Cetuximab and gemcitabine in elderly or adult PS2 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: The cetuximab in advanced lung cancer (CALC1-E and CALC1-PS2) randomized phase II trials

Cesare Gridelli, Alessandro Morabito, Vittorio Gebbia, Manlio Mencoboni, Francesco Carrozza, Maria Grazia Viganò, Claudio Verusio, Roberto Bollina, Rodolfo Mattioli, Maria Rosaria Valerio, Giuseppe Valmadre, Paolo Maione, Antonio Rossi, Tina Cascone, Floriana Morgillo, Massimo Di Maio, Maria Carmela Piccirillo, Ciro Gallo, Francesco Perrone, Fortunato Ciardiello

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Two parallel randomized phase 2 trials were performed to choose the optimal way of combining cetuximab with gemcitabine in the first-line treatment of elderly (CALC1-E) and adult PS2 (CALC1-PS2) patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods: Stage IV or IIIB NSCLC patients, aged ≥70 years with PS 0-2 for CALC1-E or aged <70 with PS2 for CALC1-PS2, not selected for EGFR expression, were eligible. Patients were randomized to concomitant (gemcitabine, for a maximum of 6 cycles, plus cetuximab until progression) or sequential (gemcitabine, for a maximum of 6 cycles, followed by cetuximab) strategy. A selection design, with 1-year survival rate as the primary endpoint, was applied, requiring 58 elderly and 42 PS2 patients. Results: All planned patients were randomized. In sequential arms, 34.5% and 60.0% patients were not able to receive cetuximab after gemcitabine in CALC1-E and CALC1-PS2, respectively. Survival rates (95% CI) at 1-year for concomitant and sequential arms were 41.4% (23.5-61.1) and 31.0% (15.3-50.8) in CALC1-E and 27.3% (10.7-50.2) and 35.0% (15.4-59.2) in CALC1-PS2. In both studies, survival curves crossed at about 10 months and the worse arm until that time became the better one at 1-year. Toxicity was similar across treatment groups. In concomitant arm of CALC1-E (but not of CALC1-PS2), survival was longer for patients who developed skin toxicity within the first two cycles of treatment. Conclusion: In both groups of patients, sequential strategy cannot be proposed for future trials because of low compliance. Inconsistency of survival outcomes makes also concomitant treatment not a candidate for further testing in unselected elderly and PS2 NSCLC patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)86-92
Number of pages7
JournalLung Cancer
Volume67
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cetuximab
  • Elderly patients
  • Gemcitabine
  • NSCLC
  • PS2 patients

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
  • Cancer Research

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