Phase III study of ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus atezolizumab for previously treated PD-L1 low or negative...

We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of docetaxel plus ramucirumab and atezolizumab as second-line treatment for programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-negative or low advanced non-small-cell-lung cancer (NSCLC) after platinum-based chemotherapy.

This multicenter randomized phase III study enrolled patients with advanced NSCLC who had progressed during or after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were allocated randomly (1:1) to receive atezolizumab (arm A) or docetaxel plus ramucirumab (arm B) every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS).

This study was activated in April 2018 and closed in March 2020 due to slow accrual. Seventy eligible patients were enrolled from 26 institutions, including 36 patients in arm A and 34 in arm B. The median OS (median follow-up, 24.2 months) were 17.1 and 15.8 months (HR = 1.508, 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.86-2.65; P = 0.23), respectively. The 2-year OS rates were 42.8 % (95 % CI, 26.2 %-58.4 %) and 19.4 % (95 %CI, 7.5-35.3), the objective response rates (ORRs) were 5.6 % and 35.3 % (P = 0.002), and the median progression-free survival (PFS) were 1.5 and 5.5 months (P = 0.005), respectively. The crossover rates were 55.6 % and 64.7 %, and the median times from randomization to progression or death post-crossover were 12.9 and 9.1 months. Grade ≥ 3 toxicities included neutropenia (2.8 %/17.6 %), thrombocytopenia (2.8 %/8.8 %), anorexia (2.8 %/5.9 %), febrile neutropenia (0 %/5.9 %), and hypertension (2.8 %/8.8 %).

OS was similar in both arms, but docetaxel plus ramucirumab resulted in favorable ORR and PFS. The 2-year OS rates suggested that atezolizumab might enhance the efficacy of post-study cytotoxic chemotherapy; however, interpretation of the data was limited by the small sample size.