Apatinib in patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer after second-line or third-line chemotherapy: a phase II, single-arm, multicentre, prospective study

BACKGROUND: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains an aggressive cancer with short-term survival due to limited therapeutic options. Apatinib is a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that selectively inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of apatinib in patients with extensive-stage (EC) SCLC who had progressed after two or three previous therapies. METHODS: Eligible patients were histologically confirmed ES-SCLC after two or three previous treatments, including a platinum-based regimen. Patients received apatinib at an initial dose of 500 mg once daily. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate. RESULTS: Forty patients were enrolled. At the data cut-off time (November 15, 2018), the median follow-up was 7.4 months; no patients remained on treatment, and five were still in follow-up. An objective response was achieved in 7 of 40 patients (17.5%) in the intention-to-treat population, and 7 of 38 patients (18.4%) in the per-protocol population. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.0 months and 5.8 months, respectively. The most commonly observed grade 3 or greater treatment-related adverse events were hypertension, hand-foot syndrome, increased L-gamma-glutamyltransferase. CONCLUSIONS: Apatinib exhibited efficacy and an acceptable safety profile in previously heavily-treated ES-SCLC patients. Further exploration of apatinib in phase III trials is warranted.