m2 intravenously) on days 1, 22, and 43 during intensity-modulated radiotherapy and adjuvant toripalimab (240 mg intravenously) or placebo once every 3 weeks for up to eight cycles. The primary endpoint was 2-year progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat population. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03925090, and is closed to enrolment; follow-up is ongoing. Between Dec 6, 2019, and Dec 9, 2021, 150 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the toripalimab group (n=100) or placebo group (n=50). 115 (77%) patients were male and 35 (23%) were female. As of data cutoff (May 31, 2024), median follow-up for progression-free survival was 37·8 months (IQR 34·2-46·5) for the intention-to-treat population analyses. 2-year progression-free survival was higher in the toripalimab group (92·0% [95% CI 86·7-97·3]) than in the placebo group (74·0% [61·8-86·2]; stratified hazard ratio 0·40 [95% CI 0·18-0·89]; log-rank p=0·019). The most common grade 3 or worse acute adverse events (occurring within 1 year of randomisation) were leukopenia (40 [40%] of 99 patients in the toripalimab group vs 22 [44%] of 50 patients in the placebo group), mucositis (28 [28%] vs ten [20%]), neutropenia (17 [17%] vs nine [18%]), anaemia (16 [16%] vs five [10%]), and weight loss (12 [12%] vs six [12%]). The most common grade 3 or worse late adverse events (occurring >1 year after randomisation) was auditory or hearing loss (eight [8%] vs four [8%]). Immune-mediated adverse events of grade 3 or worse occurred in ten (10%) patients only in the toripalimab group. One (2%) of 50 patients in the placebo group died due to septic shock caused by bacteraemia considered not treatment related. There were no treatment-related deaths in the toripalimab group. Our findings suggested that a so-called sandwich approach involving toripalimab (in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant phases) combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy could be a highly promising therapy for the treatment of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Phase 3 non-inferiority trials are warranted comparing neoadjuvant and adjuvant toripalimab versus cisplatin plus gemcitabine neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, Sun Yat-sen University Clinical Research 5010 Program, Innovative Research Team of High-level Local Universities in Shanghai, Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program, Planned Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province, Key Youth Teacher Cultivating Program of Sun Yat-sen University, and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Liu SL ，Li XY ，Yang JH ，Wen DX ，Guo SS ，Liu LT ，Li YF ，Luo MJ ，Xie SY ，Liang YJ ，Sun XS ，Yang ZC ，Lv XF ，Luo DH ，Li JB ，Liu Q ，Wang P ，Guo L ，Mo HY ，Sun R ，Yang Q ，Lan KQ ，Jia GD ，Li R ，Zhao C ，Xu RH ，Chen QY ，Tang LQ ，Mai HQ ... -  《-》