Sequential therapy according to distinct disease progression patterns in advanced ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer after crizotinib treatment

摘要

Objective: Crizotinib is recommended as the first-line therapy for advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase(ALK)-positive non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC). Despite its initial efficacy, patients ultimately acquire resistance to crizotinib within 1 year. In such patients, the optimal sequential therapy after crizotinib treatment remains unknown. This study explored which sequential therapy option confers the greatest benefit.Methods: A total of 138 patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC resistant to crizotinib were studied. Based on patterns of disease progression of metastases, patients were divided into 3 groups: brain progression, non-liver progression, and liver progression. Sequential therapies included crizotinib continuation plus local therapy, nextgeneration ALK inhibitors(ALKi's), and chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was overall survival(OS) from the time of crizotinib resistance to death or last follow-up.Results: The 138 patients included 64 cases with progression in brain, 57 cases in non-liver sites and 17 cases in liver. A significant difference in OS was observed among the distinct progression pattern(median OS, 25.4 months in brain, 15.8 months in non-liver, and 10.8 months in liver, respectively, P=0.020). The difference in OS among sequential therapies was statistically significant in the non-liver progression group(median OS, 27.6 months with next-generation ALKi's, 13.3 months with crizotinib continuation, and 10.8 months with chemotherapy,respectively, P=0.019). However, crizotinib continuation plus local therapy seems to provide non-inferior median OS compared with next-generation ALKi's for patients with brain progression(median OS, 28.9 months vs.32.8 months, P=0.204). And no significant differences in OS were found in patients with progression in liver(P=0.061).Conclusions: Crizotinib continuation together with local therapy might be a feasible strategy for patients with progression in brain beyond crizotinib resistance, as well as next-generation ALKi's. Next-generation ALKi's tended to provide a survival benefit in patients with non-liver progression.