Efficacy and safety of weekly nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

PurposeIn a large multicenter international phase III study (CA031) of nab-paclitaxel (nab-P, 130 nm albumin-bound paclitaxel particles) + carboplatin (C) vs solvent-based paclitaxel (sb-P) + C, conducted in 6 countries including Japan, nab-PC produced significantly higher overall response rate (ORR), primary end point compared with sb-PC, and acceptable safety profile. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of nab-PC vs sb-PC in Japanese patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were enrolled in the CA031 study.Patients and methodsIn the CA031 study, a total of 1052 patients were randomized to receive either nab-P 100 mg/m2 weekly or sb-P 200 mg/m2 every 3 weeks both in combination with C at area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) = 6 on day 1 of each 3-week cycle. This analysis included 149 Japanese patients with previously untreated stage IIIB or IV NSCLC.ResultsThe baseline and histologic characteristics of patients were well balanced between the two arms. ORR was higher with nab-PC vs sb-PC (35% vs 27%; response rate ratio = 1.318). Progression-free survival (median 6.9 vs 5.6 months; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.845) and overall survival (median 16.7 vs 15.9 months; HR = 0.930) were better with nab-PC vs sb-PC. Of the grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events, anemia and thrombocytopenia were more common in nab-PC arm, but sensory neuropathy was less common.ConclusionThe nab-PC treatment yielded promising results regarding the efficacy endpoint, and it was generally well tolerated as first-line therapy for Japanese patients with advanced NSCLC.