(ChemotherapyAdvisor) – Patients with metastatic lung cancer and bone metastases had improved overall survival (OS) when treated with denosumab compared with zoledronic acid, results of an exploratory analysis reported in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
The study reviewed survival data for a subset of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and SCLC enrolled in a phase 3 trial of denosumab vs zoledronic acid for the treatment of bone metastases from solid tumors or multiple myeloma, reported Giorgio Scagliotti, MD, of the University of Torino, Torino, Italy. Those with breast or prostate cancer were excluded from the study.
Patients randomly received subcutaneous denosumab 120mg or intravenous zoledronic acid 4mg monthly.
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In the 811 patients with any lung cancer, median OS with denosumab (n=411) was 8.9 months vs 7.7 months for zoledronic acid (n=400)(HR 0.80; P=0.01) and, in the 702 patients with NSCLC, 9.5 months vs 8.0 months, respectively (HR 0.78; P=0.01).
When patients with NSCLC were examined by histological type, median OS with denosumab was 8.6 months vs 6.4 months for zoledronic acid in those with squamous cell carcinoma (HR 0.68; P=0.035).
Adverse events (AEs) were balanced between treatment groups; serious AEs occurred in 66.0% of patients in the denosumab arm and 72.9% in the zoledronic acid arm. Cumulative incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw was 0.7% and 8%, respectively, and rate of hypocalcemia was 8.6% and 3.8%.
