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Internal tandem duplication mutations in FLT3 are common in acute myeloid leukaemia and are associated with rapid relapse and short overall survival. The clinical benefit of FLT3 inhibitors in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia has been limited by rapid generation of resistance mutations, particularly in codon Asp835 (D835). We aimed to assess the highly selective oral FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia. In this phase 1–2 trial, we enrolled patients aged 18 years or older with acute myeloid leukaemia who either were refractory to induction therapy or had relapsed after achieving remission with previous treatment. Patients were enrolled into one of seven dose-escalation or dose-expansion cohorts assigned to receive once-daily doses of oral gilteritinib (20 mg, 40 mg, 80 mg, 120 mg, 200 mg, 300 mg, or 450 mg). Cohort expansion was based on safety and tolerability, FLT3 inhibition in correlative assays, and antileukaemic activity. Although the presence of an FLT3 mutation was not an inclusion criterion, we required ten or more patients with locally confirmed FLT3 mutations (FLT3mut+) to be enrolled in expansion cohorts at each dose level. On the basis of emerging findings, we further expanded the 120 mg and 200 mg dose cohorts to include FLT3mut+ patients only. The primary endpoints were the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of gilteritinib. Safety and tolerability were assessed in the safety analysis set (all patients who received at least one dose of gilteritinib). Responses were assessed in the full analysis set (all patients who received at least one dose of study drug and who had at least one datapoint post-treatment). Pharmacokinetics were assessed in a subset of the safety analysis set for which sufficient data for concentrations of gilteritinib in plasma were available to enable derivation of one or more pharmacokinetic variables. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02014558, and is ongoing. Between Oct 15, 2013, and Aug 27, 2015, 252 adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia received oral gilteritinib once daily in one of seven dose-escalation (n=23) or dose-expansion (n=229) cohorts. Gilteritinib was well tolerated; the maximum tolerated dose was established as 300 mg/day when two of three patients enrolled in the 450 mg dose-escalation cohort had two dose-limiting toxicities (grade 3 diarrhoea and grade 3 elevated aspartate aminotransferase). The most common grade 3–4 adverse events irrespective of relation to treatment were febrile neutropenia (97 [39%] of 252), anaemia (61 [24%]), thrombocytopenia (33 [13%]), sepsis (28 [11%]), and pneumonia (27 [11%]). Commonly reported treatment-related adverse events were diarrhoea (41 [16%] of 252]), fatigue (37 [15%]), elevated aspartate aminotransferase (33 [13%]), and elevated alanine aminotransferase (24 [10%]). Serious adverse events occurring in 5% or more of patients were febrile neutropenia (78 [31%] of 252; five related to treatment), progressive disease (43 [17%]), sepsis (36 [14%]; two related to treatment), pneumonia (27 [11%]), acute renal failure (25 [10%]; five related to treatment), pyrexia (21 [8%]; three related to treatment), bacteraemia (14 [6%]; one related to treatment), and respiratory failure (14 [6%]). 95 people died in the safety analysis set, of which seven deaths were judged possibly or probably related to treatment (pulmonary embolism [200 mg/day], respiratory failure [120 mg/day], haemoptysis [80 mg/day], intracranial haemorrhage [20 mg/day], ventricular fibrillation [120 mg/day], septic shock [80 mg/day], and neutropenia [120 mg/day]). An exposure-related increase in inhibition of FLT3 phosphorylation was noted with increasing concentrations in plasma of gilteritinib. In-vivo inhibition of FLT3 phosphorylation occurred at all dose levels. At least 90% of FLT3 phosphorylation inhibition was seen by day 8 in most patients receiving a daily dose of 80 mg or higher. 100 (40%) of 249 patients in the full analysis set achieved a response, with 19 (8%) achieving complete remission, ten (4%) complete remission with incomplete platelet recovery, 46 (18%) complete remission with incomplete haematological recovery, and 25 (10%) partial remission. Gilteritinib had a favourable safety profile and showed consistent FLT3 inhibition in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia. These findings confirm that FLT3 is a high-value target for treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia; based on activity data, gilteritinib at 120 mg/day is being tested in phase 3 trials. Astellas Pharma, National Cancer Institute (Leukemia Specialized Program of Research Excellence grant), Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro.

The incidence of recurrence after curative resection among patients with stage IB, II, or IIIA non–small-cell lung cancer is high and is only slightly lower with adjuvant chemotherapy. A randomized trial of adjuvant osimertinib involving patients with EGFR mutation–positive NSCLC showed a substantial decrease in recurrence. Central nervous system relapses were also significantly reduced.

Osimertinib was compared with standard EGFR blockers among patients with non–small-cell lung cancer with activating mutations in EGFR . The median overall survival was 38.6 months with osimertinib and 31.8 months with erlotinib or gefitinib. This 20% lower risk of death was noted despite the crossover of patients from standard therapy to osimertinib during subsequent therapy.

The C5a receptor inhibitor avacopan was superior to a tapering schedule of prednisone with respect to remission of ANCA-associated vasculitis at 52 weeks. There were fewer glucocorticoid-associated adverse events in the avacopan group than in the prednisone group, and serious infections did not differ substantially between the two groups.

Oral use of the selective FLT3 kinase inhibitor gilteritinib in patients who had relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3 mutations led to a median overall survival of 9.3 months (vs. 5.6 months with standard chemotherapy) and complete remission with full or partial hematologic recovery in 34.0% of patients (vs. 15.3%).

Among patients with EGFR -mutated lung cancer after chemoradiotherapy, 65% of patients who received osimertinib were alive without progression at 2 years, as compared with 13% of those who received placebo.

In EGFR -mutated non–small-cell lung cancer, first-line osimertinib plus platinum–pemetrexed extended overall survival to 47.5 months, as compared with 37.6 months with osimertinib alone, but increased the risk of adverse events.

The therapeutic landscape of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has profoundly changed over the past 7 years. Most patients with chronic phase (CP) now have a normal life expectancy. Another goal is achieving a stable deep molecular response (DMR) and discontinuing medication for treatment-free remission (TFR). The European LeukemiaNet convened an expert panel to critically evaluate and update the evidence to achieve these goals since its previous recommendations. First-line treatment is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI; imatinib brand or generic, dasatinib, nilotinib, and bosutinib are available first-line). Generic imatinib is the cost-effective initial treatment in CP. Various contraindications and side-effects of all TKIs should be considered. Patient risk status at diagnosis should be assessed with the new EUTOS long-term survival (ELTS)-score. Monitoring of response should be done by quantitative polymerase chain reaction whenever possible. A change of treatment is recommended when intolerance cannot be ameliorated or when molecular milestones are not reached. Greater than 10% BCR-ABL1 at 3 months indicates treatment failure when confirmed. Allogeneic transplantation continues to be a therapeutic option particularly for advanced phase CML. TKI treatment should be withheld during pregnancy. Treatment discontinuation may be considered in patients with durable DMR with the goal of achieving TFR.

This final analysis from the phase 4 BYOND trial reports outcomes with bosutinib in patients with previously treated chronic myeloid leukemia (CML); 163 patients with CML resistant/intolerant to previous tyrosine kinase inhibitors received bosutinib (starting dose: 500 mg QD). At study completion (median follow-up, 47.8 months), 48.1% ( n  = 75/156) of patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic phase CML were still receiving treatment. Among evaluable patients, 71.8% (95% CI, 63.9–78.9) and 59.7% (95% CI, 51.4–67.7) attained or maintained major molecular response (MMR) and molecular response (MR) 4 , respectively, at any time on treatment. The majority of patients achieved a deeper molecular response relative to baseline while on bosutinib. Kaplan-Meier probabilities (95% CI) of maintaining MMR and MR 4 at 36 months were 87.2% (78.0–92.7) and 80.7% (69.4–88.1), respectively. At 48 months, the Kaplan-Meier overall survival rate was 88.3% (95% CI, 81.8–92.6); there were 17 deaths, including 2 that were considered CML related. Long-term adverse events (AEs) were consistent with the known safety profile of bosutinib, and no new safety issues were identified. The management of AEs through dose reduction maintained efficacy while improving tolerability. These results support the use of bosutinib in patients with previously treated CML. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02228382

BackgroundIn the global FLAURA study, first-line osimertinib, a third-generation irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) versus comparator EGFR TKIs in patients with EGFR mutation-positive (EGFRm) advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).ObjectiveThe FLAURA China study assessed first-line osimertinib in Chinese patients with EGFRm advanced NSCLC (NCT02296125).MethodsFLAURA China was a double-blind, randomized, phase III study. Adults from mainland China with previously untreated EGFRm (Exon 19 deletion or L858R) advanced NSCLC were enrolled in the global study or a China-only study under the same protocol; 136 patients were randomized to osimertinib (80 mg once daily [od]; n = 71) or comparator EGFR TKI (gefitinib or erlotinib; all sites selected gefitinib 250 mg od; n = 65). Patients were randomized and allocated to treatment groups by a central computer system. Treatment continued until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed PFS; OS was a secondary endpoint.ResultsAll 136 randomized patients were analyzed. Osimertinib extended median PFS by 8.0 months versus comparator EGFR TKI (17.8 vs. 9.8 months; hazard ratio [HR] 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37–0.85). Median OS was 33.1 months in the osimertinib group versus 25.7 months in the comparator group (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.56–1.29). At 3 years, 20% of patients on osimertinib and 8% on the comparator remained on randomized treatment. Grade 3 or higher adverse events (AEs) were reported in 54 and 28% of patients in the osimertinib and comparator groups, respectively, driven by increased local reporting of laboratory- and disease-related AEs. No new safety signals were identified.ConclusionsFirst-line osimertinib treatment resulted in a clinically meaningful PFS and OS benefit versus comparator EGFR TKI in Chinese patients with EGFRm advanced NSCLC. Safety data were consistent with the known safety profile of osimertinib.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02296125, registered 20 November 2014