Switch maintenance treatment with oral vinorelbine and bevacizumab after induction chemotherapy with cisplatin, gemcitabine and bevacizumab in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II study

The present study evaluated the efficacy and safety of cisplatin (Cis), gemcitabine (Gem) and bevacizumab (Bev), followed by maintenance treatment with Bev and oral vinorelbine (Vnb), in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The patients were administered six cycles of induction chemotherapy consisting of intravenously (i.v.) Cis 70 mg/m² on day 1 plus i.v. Gem 1000 mg/m² on days 1 and 8, plus i.v. Bev 7.5 mg/kg on day 1, every 3 weeks. Patients who did not experience tumor progression remained on maintenance treatment with Bev combined with oral Vnb 60 mg/m² weekly until occurrence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Thirty-seven patients were enrolled: The median age was 67 years (range 38–81); 22 patients were male, and 30 patients had stage IV tumors. The response rate was 32.4 % (95 % CI 18–49.7). The 9-month disease-control rate was 45.9 %. The median PFS was 8.4 months (95 % CI 4.4–10.7), and the median OS was 18.1 months (95 % CI 15.3–20.8 months). Grade 3–4 neutropenia occurred in 6 (16.2 %) patients and grade 3–4 thrombocytopenia in four (10.8 %) patients during induction chemotherapy. Bev- or Vnb-associated toxicities were mild. Switch maintenance treatment with Bev and oral Vnb after first-line Cis, Gem and Bev is feasible in patients with non-squamous NSCLC and may achieve encouraging results in terms of PFS and OS.