First-line camrelizumab plus chemotherapy followed by camrelizumab-apatinib maintenance for ES-SCLC: a single-arm phase II study.
Minghui Zhang, Mingyuan Guo, Lijun Li et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This single-arm phase II trial evaluated first-line camrelizumab plus platinum-etoposide followed by camrelizumab-apatinib maintenance in treatment-naïve patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer. Among 41 enrolled patients, the 6-month progression-free survival rate was 71.1% (95% CI: 53.9-82.9) at a median follow-up of 31.0 months. Median progression-free and overall survival were 8.7 and 17.2 months, respectively. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 22.0% of patients, with no treatment-related deaths. Exploratory analyses linked clinical benefit with immune and gene-expression patterns.
Key findings
- The 6-month PFS rate was 71.1% (95% CI: 53.9-82.9); median PFS was 8.7 months (95% CI: 6.9-10.6).
- Median OS was 17.2 months (95% CI: 14.5-19.9); ORR was 82.9% and DCR was 92.7%.
- Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 22.0% of patients; no treatment-related deaths were reported.
- Durable clinical benefit was associated with a high-CD8/low-M2 immune phenotype; an exploratory 9-gene pattern was associated with PFS.
Why it matters
The study provides preliminary evidence on a treatment sequence that adds antiangiogenic therapy during maintenance rather than induction for ES-SCLC. Its reported activity and safety outcomes may inform further evaluation of this approach, while the exploratory biomarker findings offer hypotheses for identifying patients more likely to benefit, not validated selection tools.
What to keep in mind
The study was single-arm and included 41 patients, so it cannot establish comparative benefit. The immune and gene-expression findings were exploratory.