Phase II trial of aflibercept with FOLFIRI as a second-line treatment for Japanese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Cancer Sci. 2019 Mar;110(3):1032-1043. doi: 10.1111/cas.13943. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Abstract

Aflibercept targets vascular endothelial growth factor. The present study involved assessing the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of aflibercept plus 5-fluorouracil/levofolinate/irinotecan (FOLFIRI) as a second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in Japanese patients. Aflibercept (4 mg/kg) plus FOLFIRI was administered every 2 weeks in 62 patients with mCRC until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or patient withdrawal. Tumors were imaged every 6 weeks. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR); secondary endpoints were progression-free survival, overall survival, safety, and pharmacokinetics of aflibercept, irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil. A total of 60 patients were evaluated for ORR; 50 had received prior bevacizumab. The ORR was 8.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3%-15.3%), and the disease control rate (DCR) was 80.0% (69.9%-90.1%). The median progression-free survival was 5.42 months (4.14-6.70 months) and the median overall survival was 15.59 months (11.20-19.81 months). No treatment-related deaths were observed, and no significant drug-drug interactions were found. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia and decreased appetite. Free aflibercept had a mean maximum concentration (coefficient of variation) of 73.2 μg/mL (15%), clearance of 0.805 L/d (22%) and volume of distribution of 6.2 L (18%); aflibercept bound with vascular endothelial growth factor had a clearance of 0.162 L/d (9%) (N = 62). Aflibercept did not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan or 5-fluorouracil: The clearance was 11.1 L/h/m2 (28%) for irinotecan and, at steady state, 72.6 L/h/m2 (56%) for 5-fluorouracil (N = 10). Adding aflibercept to FOLFIRI was shown to be beneficial and well-tolerated in Japanese patients with mCRC. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01882868.

Keywords: aflibercept; angiogenesis inhibitors; colorectal neoplasms; neoplasm metastasis; vascular endothelial growth factor A.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial, Phase II
  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Asian People
  • Camptothecin / administration & dosage
  • Camptothecin / analogs & derivatives
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Fluorouracil / administration & dosage
  • Humans
  • Leucovorin / administration & dosage
  • Male
  • Prospective Studies
  • Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / administration & dosage
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / administration & dosage
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism

Substances

  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • aflibercept
  • Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
  • Leucovorin
  • Fluorouracil
  • Camptothecin

Supplementary concepts

  • IFL protocol

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01882868

Grants and funding