Faculty Collaboration Database

Erlotinib and bevacizumab in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a phase I/II study. Lancet Oncol 2009 Mar;10(3):247-57

Date

02/10/2009

Pubmed ID

19201650

Pubmed Central ID

PMC2768532

DOI

10.1016/S1470-2045(09)70002-6

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-62349097073 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   244 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a validated target in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck, but in patients with recurrent or metastatic disease, EGFR targeting agents have displayed modest efficacy. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-mediated angiogenesis has been implicated as a mechanism of resistance to anti-EGFR therapy. In this multi-institutional phase I/II study we combined an EGFR inhibitor, erlotinib, with an anti-VEGF antibody, bevacizumab.

METHODS: Between April 15, 2003, and Jan 27, 2005, patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck were enrolled from seven centres in the USA and were given erlotinib (150 mg daily) and bevacizumab in escalating dose cohorts. The primary objectives in the phase I and II sections, respectively, were to establish the maximum tolerated dose and dose-limiting toxicity of bevacizumab when administered with erlotinib and to establish the proportion of objective responses and time to disease progression. Pretreatment serum and tissues were collected and analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunofluorescence quantitative laser analysis, respectively. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00055913.

FINDINGS: In the phase I section of the trial, ten patients were enrolled in three successive cohorts with no dose-limiting toxic effects noted. 46 patients were enrolled in the phase II section of the trial (including three patients from the phase I section) on the highest dose of bevacizumab (15 mg/kg every 3 weeks). Two additional patients were accrued beyond the protocol-stipulated 46, leaving a total of 48 patients for the phase II assessment. The most common toxic effects of any grade were rash and diarrhoea (41 and 16 of 48 patients, respectively). Three patients had serious bleeding events of grade 3 or higher. Seven patients had a response, with four showing a complete response allowing rejection of the null hypothesis. Median time of overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) were 7.1 months (95% CI 5.7-9.0) and 4.1 months (2.8-4.4), respectively. Higher ratios of tumour-cell phosphorylated VEGF receptor-2 (pVEGFR2) over total VEGFR2 and endothelial-cell pEGFR over total EGFR in pretreatment biopsies were associated with complete response (0.704 vs 0.386, p=0.036 and 0.949 vs 0.332, p=0.036, respectively) and tumour shrinkage (p=0.007 and p=0.008, respectively) in a subset of 11 patients with available tissue.

INTERPRETATION: The combination of erlotinib and bevacizumab is well tolerated in recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. A few patients seem to derive a sustained benefit and complete responses were associated with expression of putative targets in pretreatment tumour tissue.

Author List

Cohen EE, Davis DW, Karrison TG, Seiwert TY, Wong SJ, Nattam S, Kozloff MF, Clark JI, Yan DH, Liu W, Pierce C, Dancey JE, Stenson K, Blair E, Dekker A, Vokes EE

Author

Stuart J. Wong MD Center Director, Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Antibodies, Monoclonal
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
Bevacizumab
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
ErbB Receptors
Erlotinib Hydrochloride
Female
Head and Neck Neoplasms
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Quinazolines
Regression Analysis
Transforming Growth Factor alpha
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2