Phase II Study of Immunotherapy With Tecemotide and Bevacizumab After Chemoradiation in Patients With Unresectable Stage III Non-Squamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NS-NSCLC): A Trial of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (E6508)

Abstract

Introduction: Although chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC), most patients relapse. Tecemotide is a MUC1 antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy vaccine. Bevacizumab improves survival in advanced nonsquamous (NS)-NSCLC and has a role in immune modulation. This phase II trial tested the combination of tecemotide and bevacizumab following CRT in patients with LA-NSCLC.

Patients and methods: Subjects with stage III NS-NSCLC suitable for CRT received carboplatin/paclitaxel weekly + 66 Gy followed by 2 cycles of consolidation carboplatin/paclitaxel ≤ 4 weeks of completion of CRT (Step 1). Patients with partial response/stable disease after consolidation therapy were registered onto step 2, which was 6 weekly tecemotide injections followed by every 6 weekly injections and bevacizumab every 3 weeks for up to 34 doses. The primary endpoint was to determine the safety of this regimen.

Results: Seventy patients were enrolled; 68 patients (median age, 63 years; 56% male; 57% stage IIIA) initiated therapy, but only 39 patients completed CRT and consolidation therapy per protocol, primarily owing to disease progression or toxicity. Thirty-three patients (median age, 61 years; 58% male; 61% stage IIIA) were registered to step 2 (tecemotide + bevacizumab). The median number of step 2 cycles received was 11 (range, 2-25). Step 2 worst toxicity included grade 3, N = 9; grade 4, N = 1; and grade 5, N = 1. Grade 5 toxicity in step 2 was esophageal perforation attributed to bevacizumab. Among the treated and eligible patients (n = 32) who were treated on step 2, the median overall survival was 42.7 months (95% confidence interval, 21.7-63.3 months), and the median progression-free survival was 14.9 months (95% confidence interval, 11.0-20.9 months) from step 1 registration.

Conclusions: This cooperative group trial met its endpoint, demonstrating tolerability of bevacizumab + tecemotide after CRT and consolidation. In this selected group of patients, the median progression-free survival and overall survival are encouraging. Given that consolidation immunotherapy is now a standard of care following CRT in patients with LA-NSCLC, these results support a role for continued investigation of antiangiogenic and immunotherapy combinations in LA-NSCLC.

Keywords: Angiogenesis; Locally advanced NSCLC; Radiation; Vaccine.