Phase III double-blind, placebo-controlled study of thalidomide in extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer after response to chemotherapy: an intergroup study FNCLCC cleo04 IFCT 00-01.

PURPOSE: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study aimed to determine whether thalidomide prolongs survival of patients with extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred nineteen patients received two courses of etoposide, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and 4'-epidoxorubicin (PCDE). Responder patients who had recovered from chemotherapy toxicity were randomly assigned to receive four additional PCDE cycles plus thalidomide (400 mg daily) or placebo.

RESULTS: After the first two PCDE cycles, objective response rate was 81.5%, and 92 patients were randomly assigned to placebo (n = 43) or thalidomide (n = 49). Median exposure duration to placebo was 4.5 months, and median exposure to thalidomide was 4.9 months. Patients treated with thalidomide had a longer survival compared with patients who received placebo, although the difference was not statistically significant (minimal follow-up, 3 years; median survival time, 11.7 v 8.7 months, respectively; log-rank test: hazard ratio [HR] = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.12; P = .16). Patients with a performance status (PS) of 1 or 2 who received thalidomide had a significantly longer survival (HR = 0.59; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.92; P = .02). The disease also progressed slower in patients with PS of 1 or 2 receiving thalidomide (HR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.87; P = .02), whereas the difference did not reach statistical significance for the whole population (HR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.12; P = .15). Neuropathy occurred more frequently in the thalidomide group compared with the placebo group (33% v 12%, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Treatment with thalidomide was not associated with a significant improvement in survival of SCLC patients. There was pronounced heterogeneity in survival outcomes between groups of patients. Some benefit was observed among patients with a PS of 1 or 2 (exploratory analyses), deserving further studies targeting angiogenesis in this disease.