Update results of paclitaxel and cisplatin in combination with anlotinib as first-line regimen for patients with advanced ESCC: A multicenter, single-arm, open-label phase Ⅱ clinical trial.
Authors: Junsheng Wang, Tao Wu, Suxia Luo, Ning Li, Yonggui Hong, Yanzhen Guo, Yufeng Cheng, Baosheng Li
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2021)

e16013 Background: Paclitaxel combined with cisplatin regimen has been the standard first-line therapy in advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC) for almost two decades. However, the 5-year survival rate was only 4.8% in advanced ESCC. Therefore, more effective therapeutic treatments were needed to prolong the survival urgently. Anlotinib was demonstrated to be an effective second-line monotherapy for patients with advanced or recurrent ESCC in China. And the preliminary results of our trial had been reported in 2020 ESMO (Abs 1448) and 2021 ASCO-GI Symposium (Abs 181). Consequently, this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of paclitaxel and cisplatin combined with anlotinib as first-line therapy in advanced ESCC and report the update results regularly. Methods: Pts with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable, locally advanced ESCC, who had not received (neo) adjuvant therapy/radical surgery within 6 months were recruited in this study. Eligible patients were given paclitaxel (135mg/m 2 , iv, q3w) and cisplatin (60̃75mg/m 2 , iv, d1̃3, q3w) plus anlotinib (10mg, po, d1̃14, q3w) for 4̃6 cycles as initial therapy. For those who did not have disease progression, maintenance treatment was treated with anlotinib monotherapy (10mg, po, d1̃14, q3w) until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The tumor response was assessed by investigator according to RECIST version 1.1 criteria using computed tomography scans every two cycles. The predefined sample size was 47. The primary endpoint was PFS and secondary endpoints included safety, ORR, DCR and DOR. Results: From Oct 2019 to Dec 2020, a total of 45 patients were enrolled. Among 34 pts who were available for efficacy and safety evaluation. there were 1 confirmed CR (2.9%), 26 confirmed PR (76.5%), 2 unconfirmed PR (5.9%) and 5 SD (14.7%). Consequently, ORR was 79.4% (95%CI: 62.1̃91.3) and DCR was 100.0% (95%CI: 89.7̃100.0). At the data cut-off date, 11 patients discontinued treatment due to PD, the preliminary prognostic result indicated that the median PFS of the 34 patients was 9.76 months (95%CI: 8.44-13.08). And the median OS was not yet available. Additionally, safety profile exhibited that the common drug-related adverse events were myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reaction, fatigue, hypertension, constipation, hypokalemia, hepatotoxicity and hemoptysis. And the common grade ≥3 adverse events were myelosuppression (20.6%), hypertension (8.8%), nausea and vomit (5.9%), fatigue (5.9%) and hypokalemia (5.9%). Conclusions: The update results suggested that the regimen of paclitaxel and cisplatin combined with anlotinib as first-line therapy for advanced ESCC exhibited encouraging efficacy and tolerable safety profile. And the conclusions needed to be confirmed in trials continued subsequently. Clinical trial information: NCT04063683.