WCLC 2018: Effect of Nivolumab on Intracerebral Response in NSCLC With Brain Metastases
Posted: Friday, October 5, 2018
In patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have brain metastases, intracerebral response during nivolumab treatment reached 10.4% in a real-life setting, according to a study presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 19th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Toronto (Abstract MA08.10). The research, conducted by Margaux Geier, MD, of the University Hospital Brest in France, and colleagues, also concluded that this response level was achieved with a satisfactory neurologic safety profile.
“Data regarding intracerebral efficacy of nivolumab in advanced NSCLC are lacking because of routinely [excluding] patients with active brain metastases from clinical trials,” noted study authors. “We aimed at assessing intracranial activity of nivolumab in patients with [brain metastases] in a real-life setting and determining the potential role of prior radiotherapy.”
A total of 259 patients were enrolled in the study between September 1, 2015, and September 30, 2016. Participants received 3 mg/kg of nivolumab every other day until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Of the 259 patients, 36 developed brain metastases during the course of nivolumab treatment, and 77 presented with brain metastases prior to nivolumab treatment.
The intracerebral objective response rate, assessed by magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography scans of the brain, was 10.4%, and the overall response rate was 20.8%. The median intracerebral response duration was 11.5 months. No neurologic adverse events occurred during the treatment schedule. Among those presenting with brain metastases prior to treatment, eight patients experienced intracerebral response. Of that subset, five patients had pretreated brain metastases, and three patients had radiotherapy-naive brain metastases.
