Adjuvant Cisplatin With Either Genomic-Guided Vinorelbine or Pemetrexed for Early Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

This study assigned subjects to either cisplatin/vinorelbine or cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy using a genomic based expression profile to determine chemotherapy sensitivity in completely resected early stage non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The vinorelbine-sensitive tumors group received Vinorelbine followed by cisplatin, while the pemetrexed-sensitive tumors group received pemetrexed followed by cisplatin. The primary objective of this trial was to determine whether genomic-based adjuvant chemotherapy treatment increased the 2-year progression-free survival rate in completely resected patients with NSCLC compared to historic controls. Secondary objectives included: 1) estimation of the percentage of completely resected NSCLC tumors that can be adequately analyzed and used to direct specific adjuvant chemotherapy; 2) estimation of the proportion of patients who are assigned to treatment with vinorelbine and pemetrexed; 3) evaluation of drug sensitivity patterns of cisplatin and pemetrexed in both treatment arms; 4) description of the overall median survival experience of treated patients; and 5) assessment of patient understanding and perceptions of participating in a clinical trial evaluating cancer genomics for adjuvant treatment of early stage lung cancer.

The proposed study is a multi-center open label phase II study of the chemotherapy doublets cisplatin/vinorelbine and cisplatin/pemetrexed as adjuvant therapy in early stage non-squamous NSCLC.

Eligible patients had no previous treatment for the current diagnosis of NSCLC. The two treatment groups of patients will be determined by gene expression profile analysis of each patient's tumor: one group of vinorelbine-sensitive patients and one group of pemetrexed-sensitive patients. The genomic expression profiling that was utilized generated a percentage for likelihood of chemotherapy sensitivity. Patients were directed to receive the chemotherapy regimen for which the percentage of predicted sensitivity is highest. For instance, if the model predicted the likelihood of tumor sensitivity was 46% to vinorelbine and 48% to pemetrexed, then the adjuvant chemotherapy would be directed to cisplatin/pemetrexed. Patients whose tumors could not be adequately analyzed for gene expression were offered adjuvant therapy off protocol as deemed appropriate by their primary oncologist. Patients with either squamous or non-squamous cell histology were eligible to participate in this study as indicated in study protocols dated prior to January 25, 2010. An amendment to the protocol on January 25, 2010 indicated inclusion of only non-squamous histology. However, because of low accrual after January 25, 2010 (5 patients, including 2 screen failures), this report reflects the original study outcomes that includes both squamous and non-squamous histologies.

Thirty-one patients with stage IB (\> 4 cm), II or IIIA non-squamous NSCLC were enrolled, from which 24 were assigned treatment. The vinorelbine-sensitive tumors group received Vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 days 1 and 8, followed by cisplatin 75 mg/m2 day 1, every 21 days for 4 cycles. The pemetrexed-sensitive tumors group received pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 day 1 followed by cisplatin 75 mg/m2 day 1, every 21 days for 4 cycles. Standard pre-medication regimens included dexamethasone, vitamin B12 and folate supplementation in the pemetrexed group. Patients in both groups will receive up to a maximum of 4 cycles of therapy.

Subsequent reevaluation of the genomic signatures of chemotherapy sensitivity have shown that they were irreproducible, suggesting inaccurate patient assignments into the two treatment arms. As a result, it would be inappropriate to separately analyze outcomes for the different treatment groups. Instead, information from both arms will be combined to reflect the overall measure of two-year progression-free survival in this study. Similarly for secondary objectives, both arms will be combined to address endpoints.

To assess patient understanding and perceptions of participating in a clinical trial evaluating cancer genomics for adjuvant treatment of early stage lung cancer, patients provided responses for the following questions at baseline:

1. Did your doctor talk to you today about choosing chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer based on the genomics of your tumor?
2. How well did you understand what you doctor told you about choosing chemotherapy based on the genomics of your tumor? (circle a number between 1 and 7, where 1 = very poorly and 7 = very well)
3. Do you think the type of chemotherapy that you will get is based on the genomics of your tumor?
4. Do you think you will get better medical care for the treatment of your lung cancer if it is based on the genomics of your tumor?
5. To what extent do you think treating lung cancer based on the genomics of the tumor will lead to more successful treatment strategies? (circle a number between 1 and 7, where 1 = definitely will not lead to a more successful treatment and 7 = definitely will lead to a more successful treatment)
6. How effective do you think chemotherapy will be at stopping your cancer from coming back? (circle a number between 1 and 7, where 1 = not at all effective and 7 = completely effective)
7. To what extent is YOUR lung cancer primarily caused by genetics? (circle a number between 1 and 7, where 1 = not at all caused by genetics and 7 = completely caused by genetics)
8. To what extent to do you think your lung cancer is treatable? (circle a number between 1 and 7, where 1 = definitely not treatable and 7 = definitely treatable)
9. Did your doctor talk to you about your chance of your lung cancer coming back? (Yes - go to question 10, No - go to question 11, Do not know - go to question 11)
10. What did your doctor say was your chance of your cancer coming back? (Low Risk, Moderate or intermediate risk, High risk, Do not know)
11. What do you think is your chance of your lung cancer coming back in the next year on a scale from 1 to 7 where 1=definitely will not come back and 7=definitely will come back?
12. How worried are you that your lung cancer will come back in the next year? (circle a number between 1 and 7, where 1=not at all worried and 7=extremely worried)

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

Patients are eligible to be included in the study only if they meet all of the following criteria:

1. Patients with completely resected stage IB (\> 4 cm), II, or IIIA Non-Squamous NSCLC. Patient must be enrolled and begin therapy within 4 to 12 weeks from the date of complete surgical resection.
2. Fresh tissue must be available for genomics expression profiling.
3. ECOG performance status of 0 or 1.
4. NO prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biologic/targeted therapy within the last 5 years. Prior therapy with low dose methotrexate or similar medications is allowed if therapy used to treat non-malignant conditions.
5. Age ≥ 18 years.
6. No previous or concomitant malignancy in the past 5 years other than curatively-treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.
7. No other serious medical or psychiatric illness.
8. Signed informed consent.
9. Required laboratory data within one week of enrollment:

   * ANC or AGC ≥ 1500 per uL;
   * Platelets ≥ 100,000 per uL;
   * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL;
   * Creatinine ≤ 2 mg/dL; creatinine clearance ≥ 45 mL/min;
   * SGOT/SGPT ≤ 1.5x ULN.
10. Females of child-bearing potential (not surgically sterilized and between menarche and 1 year post menopause) must test negative for pregnancy within 7 days prior to or at the time of enrollment based on a serum pregnancy test. Both sexually active males and females of reproductive potential must agree to use a reliable method of birth control, as determined by the patient and their health care team, during the study and for 3 months following the last dose of study drug.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients will be excluded from the study if they meet any of the following criteria:

1. Treatment within the last 30 days with a drug that has not received regulatory approval for any indication at the time of study entry.
2. Concurrent administration of any other anti-tumor therapy (see #4 inclusion for exceptions).
3. Inability to comply with protocol or study procedures.
4. Active infection requiring IV antibiotics, antifungal or antiviral agents, that in the opinion of the investigator would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate therapy.
5. Major surgery (other than definitive lung cancer surgery) within two weeks of study or other serious concomitant systemic disorders that, in the opinion of the investigator, would compromise the safety of the patient or compromise the patient's ability to complete the study.
6. Myocardial infarction having occurred less than 6 months before inclusion, any known uncontrolled arrhythmia, symptomatic angina pectoris, active ischemia, or cardiac failure not controlled by medications.
7. Contraindication to corticosteroids.
8. Inability or unwillingness to take folic acid or vitamin B12 supplementation.
9. Unwillingness to stop taking herbal supplements while on study.
10. Presence of clinically significant third-space fluid collections (for example, ascites or pleural effusions) that cannot be controlled by drainage or other procedures prior to study entry and throughout study enrollment as the distribution of pemetrexed in this fluid space is not fully understood.
11. Inability to discontinue administration of aspirin at a dose \> 1300 mg/day or other long acting, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents for 2 days before, the day of, and 2 days after the dose of pemetrexed (5 days prior for long-acting agents such as piroxicam). Moderate dose ibuprofen may be continued.
12. Female patients that are pregnant or breast-feeding.