Brigatinib Active in Patients With ALK-Positive Lung Cancer
Posted: Monday, July 30, 2018
In an exploratory analysis of two clinical trials published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study authors observed durable responses in patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer and brain metastases treated with the next-generation ALK inhibitor brigatinib. According to D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, and colleagues, the treatment produced “substantial” intracranial response rates and a “durable” intracranial progression-free survival among patients with brain metastases previously treated with crizotinib therapy.
The two studies included a phase I/II trial that involved 50 patients with baseline brain metastases. All of these patients were treated with brigatinib, ranging from 90 mg to 240 mg. In the phase II ALTA trial, patients were randomized to treatment with either 90 mg (n = 80) or 180 mg (n = 73) of brigatinib.
Among patients with measurable brain metastases, the investigators confirmed intracranial objective responses in 8 of 15 patients (53%) in the phase I/II trial. Among those enrolled in the ALTA trial, 12 of the 26 patients (46%) in the low-dosage arm and 12 of 18 patients (67%) in the high-dosage arm achieved confirmed intracranial objective responses. Intracranial progression-free survival was 14.6 months among patients in the phase I/II trial and 15.6 months in those in the ALTA trial treated with 90 mg of brigatinib. Patients treated with 180 mg of brigatinib in the ALTA trial yielded the highest intracranial progression-free survival, at 18.4 months.
