MEK114653: A randomized, multicenter, phase II study to assess efficacy and safety
of trametinib (T) compared with docetaxel (D) in KRAS-mutant advanced non–small
cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
George R. Blumenschein, Egbert F. Smit, David Planchard, Dong-Wan Kim, Jacques Cadranel,
Tommaso De Pas, Frank Dunphy, Katalin Udud, Myung-Ju Ahn, Nasser H. Hanna, Joo-Hang Kim,
Julien Mazieres, Sang-We Kim, Paul Baas, Erica Rappold, Suman Redhu, Kevin M. Bellew,
Michael R. W. Streit, Frank S. Wu, Pasi A. Janne; Department of Thoracic Head and Neck Medical
Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; VU University Medical
Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif,
France; Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea; Service
de Pneumologie and GRC-04 Theranoscan, Pierre et Marie Curie Université, Hôpital Tenon, Paris,
France; European Institute of Oncology, Milano, Italy; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC;
Korányi National Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Medicine, Division of
Hematology-Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul,
South Korea; Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN; Department of
Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yonsei Cancer Research Institute, Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul,
South Korea; Hôpital Larrey CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Department of Oncology, Asan Medical
Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; Netherlands Cancer Institute,
Amsterdam, Netherlands; GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Background: KRAS mutations are detected in 25% of NSCLC, and there are no approved targeted therapies
for this subset of NSCLC. D, an approved second-line treatment for NSCLC, has a response rate of , 10%.
T is a reversible, highly selective allosteric inhibitor of MEK1/2 activation and kinase activity. This phase
II trial (NCT01362296) evaluated the efficacy of T vs D in pts with advanced KRAS-mutant NSCLC who
had received prior platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods: Pts were randomized 2:1 to T (2 mg QD) or D
(75 mg/m2
IV every 3 weeks) and stratified by type of mutational status and gender. Crossover to the other
arm after progressive disease was allowed. Primary endpoint was PFS in pts with KRAS-mutant NSCLC
(modified ITT; mITT). Secondary endpoints were OS, ORR, duration of response, and safety. PFS and OS
were compared using a stratified log-rank test. The trial was stopped early for futility at a planned interim
analysis; 92 PFS events were reported at the time of study termination. Results: Between September 2011
and July 2012, 134 pts were randomized to T (89) or D (45); 129 pts had KRAS-mutant NSCLC. Mean age
was 61.4 y and 53% were male. In the mITT, 61/86 pts (71%) on T and 31/43 (72%) on D had a PFS event.
HR for PFS was 1.14 (95% CI, 0.75-1.75; P 5 .5197) with a median PFS of 11.7 vs 11.4 wk for T vs D.
ORR was 12% for T (10/86) and for D (5/43). With 27 (31%) deaths on T and 15 (35%) on D, HR for OS
was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.52-1.83; P5 .934). Five fatal SAEs were reported during treatment with T but none
with D; 1 unspecified death was considered related to T. Frequent AEs reported with T were rash (59%),
diarrhea (47%), nausea (34%), hypertension (34%), and dyspnea (33%). Grade 3/4 AEs with T were
hypertension (16%/0), dyspnea (7%/3%), rash (6%/3%), diarrhea (6%/0), and asthenia (6%/0). Rate of
treatment related SAEs was 15% with T and 12% with D.
Conclusions: T did not improve PFS in pts with KRAS-mutation–positive NSCLC compared with D. However, an ORR of 12% for T in KRAS-mutant NSCLC suggests that an effort to better identify responsive mutations is warranted. The safety profile did not favor T, but is, in general, consistent with the overall T safety profile. Clinical trial information NCT01362296. |