Conditions: Lung Cancer
Keywords: squamous cell lung cancer large cell lung cancer stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer adenocarcinoma of the lung adenosquamous cell lung cancer bronchoalveolar cell lung cancer
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 589
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This randomized phase III trial is studying carboplatin, paclitaxel, radiation therapy, and thalidomide to see how well they work compared to carboplatin, paclitaxel, and radiation therapy alone in treating patients with newly diagnosed stage III non-small cell lung cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Thalidomide may stop the growth of non-small cell lung cancer by stopping blood flow to the tumor. It is not yet known if combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy is more effective with or without thalidomide.

Detailed description:
OBJECTIVES:

I. Compare the survival and time to progression of patients with stage IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer when treated with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and chemoradiotherapy with or without thalidomide.

II. Evaluate the toxicity of the thalidomide-containing regimen and compare response rates of the two groups.

III. Determine whether the inactivation of p16, Death-associated protein kinase (DAP-kinase), O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene, or tissue-inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP-3) genes can be used to predict survival in these patients treated with this regimen.

IV. Determine whether the detection of a methylation biomarker in serum can be used to predict survival in these patients treated with this regimen.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified according to disease histology (squamous vs nonsquamous), performance status (0 vs 1), disease stage (IIIA vs IIIB), and time of randomization (before addition of chemoradiotherapy vs after). Patients are randomized to one of two treatment arms.

ARM A: Patients receive paclitaxel intravenously (IV) over 3 hours immediately followed by carboplatin IV over 15-30 minutes on days 1 and 22. Treatment continues every 22 days in the absence of unacceptable toxicity or disease progression.

ARM B: Patients receive paclitaxel and carboplatin as in arm A. Patients also receive oral thalidomide and oral low-dose aspirin daily beginning on day 1 for up to 24 months in the absence of disease progression.

Beginning between days 43-50, patients in both arms with stable or responding disease receive chemoradiotherapy comprising paclitaxel IV over 1 hour and carboplatin IV over 15-30 minutes once weekly for 6 weeks and radiotherapy (RT) 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Arm B patients continue oral thalidomide.

Patients are followed every 2 months for 2 years and then every 6 months for 3 years.

Arms:
arm 1: Induction chemotherapy dosing: Paclitaxel, 225 mg/m² (3 hour infusion) Day 1. Carboplatin, area under the plasma drug concentration versus time curve (AUC) =6.0, 15-30 min IV infusion immediately following paclitaxel, Day 1

Concurrent chemotherapy / radiotherapy dosing: Paclitaxel, 45 mg/m2, administered weekly during radiotherapy over one hour. Carboplatin, AUC=2, 15- 30 minutes IV infusion immediately following paclitaxel; administered weekly during radiotherapy

Radiation therapy started between days 43-50 from day 1 of cycle 1. The primary tumor and areas of known nodal disease received 60 Gy at 2.0 Gy fractions, 5 fractions/week for 30 fractions over 6 weeks to the post chemotherapy tumor volume as seen on computed tomography (CT). The initial 50 Gy was delivered to target volume (TV). The final 10 Gy was delivered to a reduced volume targeting defined by TV arm 2: paclitaxel, carboplatin, and radiotherapy are same as those in Arm A.

thalidomide: Induction chemotherapy dosing, oral daily, starting Day 1 for 24 months or until disease progression. Concurrent chemotherapy / radiotherapy dosing, oral daily, begin with 200 mg thalidomide as a single dose at bedtime. The dose is then increased by 100 mg every week as tolerated up to a total dose of 1000 mg.

Interventions: intervention 1: carboplatin intervention 2: paclitaxel intervention 3: thalidomide intervention 4: radiation therapy
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Induction Chemotherapy dosing: AUC=6.0, 15-30 min IV infusion immediately following paclitaxel, Day 1 and Day 22. Concurrent Chemotherapy / Radiotherapy dosing, AUC=2; 15- 30 minutes IV infusion immediately following paclitaxel; administered weekly during radiotherapy intervention 2: Induction chemotherapy dosing: 225 mg/m² (3 hour infusion) Day 1 and Day 22. Concurrent Chemotherapy / Radiotherapy dosing: 45 mg/m2; administered weekly during radiotherapy over one hour intervention 3: Induction Chemotherapy dosing: oral daily, starting Day 1 for 24 months or until disease progression. Concurrent Chemotherapy / Radiotherapy dosing: oral daily, begin with 200 mg thalidomide as a single dose at bedtime. The dose is then increased by 100 mg every week as tolerated up to a total dose of 1000 mg. intervention 4: Radiation therapy started between days 43-50 from day 1 of cycle 1. The primary tumor and areas of known nodal disease received 60 Gy at 2.0 Gy fractions, 5 fractions/week for 30 fractions over 6 weeks to the post chemotherapy tumor volume as seen on computed tomography (CT). The initial 50 Gy was delivered to target volume (TV). The final 10 Gy was delivered to a reduced volume targeting defined by TV

Protocol document: