Lung cancer patients given amrubicin (Calsed) as a second-line therapy had a significantly improved response rate and longer progression-free survival than patients treated with topotecan (Hycamtin), according to research presented at the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Amsterdam, hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
"Amrubicin showed significant improvements in tumor shrinkage, symptom control and progression-free survival over topotecan without improving overall survival, the primary endpoint of the trial," said principal investigator Dr. Joachim von Pawel, of the Asklepios Hospital Munich-Gauting in Germany. "However, for patients with the most difficult-to-treat small cell lung cancer, amrubicin offered an improvement in overall survival compared with topotecan."
Second-line treatment is given to patients after the initial, or first-line, treatment has failed.
In the study, 637 patients were randomized to amrubicin or to topotecan. Patients on amrubicin reported better symptom control and quality of life (Lung Cancer Symptom Scale 0.2 vs 5.6 and LCSS-SB -0.1 vs 5.2 for amrubicin and topotecan, respectively). They also reported fewer adverse events, including neutropenia (41% vs 53% for the topotecan arm), thrombocytopenia (21% vs 54%), anemia (16% vs 30%), infections (16% vs 10%), febrile neutropenia (10% vs 4%), all P<0.05, and cardiac disorders (5% vs 5%; P=0.84).
Dr. Joachim von Pawel will discuss the research with journalists during a WCLC press conference at 10 a.m. CET on Thursday, July 7. For individual interview requests, please call Renée McGaw at +31 20 549 3413 between July 3-7 in the press office at Amsterdam RAI, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. You may also email her at renee.mcgaw@ucdenver.edu
About the IASLC:
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), based in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., is the only global organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1972, the association's membership includes more than 3,000 lung cancer specialists in 80 countries.
IASLC members promote the study of etiology, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and all other aspects of lung cancer and thoracic malignancies. IASLC disseminates information about lung cancer to scientists, members of the medical community and the public, and uses all available means to eliminate lung cancer as a health threat for the individual patients and throughout the world. Membership is open to any physician, health professional or scientist interested in lung cancer.
IASLC publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, a valuable resource for medical specialists and scientists who focus on the detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. To learn more about IASLC please visit http://iaslc.org/