Skip Navigation


Annals of Oncology Advance Access originally published online on February 17, 2008
Annals of Oncology 2008 19(5):939-945; doi:10.1093/annonc/mdm592
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
19/5/939    most recent
mdm592v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Related articles in Ann Oncol
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (11)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Cullen, M. H.
Right arrow Articles by Iscoe, N.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Cullen, M. H.
Right arrow Articles by Iscoe, N.
Social Bookmarking
 Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

lung cancer

A randomized phase III trial comparing standard and high-dose pemetrexed as second-line treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer

M. H. Cullen1,*, P. Zatloukal2, S. Sörenson3, S. Novello4, J. R. Fischer5, A. A. Joy6, M. Zereu7, P. Peterson8, C. M. Visseren-Grul9 and N. Iscoe10

1 Cancer Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
2 Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Postgraduate Medical School, Prague, Czech
3 Department of Pulmonary Medicine, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden
4 Thoracic Oncology Unit, University of Turin, San Luigi Hospital, Orbassano, Turin, Italy
5 Klinik Loewenstein, Medizinische Klinik II/Onkologie, Loewenstein, Germany
6 Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
7 Santa Casa de Misericordia de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
8 Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
9 Eli Lilly Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands
10 Eli Lilly Canada, Toronto, Canada

* Correspondence to: Dr M. H. Cullen, Cancer Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK. Tel: +44-121-627-2444; Fax: +44-121-697-8428; E-mail: michael.cullen{at}uhb.nhs.uk

Background: This phase III randomized trial compared pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 (P500) with pemetrexed 900 mg/m2 (P900) to determine whether higher dosing benefits non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients as second-line therapy.

Patients and methods: Patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC, previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, were randomly assigned to receive i.v. P500 or P900 every 3 week.

Results: Accrual was terminated with 588/600 patients enrolled because an interim analysis indicated a low probability of improved survival and numerically greater toxicity on the P900 arm. P900 patients were permitted to continue treatment at P500. No statistical difference was observed between the treatment arms (P500 versus P900) for median survival {6.7 versus 6.9 months, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.0132 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.837–1.226]}, progression-free survival [2.6 versus 2.8 months, HR = 0.9681 (95% CI 0.817–1.147)], or best overall tumor response [7.1% versus 4.3% (P = 0.1616)]. The incidence of drug-related grade 3/4 toxicity was typically <5% on both treatment arms, but was numerically higher on the P900 arm for most toxicity categories.

Conclusions: P900 did not improve any efficacy measure over P500. P500 i.v. every 3 week remains the standard pemetrexed dose for second-line treatment of platinum-pretreated advanced NSCLC.

Key words: advanced NSCLC, pemetrexed, second-line chemotherapy

Received for publication September 13, 2007. Revision received December 5, 2007. Accepted for publication December 10, 2007.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?

Related articles in Ann Oncol:

In this issue

Ann Oncol 2008 19: 827. [Extract] [FREE Full Text]  



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Ann OncolHome page
A.-R. Hanauske, M. Lahn, L. C. Musib, K. Weigang-Kohler, E. Yilmaz, T. Graefe, B. Kuenen, D. Thornton, P. McNealy, and G. Giaccone
Phase Ib safety and pharmacokinetic evaluation of daily and twice daily oral enzastaurin in combination with pemetrexed in advanced/metastatic cancer
Ann. Onc., September 1, 2009; 20(9): 1565 - 1575.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
JCOHome page
D. S. Miller, J. A. Blessing, C. N. Krasner, R. S. Mannel, P. Hanjani, M. L. Pearl, S. E. Waggoner, and C. H. Boardman
Phase II Evaluation of Pemetrexed in the Treatment of Recurrent or Persistent Platinum-Resistant Ovarian or Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma: A Study of the Gynecologic Oncology Group
J. Clin. Oncol., June 1, 2009; 27(16): 2686 - 2691.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Clin. Cancer Res.Home page
J. E. Latz, K. L. Schneck, K. Nakagawa, M. A. Miller, and C. H. Takimoto
Population Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Analyses of Pemetrexed and Neutropenia: Effect of Vitamin Supplementation and Differences between Japanese and Western Patients
Clin. Cancer Res., January 1, 2009; 15(1): 346 - 354.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Clin. Cancer Res.Home page
N. J. Dickgreber, T. H. Fink, J. E. Latz, A. M. Hossain, L. C. Musib, and M. Thomas
Phase I and Pharmacokinetic Study of Pemetrexed plus Cisplatin in Chemonaive Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma or Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Clin. Cancer Res., January 1, 2009; 15(1): 382 - 389.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
The Annals of PharmacotherapyHome page
M. Berhoune, E. Banu, F. Scotte, P. Prognon, S. Oudard, and B. Bonan
Therapeutic Strategy for Treatment of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Ann. Pharmacother., November 1, 2008; 42(11): 1640 - 1652.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]



Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.