Abstract
Background/Aim: Continuation maintenance therapy is standard for advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer; however, the optimal maintenance strategy has yet to be determined. Patients and Methods: Patients without disease progression after four cycles of carboplatin (CBDCA)+ pemetrexed (PEM)+ bevacizumab (BEV) were randomized to maintenance therapy with BEV, PEM, or BEV+PEM. The primary endpoint was 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate. Results: Of the 90 patients enrolled, 64 were randomly assigned to maintenance therapy. The 1-year PFS rate was 9.1% in the BEV arm, 19.1% in the PEM arm, and 19.1% in the BEV+PEM arm. The median PFS and overall survival (OS) were 4.0 and 43.1 months in the BEV arm, 4.5 and 32.0 months in the PEM arm, and 6.4 and 41.8 months in the BEV+PEM arm. Conclusion: The median PFS was numerically better in the BEV+PEM arm, but the median OS was not significantly different among the three arms.
- Maintenance therapy
- nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer
- pemetrexed
- bevacizumab
- bevacizumab+pemetrexed
Footnotes
Authors' Contributions
Y.H.K. designed the study. H.Y., Y.H.K., Y.S., H.N., H.O., T.K., H.Y., H.N., K.T., A.O., and M.H. contributed to data collection. H.Y., K.Y., and Y.H.K. contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data. H.Y. drafted and revised the manuscript; T.H. and Y.H.K. supervised the study and revised the manuscript. All Authors reviewed the manuscript.
Conflicts of Interest
Y.H.K. received honoraria from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. H.Y. received honoraria from Eli Lilly Japan K.K. and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd during the study, and honoraria from AstraZeneca K.K., Boehringer Ingelheim Japan Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd., MSD K.K., Delta fly pharma, and Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. outside of the submitted work. T.K. served as an advisory board member of Eli Lilly Japan K.K. outside of the submitted work. T.H. received grants from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. outside of the submitted work. All remaining Authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
- Received April 4, 2020.
- Revision received April 12, 2020.
- Accepted April 13, 2020.
- Copyright© 2020, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved