Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a rapidly proliferating, neuroendocrine tumor that accounts for about 15% of all lung cancers. Most patients have metastases at primary diagnosis involving sites like bone, adrenal glands, liver and brain. Compared with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) SCLC has a unique natural history with a shorter doubling time, higher growth fraction, earlier development of widespread metastases, and uniform initial response to chemo- or radiotherapy. The combination of cis- or carboplatin and etoposide is the standard of care in the first-line treatment of stage IV (extensive-disease) SCLC (ED-SCLC). Despite response rates of 50-80%, most patients relapse within six months and the median survival time is less than 10 months. Between 14 and 23% of SCLC patients develop brain metastases. New cytotoxic agents as well as targeted therapies have not been able to show any improvement of survival in this group of patients. Early phase trials of PD 1/PD L1-blocking immunotherapeutic agents in patients with recurrent or ED SCLC have shown promising response rates and good tolerability. Immunotherapy may also contribute to the efficacy of systemic treatment by maintaining initial responses to chemotherapy. A double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial indicates that the addition of atezolizumab to standard chemotherapy significantly improves overall survival and progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy alone in treatment-naïve patients with ED-SCLC who are in good general condition (ECOG 0 or 1). However, about one in three SCLC patients has a poor performance status (ECOG≥2), which is associated with even shorter survival times of under eight months. At present, there is little information regarding the feasibility, safety and efficacy of adding atezolizumab to standard chemotherapy for this considerable fraction of patients. The investigators expect, that atezolizumab in addition to chemotherapy is feasible in patients with stage IV SCLC and reduced performance status and therefore crucial efficacy data can be acquired in this trial to evaluate a putative Phase III transition in this particular patient population.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
70
1200 mg i.v. on day 1 of each cycle
Klinikum Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt, Austria
Universitätsklinikum Krems
Krems, Austria
Karl Landsteiner Institut für Lungenforschung und Pneumologische Onkologie c/o Wilhelminenspital der Stadt Wien
Vienna, Austria
St. Josef Hospital
Bochum, Germany
Klinikum Esslingen GmbH
Esslingen am Neckar, Germany
Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Niels-Stensen-Kliniken
Georgsmarienhütte, Germany
LungenClinic Grosshansdorf GmbH
Großhansdorf, Germany
Krankenhaus Martha-Maria Halle-Dölau
Halle, Germany
Asklepios Klinik Altona
Hamburg, Germany
...and 9 more locations
Overall survival (OS)
OS is defined as the length of time from first dose of experimental IMP (or first dose of chemotherapy, whichever occurs first) to the date of death. A subject who has not died will be censored at last known date alive.
Time frame: Measured from first dose of experimental IMP (or first dose of chemotherapy, whichever occurs first) through study completion, an average of one year.
Objective response rate (ORR) (RECIST 1.1)
ORR is defined as the proportion of All Treated Subjects whose best overall response (BOR) from baseline is either a CR or PR per RECIST 1.1 criteria. BOR is determined by the best response designation recorded between the base-line assessment (must precede the date of first dose of IMP) and the date of objectively documented progression. For subjects without documented progression, all available response designations will contribute to the BOR determination. Among All Treated Subjects the ORR (based on investigator assessments according to RECIST 1.1) will be summarized by binomial response rates and their corresponding two-sided 95% exact CIs using Clopper-Pearson method.
Time frame: Starting from Screening up to an average of one year.
Progression-free suvival (PFS)
PFS is defined as the time from first dose of IMP to the date of the first documented tumor progression, based on investigator assessments (per RECIST 1.1), or death due to any cause.
Time frame: Starting from Screening up to an average of one year.
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent adverse events, serious adverse events and laboratory abnormalities leading to treatment discontinuation
The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events, serious adverse events and laboratory abnormalities leading to treatment discontinuation will be used as an indicator for safety and tolerability of the IMP. Toxicities in these incidents will be graded using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0.
Time frame: Starting from Screening up to an average of one year.
Quality of life (EORTC-QLQ-C30)
QoL questionnaires (EORTC-QLQ-C30, i.e. European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer - Quality of Life Questionnaire with 30 questions for patients with cancer) will be analyzed according to the respective recommendations and manuals (scoring and interpretation materials) issued by the creators of the instruments. Patients have to answer 28 questions from "not at all" (1) to "very much" (4), where lower scores mean a better outcome. The last two questions range from "very poor" (1) to "excellent" (7), where higher scores mean a better outcome.
Time frame: Starting from Screening up to an average of one year.
Quality of life (PRO-CTCAE)
QoL questionnaires (PRO-CTCAE, i.e. Patient Reported Outcome - Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) will be analyzed according to the respective recommendations and manuals (scoring and interpretation materials) issued by the creators of the instruments. Patients have to answer 22 questions either ranging from "none", "mild", "moderate", "severe" to "very severe" or from "not at all", "a little bit", "somewhat", "quite a bit" to "very much". Lower values mean a better outcome.
Time frame: Starting from Screening up to an average of one year.
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