A Randomized Phase II Study of Maintenance Bevacizumab, Pemetrexed or Bevacizumab Plus Pemetrexed for Advanced Non-squamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

Background/aim: Continuation maintenance therapy is standard for advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer; however, the optimal maintenance strategy has yet to be determined.

Patients and methods: Patients without disease progression after four cycles of carboplatin (CBDCA)+ pemetrexed (PEM)+ bevacizumab (BEV) were randomized to maintenance therapy with BEV, PEM, or BEV+PEM. The primary endpoint was 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate.

Results: Of the 90 patients enrolled, 64 were randomly assigned to maintenance therapy. The 1-year PFS rate was 9.1% in the BEV arm, 19.1% in the PEM arm, and 19.1% in the BEV+PEM arm. The median PFS and overall survival (OS) were 4.0 and 43.1 months in the BEV arm, 4.5 and 32.0 months in the PEM arm, and 6.4 and 41.8 months in the BEV+PEM arm.

Conclusion: The median PFS was numerically better in the BEV+PEM arm, but the median OS was not significantly different among the three arms.

Keywords: Maintenance therapy; bevacizumab; bevacizumab+pemetrexed; nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer; pemetrexed.