Clinical effect of pemetrexed as the first-line treatment in Chinese patients with advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer

Background: The efficacy of pemetrexed-based first-line chemotherapy in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been demonstrated in several studies; however, there is a lack of data from Chinese populations.

Methods: The clinicopathological characteristics and treatment outcomes of 52 patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC who received pemetrexed as first-line chemotherapy at the Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were retrospectively reviewed. The primary end points were response rate and progression-free survival (PFS).

Results: The gender proportion was balanced and the median age was 51 years (range 26-76). Of the 52 patients, 46 (88.5%) had stage IV disease, predominantly adenocarcinoma (98.1%). Sixteen patients were current/former smokers and 36 were never/light smokers. The most common sites of metastasis were the pleura (36.5%), bone (30.8%), lung (26.9%), and brain (17.3%). The median PFS was 9.5 months (95% confidence interval 7.454-11.536). At the time of analysis, partial remission was achieved in 18 (34.6%) patients, stable disease in 26 (50.0%), and progressive disease in eight (15.4%); none of the patients achieved complete remission. The objective response rate was 34.6% and the disease control rate was 84.6%. Common adverse events with pemetrexed were neutropenia (53.8%), nausea and vomiting (51.9%), leukopenia (32.7%), and fatigue (25.0%), mainly at grades 1 or 2.

Conclusions: Pemetrexed is efficient and tolerated as first-line treatment for ALK-positive NSCLC in a cohort of Chinese patients and may prove to be an alternative option for the treatment of ALK-positive NSCLC.