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Pemetrexed Disodium With or Without Erlotinib Hydrochloride in Treating Patients With Stage IIIB-IV or Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

A Randomized Phase II Study of Schedule-Modulated Concomitant Pemetrexed (Alimta) and Erlotinib (Tarceva) vs Single Agent Pemetrexed (Alimta®) in Patients With Progressive or Recurrent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00950365
Enrollment
79
Registered
2009-07-31
Start date
2006-04-30
Completion date
2017-11-17
Last updated
2020-09-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Bronchioloalveolar Carcinoma, Large Cell Lung Carcinoma, Lung Adenocarcinoma, Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, Stage IIIB Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Brief summary

This randomized phase II trial studies how well pemetrexed disodium with or without erlotinib hydrochloride works in treating patients with stage IIIB-IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pemetrexed disodium, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Erlotinib hydrochloride may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether pemetrexed disodium is more effective with or without erlotinib hydrochloride in treating non-small cell lung cancer.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To evaluate progression free survival (PFS) in the schedule-modulated concomitant administration of erlotinib (erlotinib hydrochloride) and pemetrexed (pemetrexed disodium), and in single agent pemetrexed in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as second-line chemotherapy. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To evaluate antitumor objective response rate (complete response \[CR\] + partial response \[PR\]) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria. II. To evaluate disease control rate (response rate + stable disease, i.e., CR+PR+ stable disease \[SD\]) and duration of response. III. To evaluate median time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS). IV. To evaluate the safety profile of concurrent pemetrexed and erlotinib versus single agent pemetrexed. TERTIARY OBJECTIVES: i. To determine several molecular and cellular biomarkers in the tumors, the skin and the serum that are predictive of the efficacy of pemetrexed and erlotinib. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. ARM A: Patients receive pemetrexed disodium intravenously (IV) over 10 minutes on day 1. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. ARM B: Patients receive pemetrexed disodium IV as in Arm A and erlotinib hydrochloride orally (PO) once daily (QD) on days 2-17. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up for 12 months.

Interventions

DRUGErlotinib Hydrochloride

Given PO

OTHERLaboratory Biomarker Analysis

Correlative studies

DRUGPemetrexed Disodium

Given IV

Sponsors

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH
Eli Lilly and Company
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
OSI Pharmaceuticals
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced (stage IIIB with a malignant pleural effusion or stage IV disease) or recurrent nonsquamous NSCLC * Patients must have at least one measurable disease per RECIST criteria; all sites of disease must be assessed within 4 weeks prior to registration * Patient must have disease progression after one prior combinational chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy other than pemetrexed or an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) (such as erlotinib, gefitinib, or a second generation EGFR TKI); prior monoclonal antibody against EGFR is allowed) for metastatic disease, or relapse while receiving adjuvant therapy, or within 12 months of completing adjuvant therapy * All patients will be screened for brain metastasis within 6 weeks prior to registration; patients with treated and stable brain metastases must have been treated with surgery and/or radiation and are asymptomatic and are no longer taking corticosteroids * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 2 or Karnofsky \>= 60% * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/uL * Hemoglobin \>= 8.0 g/dL * Platelets \>= 100,000/uL * Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN), except in known hepatic metastasis, wherein may be =\< 3.0 X ULN * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 3.0 x institutional ULN, except in known hepatic metastasis, wherein may be =\< 5.0 X ULN * Creatinine clearance \>= 45 mL/min for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal * Patients must not be pregnant or breastfeeding since there is no information regarding the use of these agents in this population; a negative serum or urine pregnancy test is required within 14 days prior to registration if pre- or perimenopausal (i.e., last menstrual period within one year of registration); both pemetrexed and erlotinib are Class D agent with the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects; patients both females and males with reproductive potential (i.e. menopausal for less than 1 year and not surgically sterilized) must practice contraceptive measures throughout the study * Patients taking Warfarin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are eligible; patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency should avoid taking NSAIDs with short elimination half-lives for a period of 2 days before, the day of, and 2 days following administration of Alimta; if the patient is taking other cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inducers or inhibitors, they must be discontinued at least one week prior to starting erlotinib * Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion criteria

* Patients who have had immunotherapy, hormone, chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier * Patients who have received pemetrexed or an EGFR TKI (such as erlotinib, gefitinib, or a second generation anti-EGFR TKI) for their metastatic disease should be excluded from this clinical trial; other molecularly targeted agent, including monoclonal antibody or vaccine against EGFR or angiogenesis inhibitor, is allowed * Patients may not be receiving any other investigational or commercial agents or therapies other than those described below with the intent to treat the patient's malignancy * Patients with uncontrolled brain metastases should be excluded from this clinical trial because of their poor prognosis * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to erlotinib or pemetrexed or other agents used in the study * Patients with gastrointestinal tract disease resulting in an inability to take oral medication or a requirement for IV alimentation, prior surgical procedures affecting absorption, or active peptic ulcer disease, are ineligible * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection (such as bacteremia or active hepatitis), symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements * Patients with immune deficiency are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy; therefore, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy are excluded from the study because of possible pharmacokinetic interactions with erlotinib or pemetrexed or other agents administered during the study; appropriate studies will be undertake in patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy when indicated

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
PFS (Progression Free Survival)Time from randomization until documented tumor progression or death from any cause, assessed up to 12 monthsProgression is defined using Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.0), as a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions, or a measurable increase in a non-target lesion, or the appearance of new lesions

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Objective Response Rate (CR +PR) Evaluated Using RECISTUp to 12 monthsPer Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.0) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Overall Response (OR) = CR + PR Response rates in each arm will be summarized by computing proportions and corresponding 95% confidence intervals.
Overall SurvivalTime from the date of randomization to date of death due to any cause, assessed up to 12 monthsTime to event endpoints will be analyzed using standard survival analytic methods, including the Kaplan-Meier approach for estimating the survival distributions.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

Patients with platinum-treated metastatic non squamous NSCLC randomly assigned 1:2 to pemetrexed alone (500 mg/m\^2 provided iv on day 1) or pemetrexed followed by erlotinib (150 mg provided orally daily on days 2-17) every 21 days.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Arm A (Pemetrexed)
Patients receive pemetrexed disodium IV over 10 minutes on day 1. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Laboratory Biomarker Analysis: Correlative studies Pemetrexed Disodium: Given IV
27
Arm B (Pemetrexed Disodium, Erlotinib Hydrochloride)
Patients receive pemetrexed disodium IV as in Arm A and erlotinib hydrochloride PO QD on days 2-17. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Erlotinib Hydrochloride: Given PO Laboratory Biomarker Analysis: Correlative studies Pemetrexed Disodium: Given IV
52
Total79

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicArm A (Pemetrexed)Arm B (Pemetrexed Disodium, Erlotinib Hydrochloride)Total
Age, Continuous64 years62 years63 years
ECOG PS
ECOG PS 0
24 participants46 participants70 participants
ECOG PS
ECOG PS 1/2
3 participants6 participants9 participants
Evaluable patients with atleast one source of biospecimen
Archival tumor specimens
6 participants14 participants20 participants
Evaluable patients with atleast one source of biospecimen
Collected blood samples
17 participants32 participants49 participants
Evaluable patients with atleast one source of biospecimen
EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutations
0 participants7 participants7 participants
Evaluable patients with atleast one source of biospecimen
EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) wild type
21 participants31 participants52 participants
Evaluable patients with atleast one source of biospecimen
Unkown EGFR (epidermal growth factor recep) status
4 participants12 participants16 participants
Histology: Nonsquamous
Prior antiangiogenic inhibitor
10 participants18 participants28 participants
Histology: Nonsquamous
Prior platinum-containing chemotherapy
27 participants50 participants77 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian
0 participants2 participants2 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black
5 participants9 participants14 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Hispanic
4 participants6 participants10 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White
18 participants36 participants54 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
13 Participants29 Participants42 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
14 Participants23 Participants37 Participants
Smoking history
<=15 pack-years
5 participants17 participants22 participants
Smoking history
>15 pack-years
22 participants35 participants58 participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 250 / 50
other
Total, other adverse events
25 / 2550 / 50
serious
Total, serious adverse events
9 / 2516 / 50

Outcome results

Primary

PFS (Progression Free Survival)

Progression is defined using Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.0), as a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions, or a measurable increase in a non-target lesion, or the appearance of new lesions

Time frame: Time from randomization until documented tumor progression or death from any cause, assessed up to 12 months

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Arm A (Pemetrexed)PFS (Progression Free Survival)8 months
Arm B (Pemetrexed Disodium, Erlotinib Hydrochloride)PFS (Progression Free Survival)20 months
Secondary

Objective Response Rate (CR +PR) Evaluated Using RECIST

Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.0) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Overall Response (OR) = CR + PR Response rates in each arm will be summarized by computing proportions and corresponding 95% confidence intervals.

Time frame: Up to 12 months

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Arm A (Pemetrexed)Objective Response Rate (CR +PR) Evaluated Using RECIST12 percentage of participants
Arm B (Pemetrexed Disodium, Erlotinib Hydrochloride)Objective Response Rate (CR +PR) Evaluated Using RECIST28 percentage of participants
Secondary

Overall Survival

Time to event endpoints will be analyzed using standard survival analytic methods, including the Kaplan-Meier approach for estimating the survival distributions.

Time frame: Time from the date of randomization to date of death due to any cause, assessed up to 12 months

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Arm A (Pemetrexed)Overall Survival25 Participants
Arm B (Pemetrexed Disodium, Erlotinib Hydrochloride)Overall Survival50 Participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 4, 2026