Multicentre randomised phase II trial of gemcitabine+platinum, with or without trastuzumab, in advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma overexpressing Her2

Eur J Cancer. 2015 Jan;51(1):45-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2014.10.009. Epub 2014 Nov 15.

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine and platinum salt, with or without trastuzumab, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma overexpressing Her2.

Methods: The main eligibility criterion was Her2 overexpression on immunohistochemistry (IHC 2+ or 3+) of primary tumour tissue confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Patients were randomised to Arm A: gemcitabine 1000mg/m(2) (days 1 and 8) plus either cisplatin (70mg/m(2)) or carboplatin (AUC=5) (day 1 every 3 weeks) or Arm B: added trastuzumab (8mg/kg loading dose, then 6 mg/kg every 21 days until progression). The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS).

Results: Among 563 screened patients, 75 (13.3%) were Her2 positive (IHC 2+/3+ and FISH+) and 61 met all eligibility criteria (median age, 64 years; 54/61 males; 50/61 baseline ECOG-PS 0-1; 11 locally advanced and 50 metastatic). There was no significant difference between Arms A and B in median PFS (10.2 versus 8.2 months, respectively, p=0.689), objective response rate (65.5% versus 53.2%, p=0.39), and median overall survival (15.7 versus 14.1 months, respectively, p=0.684). In an exploratory analysis, trastuzumab-treated patients receiving cisplatin rather than carboplatin-based chemotherapy fared better (PFS: 10.6 versus 8.0; OS: 33.1 versus 9.5 months). Myelosuppression was the main grade 3/4 toxicity. A case of grade 3 cardiotoxicity and one death from febrile neutropenia occurred in arm B.

Conclusion: The unexpectedly low incidence of Her2 overexpression precluded the detection of a significant difference in efficacy on addition of trastuzumab to platinum-based chemotherapy with gemcitabine. However, the satisfactory tolerance of the combination warrants further studies, especially of the cisplatin-based combination, in well-defined patient subsets.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01828736.

Keywords: Advanced urothelial carcinoma; Gemcitabine; Her2 overexpression; Platinum salts; Trastuzumab.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / administration & dosage
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / therapeutic use*
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / administration & dosage
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / drug therapy
  • Deoxycytidine / administration & dosage
  • Deoxycytidine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Deoxycytidine / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Gemcitabine
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Platinum / administration & dosage
  • Platinum / therapeutic use*
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism*
  • Trastuzumab

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Deoxycytidine
  • Platinum
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • Trastuzumab
  • Gemcitabine

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01828736