Carboplatin/paclitaxel plus bevacizumab may be effective first-line treatment in pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinomas

Carboplatin/paclitaxel (CP) in combination with bevacizumab (CPB) followed by bevacizumab maintenance may be an effective first-line treatment in patients with pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinomas (PCS), according to results of a phase 2 study.

Sixteen chemotherapy-naïve patients with PSCs were assigned to receive either CP alone or CPB followed by bevacizumab maintenance.

The overall response rate was 25% and the disease control rate was 56.3%. The 4 patients (2 with pleomorphic carcinoma and 2 with carcinosarcoma) with an objective response rate received CPB.

For all patients, the median progression-free survival (PFS), was 2.6 months and the median survival time (MST) was 8.8 months.

Median PFS was 1.2 months and 4.2 months, in the CP and CPB groups, respectively; MST was 7.9 months and 11.2 months, respectively.

Adverse events were common and reversible. In the patients receiving CBP, 1 patient had ileus (grade 4) and 1 patient had nasal bleeding (grade 3).

Reference
Oizumi S, Takamura K, Harada T, et al; North East Japan Study Group, Hokkaido Lung Cancer Clinical Study Group. Phase II study of carboplatin-paclitaxel alone or with bevacizumab in advanced sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung: HOT1201/NEJ024. Int J Clin Oncol. 2022;doi: 10.1007/s10147-021-02113-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35092535.