Atezolizumab-bevacizumab combo extends survival among certain women with cervical cancer
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Key takeaways:
- Researchers observed reduced risk for disease progression and death with the investigative combination.
- Investigators reported no new safety signals by adding atezolizumab to the first-line regimen.
The addition of atezolizumab to bevacizumab and first-line chemotherapy improved PFS and OS compared with standard chemotherapy alone among women with metastatic, persistent or recurrent cervical cancer, study results showed.
Data from the phase 3 BEATcc trial — presented during a European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Plenary — demonstrated a 32% reduction in risk for death with the investigative regimen.
“BEATcc confirms the clinical benefit of combining immunosuppression inhibition with angiogenesis inhibition in persistent or recurrent cervical cancer,” Ana Oaknin, MD, head of the gynecological oncology unit at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, said during a presentation. “Adding atezolizumab to bevacizumab plus chemotherapy provides statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in PFS and OS in patients.”
Background and methodology
Researchers conducted the open-label BEATcc trial to access the efficacy and safety of adding atezolizumab (Tecentriq, Genentech) to standard chemotherapy — containing the combination of cisplatin or carboplatin with paclitaxel and bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) — among women with persistent or recurrent cervical cancer.
Researchers randomly assigned patients (n = 410) to receive 50 mg/m2 cisplatin or AUC5 carboplatin plus 175 mg/m2 paclitaxel and 15 mg/kg bevacizumab with (n = 206) or without (n = 204) 1,200 mg atezolizumab, with cycles being repeated until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Investigator-assessed PFS and OS served as the study’s primary endpoints, with secondary endpoints including objective response rate, duration of response and safety.
Results, next steps
At a median follow-up of 32.9 months, researchers observed a statistically significant improvement in both median PFS (HR = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.49–0.78) and median OS (HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.52–0.88) among patients in the atezolizumab arm, with a median treatment duration of 12.7 months for patients in the investigative arm and 8.5 months in the control arm.
Researchers reported longer median PFS (13.7 vs. 10.4 months) and median OS (32.1 vs. 22.8 months) among patients in the atezolizumab arm compared with the control arm. Investigators also noted improvements for key secondary endpoints among patients in the atezolizumab arm, including a higher objective response rate (84% vs. 72%) and longer median duration of response (13.6 vs. 8.6 months; HR = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.46–0.78).
Both study arms had a similar safety profile, with grade 3 or greater adverse events occurring in 79% of patients in the atezolizumab arm and 75% of patients in the control arm.
“Atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab added to platinum-based chemotherapy should be considered a new first-line therapy option for patients with metastatic, persistent or recurrent cervical cancer,” Oaknin said.
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Oaknin A, et al. Abstract VP5-2023. Presented at: ESMO Virtual Plenary; Nov. 3, 2023.
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