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Lenvatinib Active in Unresectable, Metastatic Thymic Carcinoma
Lenvatinib demonstrated activity and manageable safety in treating advanced thymic carcinoma and could become a standard treatment option, according to results of the phase 2 REMORA trial (Lancet Oncol. 2020 June. Epub ahead of print).
“Thymic carcinoma is a rare malignant disease and standard treatment for advanced or metastatic thymic carcinoma previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy has not been established,” Jun Sato, MD, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, and co-investigators explained on the purpose of the REMORA trial.
The researchers aimed to determine the safety and activity of lenvatinib as second-line treatment for patients with thymic carcinoma.
A total of 42 patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic thymic carcinoma were enrolled between April 2017 and February 2018. To qualify, patients needed to be aged at least 20 years, have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 or 1, and have at least 1 measurable lesion as defined by RECIST v1.1.
The primary end point was objective response rate, evaluated by independent central review.
The median follow-up period was 15.5 months. Out of 42 patients, 16 (38%) had a partial response and 24 (57%) has stable disease. The objective response rate was 38%.
Hypertension (64%) and palmar-plantar erythrodysaesthesia syndrome (7%) were the most frequently reported grade 3 treatment-related adverse events. No treatment-related deaths occurred.
Dr Sato et al determined that these data confirmed the activity and safety of lenvatinib in patients with advanced or metastatic thymic carcinoma.
“These results suggest that lenvatinib could become a standard treatment option for patients with previously treated advanced or metastatic thymic carcinoma,” they concluded.—Kaitlyn Manasterski
