Totality of evidence in the development of ABP 215, an approved bevacizumab biosimilar.

ABP 215 (MVASI™) is the first approved biosimilar to Avastin (bevacizumab). It is approved in the USA and the European Union (EU) for all bevacizumab indications in these jurisdictions except for ovarian cancer in the USA due to orphan drug exclusivity. ABP 215 was shown to be structurally, functionally and clinically (pharmacokinetic, efficacy and safety) similar to the bevacizumab reference product; the pharmacokinetic study was conducted in healthy adult men (n = 202); safety and efficacy were evaluated in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (n = 642).

Defining aggressive or early progressing nononcogene-addicted non-small-cell lung cancer: a separate disease entity?

A substantial proportion of patients with nononcogene-addicted non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has 'aggressive disease', as reflected in short time to progression or lack of disease control with initial platinum-based chemotherapy. Recently, clinical correlates of aggressive disease behavior during first-line therapy have been shown to predict greater benefit from addition of nintedanib to second-line docetaxel in adenocarcinoma NSCLC. Positive predictive effects of aggressive disease have since been reported with other anti-angiogenic agents (ramucirumab and bevacizumab), while such features may negatively impact on outcomes with nivolumab in nonsquamous NSCLC with low PD-L1 expression.

Safety and Efficacy of Bevacizumab Plus Standard-of-Care Treatment Beyond Disease Progression in Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The AvaALL Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Bevacizumab treatment beyond progression has been investigated in breast and metastatic colorectal cancers. Avastin in All Lines Lung (AvaALL) is the first randomized phase 3 study of bevacizumab across multiple lines of treatment beyond progression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of continuous bevacizumab treatment beyond first progression in NSCLC.

Venous thromboembolism with EGFR monoclonal antibody necitumumab in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective cohort analysis.

Introduction: Metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a recognized risk factor for VTE. Some systemic treatments may increase this risk further. Here, we present the risk of VTE and its prognostic significance for patients treated with chemotherapy (chemo) and the EGFR monoclonal antibody necitumumab (neci) for metastatic NSCLC.

Molecular and Immune Biomarker Testing in Squamous-Cell Lung Cancer: Effect of Current and Future Therapies and Technologies.

Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, including squamous-cell lung cancer (SqCLC), typically present at an advanced stage. The current treatment landscape, which includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy, and targeted agents, is rapidly evolving, including for patients with SqCLC. Prompt molecular and immune biomarker testing can serve to guide optimal treatment choices, and immune biomarker testing is becoming more important for this patient population.

Current and Emergent Therapy Options for Advanced Squamous Cell Lung Cancer.

Squamous cell lung cancer (SqCLC) is a distinct histologic subtype of NSCLC that is challenging to treat because of specific clinicopathologic characteristics, which include older age, advanced disease at diagnosis, comorbid diseases, and the central location of tumors. These characteristics have a bearing on treatment outcomes in advanced SqCLC, resulting in a median survival approximately 30% shorter than for patients with other NSCLC subtypes. In the context of the specific features of SqCLC, we review challenges of treating SqCLC and the current guideline-recommended treatments for advanced (metastatic) SqCLC in different patient subpopulations.

EGFR Gene Copy Number by FISH May Predict Outcome of Necitumumab in Squamous Lung Carcinomas: Analysis from the SQUIRE Study.

Introduction: Necitumumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting EGFR. In the SQUIRE trial, the addition of necitumumab to chemotherapy for squamous cell lung cancer significantly improved overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.84); in a post hoc analysis, EGFR copy number gain determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed a trend toward improved OS (HR = 0.

Efficacy and Safety of Necitumumab Continuation Therapy in the Phase III SQUIRE Study of Patients With Stage IV Squamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: In a retrospective analysis of the SQUamous NSCLC treatment with the Inhibitor of EGF REceptor (SQUIRE) study, we investigated the efficacy and safety of single-agent necitumumab continuation therapy in patients with stage IV squamous non-small-cell lung cancer and in a subpopulation of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-expressing tumors.

Patients And Methods: Patients were randomized 1:1 for ≤ 6 cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin either with or without necitumumab. Patients who received necitumumab continued receiving single-agent necitumumab until progressive disease (necitumumab continuation).

Incremental Innovation and Progress in Advanced Squamous Cell Lung Cancer: Current Status and Future Impact of Treatment.

Squamous cell lung cancer (sqCLC) is an aggressive form of cancer that poses many therapeutic challenges. Patients tend to be older, present at a later stage, and have a high incidence of comorbidities, which can compromise treatment delivery and exacerbate toxicity. In addition, certain agents routinely available for nonsquamous cell histologic subtypes, such as bevacizumab and pemetrexed, are contraindicated or lack efficacy in sqCLC.

Necitumumab plus Gemcitabine and Cisplatin as First-Line Therapy in Patients with Stage IV EGFR- Expressing Squamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: German Subgroup Data from an Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Phase 3 Study (SQUIRE).

Background: In the SQUIRE study, adding the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) IgG1 antibody necitumumab to first-line gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC + N) in advanced squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (sqNSCLC) significantly improved overall survival (OS); the safety profile was acceptable. We explored data for the German subpopulation (N = 96) of SQUIRE patients with EGFR-expressing tumors.

Patient And Methods: Patients with stage IV sqNSCLC were randomized 1:1 to up to 6 cycles of open-label GC + N or GC alone.

Clinicopathologic Features of Advanced Squamous NSCLC.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. NSCLC accounts for more than 85% of all lung cancers, and the prognosis for advanced-stage disease is typically poor. In recent years, the importance of histologic subtypes of NSCLC has been recognized, and the distinction between squamous and other NSCLC histologic subtypes is now critical to patient management.

The Effect of Necitumumab in Combination with Gemcitabine plus Cisplatin on Tolerability and on Quality of Life: Results from the Phase 3 SQUIRE Trial.

Introduction: Necitumumab, a second-generation, recombinant human immunoglobulin G1 epidermal growth factor receptor antibody in the phase 3 SQUIRE trial (NCT00981058), increased survival benefit for patients randomized to receive necitumumab plus gemcitabine-cisplatin compared with those who received gemcitabine-cisplatin. Here we characterize health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and tolerability results.

Methods: A total of 1093 patients with stage IV squamous non-small cell lung cancer were randomized 1:1 to receive necitumumab (800 mg absolute dose intravenously [IV]) plus gemcitabine-cisplatin (gemcitabine = 1250 mg/m(2) IV on days 1 and 8; cisplatin = 75 mg/m(2) IV on day 1) or gemcitabine-cisplatin alone (every 21 days) for up to six cycles.

Necitumumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin versus gemcitabine and cisplatin alone as first-line therapy in patients with stage IV squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (SQUIRE): an open-label, randomised, controlled phase 3 trial.

Background: Necitumumab is a second-generation, recombinant, human immunoglobulin G1 EGFR antibody. In this study, we aimed to compare treatment with necitumumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin versus gemcitabine and cisplatin alone in patients with previously untreated stage IV squamous non-small-cell lung cancer.

Methods: We did this open-label, randomised phase 3 study at 184 investigative sites in 26 countries.

Necitumumab plus pemetrexed and cisplatin as first-line therapy in patients with stage IV non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (INSPIRE): an open-label, randomised, controlled phase 3 study.

Background: Necitumumab is a second-generation recombinant human immunoglobulin G1 EGFR monoclonal antibody that competitively inhibits ligand binding. We aimed to compare necitumumab plus pemetrexed and cisplatin with pemetrexed and cisplatin alone in patients with previously untreated, stage IV, non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: We did this randomised, open-label, controlled phase 3 study at 103 sites in 20 countries.

Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized trials of chemotherapy plus cetuximab as first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Four randomized phase II/III trials investigated the addition of cetuximab to platinum-based, first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A meta-analysis was performed to examine the benefit/risk ratio for the addition of cetuximab to chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: The meta-analysis included individual patient efficacy data from 2018 patients and individual patient safety data from 1970 patients comprising respectively the combined intention-to-treat and safety populations of the four trials.

Tecemotide (L-BLP25) versus placebo after chemoradiotherapy for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (START): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial.

Background: Effective maintenance therapies after chemoradiotherapy for lung cancer are lacking. Our aim was to investigate whether the MUC1 antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy tecemotide improves survival in patients with stage III unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer when given as maintenance therapy after chemoradiation.

Methods: The phase 3 START trial was an international, randomised, double-blind trial that recruited patients with unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer who had completed chemoradiotherapy within the 4-12 week window before randomisation and received confirmation of stable disease or objective response.

Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition in lung cancer: status 2012.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths. Most patients present with advanced-stage disease, and the prognosis is generally poor. However, with the understanding of lung cancer biology, and development of molecular targeted agents, there have been improvements in treatment outcomes for selected subsets of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The impact on the multidisciplinary team of molecular profiling for personalized therapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

The composition of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) that treats lung cancer varies by region and practice setting but generally includes a thoracic medical oncologist, a thoracic surgeon, a thoracic radiation oncologist, and an interventional radiologist, as well as a pathologist, pulmonologist, and specialist nurses. Growing clinical evidence supports a personalized approach to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, and clinical trials in advanced disease have shown the value of testing for epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) mutations prior to first-line therapy with erlotinib or gefitinib and testing for anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALK) rearrangements prior to therapy with crizotinib. The most recent National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines also recommend sequential EGFR and ALK testing for patients with a diagnosis of recurrent or metastatic adenocarcinoma, large cell carcinoma, or not otherwise specified histology, and simultaneous molecular screening has also been proposed.

Baseline quality of life and performance status as prognostic factors in patients with extensive-stage disease small cell lung cancer treated with pemetrexed plus carboplatin vs. etoposide plus carboplatin.

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is associated with poor prognosis due to its early metastatic potential and lack of improved outcomes with newer cytotoxic agents. Identifying factors associated with clinical outcomes can help clinicians determine which patients are more likely to benefit from therapy. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) subscales and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) were retrospectively analyzed as prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with extensive-stage disease (ED)-SCLC.

ALK translocation and crizotinib in non-small cell lung cancer: an evolving paradigm in oncology drug development.

Advances in our understanding of tumour biology have encouraged reassessment of tumour classification by the site of origin in favour of molecular characteristics and/or oncogenic drivers amenable to treatment. The identification of EML4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) as an oncogenic driver in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) early in the clinical development of crizotinib and the observation of promising clinical responses in patients with NSCLC harbouring ALK translocations accelerated its clinical development in ALK-positive NSCLC. Phase I and II trials of crizotinib in patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC reported notably high response rates that tended to be rapid and of prolonged duration.

Randomized phase IIIb trial evaluating the continuation of bevacizumab beyond disease progression in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer after first-line treatment with bevacizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy: treatment rationale and protocol dynamics of the AvaALL (MO22097) trial.

We present the treatment rationale and study design of the AvaALL (MO22097; ClinicalTrials: NCT01351415) trial, a multicenter, open-label, randomized, two-arm, phase IIIb study. Patients with advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has progressed after four to six cycles of first-line treatment with bevacizumab plus a platinum-based doublet and a minimum of two cycles of bevacizumab (monotherapy) maintenance treatment will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two study arms. Patients treated on arm A will receive bevacizumab 7.

Vaccines for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer: investigational approaches and clinical experience.

Globally, lung cancer remains the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer-related death. Whilst resection is a therapeutic option for patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), most patients have locally advanced or metastatic disease at diagnosis, the treatment of which still presents a considerable challenge for medical oncologists. Therapeutic cancer vaccines offer a novel approach for the treatment of patients with NSCLC in both the adjuvant and advanced disease settings.

Randomised phase II trial of 4 dose levels of single agent docetaxel in performance status (PS) 2 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): DOC PS2 trial. Manchester lung cancer group.

Background: The role of chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC patients and ECOG PS2 remains controversial. We evaluated 4 doses of 3-weekly docetaxel to identify a less toxic, clinically effective dose.

Methods: Seventy-three patients with stage III (22%) (unsuitable for radical surgery/radiotherapy) and IV (78%) NSCLC were randomized to receive 4 doses of 3-weekly docetaxel, for 4 cycles: arm (A) 40 mg/m(2) (n=17), arm (B) 50 mg/m(2) (n=17), arm (C) 60 mg/m(2) (n=19), arm (D) 50 mg/m(2) escalated by 10 mg/m(2) to a maximum of 70 mg/m(2) (n=19).

A phase I study of Vandetanib in combination with vinorelbine/cisplatin or gemcitabine/cisplatin as first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: Vandetanib is a once-daily oral agent that selectively inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, and RET (REarranged during Transfection) signaling.

Methods: This Phase I study investigated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of vandetanib when administered with either gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) or vinorelbine plus cisplatin (VC) in patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Results: Seventeen patients received vandetanib 100 mg/d plus VC (n = 9) or GC (n = 8).

Safety and efficacy of first-line bevacizumab-based therapy in advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (SAiL, MO19390): a phase 4 study.

Background: Results of two phase 3 trials have shown first-line bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy improves clinical outcomes in patients with advanced or recurrent non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The SAiL (MO19390) study was undertaken to assess the safety and efficacy of first-line bevacizumab combined with standard chemotherapy regimens in clinical practice.

Methods: Between August, 2006, and June, 2008, patients with untreated locally advanced, metastatic, or recurrent non-squamous NSCLC were recruited to this open-label, single group, phase 4 study from centres in 40 countries.