局限期小细胞肺癌(LS-SCLC)是一种以预后不良为主要特点的高度侵袭性肿瘤。同步放化疗(CCRT)仍然是其标准治疗手段,其高复发率和较差的长期生存率凸显了对新型治疗方法的迫切需求。近年来,以免疫检查点抑制剂(ICIs)为代表的免疫疗法的引入,为LS-SCLC的治疗开辟了新的途径。
局限期小细胞肺癌(LS-SCLC)是一种以预后不良为主要特点的高度侵袭性肿瘤。同步放化疗(CCRT)仍然是其标准治疗手段,其高复发率和较差的长期生存率凸显了对新型治疗方法的迫切需求。近年来,以免疫检查点抑制剂(ICIs)为代表的免疫疗法的引入,为LS-SCLC的治疗开辟了新的途径。
在2025年美国临床肿瘤学年会(2025 ASCO)上,来自挪威圣奥拉夫医院的Bjørn Henning Grønberg教授团队主持开展的一项探究同步放化疗(CRT)后阿替利珠单抗是否可延长局限期小细胞肺癌(LS-SCLC)患者生存的随机II期临床研究成果入选LBA。《肿瘤瞭望》特邀Bjorn Henning Gronberg教授现场解读该项研究成果、分享LS-SCLC领域免疫治疗临床实践现状及未来展望。特此整理,以飨读者。
专家简介
Bjørn Henning Grønberg教授
挪威特隆赫姆大学医院圣奥拉夫医院肿瘤科医生
挪威科技大学临床与分子医学系教授
挪威危及生命疾病患者医学专家委员会成员
挪威肺癌研究小组董事会成员
国际肺癌研究协会(IASCL)、美国临床肿瘤学会(ASCO)、欧洲肿瘤内科学会(ESMO)成员
研究介绍
摘要号:LBA8005
英文标题:Randomized phase II trial investigating whether atezolizumab after chemoradiotherapy(CRT)prolongs survival in limited stage(LS)small cell lung cancer(SCLC).
探究放化疗(CRT)后阿替利珠单抗是否延长局限期小细胞肺癌(LS-SCLC)患者生存的随机II期试验
研究背景
大多数局限期小细胞肺癌(LS-SCLC)患者在接受潜在治愈性同步放化疗(CRT)后会复发,因此需要更优的治疗方案。免疫治疗可延长广泛期小细胞肺癌(ES-SCLC)患者的生存,且在非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)患者接受CRT后应用亦有获益。基于此,我们开展了本项CRT后应用阿替利珠单抗(atezo)是否能延长LS-SCLC患者的生存期的临床研究。
研究方法
纳入体力状态评分(PS)0-2分、接受铂类/依托泊苷化疗联合每日两次胸部放疗(TRT,45 Gy/30次或60 Gy/40次)后未进展(PD)的患者,按1:1比例随机分配至观察组或阿替利珠单抗组(1200 mg,每3周1次,持续1年,直至疾病进展或出现不可耐受毒性)。阿替利珠单抗在CRT后3-7周开始给药。随机化按体力状态(PS 0-1 vs.2)、CRT反应(疾病稳定[SD]vs.完全/部分缓解[CR/PR])和TRT剂量(45 Gy vs.60 Gy)进行分层。CRT缓解者可接受25-30 Gy预防性脑照射(PCI),且允许在阿替利珠单抗治疗开始后进行PCI。
主要终点为总生存期(OS),次要终点包括缓解率(ORR)、无进展生存期(PFS)和毒性。为了显示2年总生存率从53%改善至66%,在单侧α水平为0.1和β为0.2的情况下,每组需要75名可评估患者。
研究结果
患者基线:2018年7月至2022年4月期间,欧洲37家医院共纳入216例患者,其中170例(78.7%)完成随机分组(阿替利珠单抗组85例,观察组85例)。中位年龄66岁,46%为女性,92%的患者PS 0-1分,82%为III期疾病。
阿替利珠单抗组与观察组的CRT客观缓解率(ORR)相近(分别为95%和94%),两组各67%的患者接受了PCI。
阿替利珠单抗的中位治疗周期数为8次(范围0-18次),2%的患者未接受治疗,35.2%完成1年疗程。停药原因包括疾病进展(n=18)、肺炎(n=8)、内分泌病变(n=3)、神经毒性(n=2)、肌炎(n=2)、其他毒性(n=9)、患者意愿(n=5)、其他疾病导致死亡(n=2)及其他原因(n=5)。因毒性停药的中位时间为2.8个月(0.1-12.1个月)。
安全性评估:随机分组后(即CRT治疗后),阿替利珠单抗组34%报告3-4级毒性事件,对照组为20%。治疗相关死亡3例(神经毒性、肺炎和肺部感染),均发生在阿替利珠单抗组。
有效性评估:中位随访45.1个月(95%CI 40.7-47.3)后,从随机分组开始计算的中位OS在阿替利珠单抗组为43.3个月(95%CI 25.1-51.2),观察组为38.8个月(95%CI 25.8-未达到)(HR 1.14,95%CI 0.76-1.72;p=0.5)。中位PFS在阿替利珠单抗组为21.1个月(95%CI 9.5-43.4),观察组为15.9个月(95%CI 10.6-23.2)(HR 0.88,95%CI 0.60-1.28,p=0.5)。
研究结论
阿替利珠单抗巩固治疗在大多数接受铂类/依托泊苷化疗及每日两次胸部放疗(BID TRT)后未进展的局限期小细胞肺癌(LS-SCLC)患者中具有耐受性,但未改善LS-SCLC患者的无进展生存期或总生存期。
肿瘤瞭望:首先,请您分享下目前局限期小细胞肺癌临床实践现状,现有治疗方案在哪些方面亟待优化?
Bjørn Henning Grønberg教授:众所周知,局限期小细胞肺癌(LS-SCLC)的治疗主要采用化疗联合放疗手段,标准治疗方案为铂类(如顺铂或卡铂)联合依托泊苷,并同步进行胸部放疗(TRT)。TRT方案包括每日两次(45 Gy/30次)或每日一次(66-70 Gy/33-35次),其中,我们发现TRT方案的选择对疗效的影响存在相当大的差异,每日一次的剂量递增方案并不能改善生存,有两项重要的中国临床研究为高剂量、加速、超分割的双日胸部放射治疗方案的临床实践提供了有力的数据支撑,结果显示与标准剂量45 Gy的同步化疗相比,采用高剂量、加速、超分割、每日两次的胸部放射治疗(同步化疗),剂量达到54Gy时可显著提高LS-SCLC中国患者的总生存率、无进展生存率和局部无进展生存率,同时毒性反应相似。这可能需要进一步验证,但就个人而言,我认为这是改善CRT的最佳方法,毕竟CRT目前仍是LS-SCLC治疗的支柱。
此外,免疫检查点抑制剂(ICIs)在广泛期小细胞肺癌(ES-SCLC)中已取得突破,但其在LS-SCLC中的应用仍较为有限。但我想这只是时间问题,相关循证医学证据已在不断积累,在我的国家挪威,该疗法已得到应用并纳入医保。
Prof.Bjørn Henning Grønberg:I think everybody agrees that platinum/etoposide is the standard chemotherapy regimen.There’s been some discussion about choice of platinum.This platinum has been preferred,but I think now we have more data suggesting that carboplatin is equally effective.I think everybody also agrees that thoracic radiotherapy(TRT)should be administered concurrently with the chemotherapy,but we see that quite a large variation in the choice of TRT schedule,I think we now know that dose escalation with once daily regimens is not improving survival that are quite solid data on those escalation by acceleration.There are two Chinese trials showing that high dose twice daily radiotherapy of 60 grade was superior to 45 grade.Probably needs a confirmation.But personally,I believe this is the best approach for improving CRT which is still the backbone in the treatment of a limited state small cell lung cancer.
Additionally,ICIs have achieved breakthroughs in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer(ES-SCLC),but their application in limited-stage disease remains limited.I guess it’s just a matter of time.I think the evidence is there.It’s already implemented and reimbursed in my country in Norway.I guess it’s just a matter of having all the approvals and there’s discussion about reimbursement.
肿瘤瞭望:伴随着ICIs在ES-SCLC中的取得进展,LS-SCLC的免疫治疗也成为研究的热点。本届ASCO,您的团队主持开展的探究放化疗(CRT)后阿替利珠单抗巩固治疗在LS-SCLC临床疗效探索研究入选LBA,请您解读下该项研究主要研究成果?
Bjørn Henning Grønberg教授:这是一项在欧洲开展的临床研究,共纳入了来自欧洲六个国家的37家医院的260例患者,均接受了铂类联合依托泊苷的化疗方案同步每日两次45~60 Gy TRT方案,患者按1:1比例随机分配至阿替利珠单抗组或对照组,治疗时间为1年。我们发现阿替利珠单抗组的中位治疗周期为8次。尽管试验组不良事件发生率更高,但未发现新的安全信号,35.2%的患者完成了1年治疗。
然而,我们未发现主要终点总生存期(OS)及无进展生存期(PFS)的获益,其中,在亚组分析中可见女性患者生存获益存在差异,随机分配至观察组的患者生存期比预期长得多,这或许能解释为何生存曲线与我们预期的有所不同。
此外,我们还发现接受卡铂治疗的患者似乎更容易从阿替利珠单抗中获益,这在阿替利珠单抗组的亚组分析中也有体现,由此提示,本研究中或许存在一些我们未知的组间不均衡因素,或为导致本研究取得阴性结果的原因。
Prof.Bjørn Henning Grønberg:This was a European trial.We enrolled 260 patients at 37 hospitals in six countries of Europe.Patients who completed platinum/etoposide chemotherapy and twice daily thoracic radiotherapy(TRT)of 45 to 60 grade were randomized 1:1 to receive either 1 year atezolizumab or observation.We saw that the median treatment period in the atezolizumab was eight infusions.There were some more adverse events in the experimental arm,but we didn’t see any new safety signals,and 35%of the patients completed 1 year of treatment.
However,we did not find the benefit in terms of overall survival,which was the primer endpoint or PFS,but looking into subgroups,we saw that there were some differences among women,their survival among the patients randomized to the observation arm was much longer than expected.And that can maybe explain why the survival curves looks a little bit different than what we expected.Furthermore,we also saw that the patients will receive carboplatin.Those patients appeared to benefit from atezolizumab.This is something that was also shown in subgroup analysis of atezo group.So maybe there are some imbalances that we do not know about.That can maybe explain why this trial was negative.
肿瘤瞭望:基于现阶段研究进展,请您分享下未来免疫治疗在LS-SCLC领域有何探索方向?
Bjørn Henning Grønberg教授:首先,我认为我们需要明确如何识别那些在接受前期治疗后病情已得到控制的患者,因为这类患者显然无需再进行免疫治疗。而在其他患者中,我认为我们需要明确可真正能从免疫治疗中获益的人群,尽管现有研究表明免疫治疗可使LS-SCLC患者获益,但可能部分患者获益甚微,甚至毫无获益,另有一些患者甚至在长期生存方面实现获益,因此我们需要从正在进行的研究中获取更长时间的随访数据。此外,我们仍需在预测性生物标志物层面不断挖掘探索。
Prof.Bjørn Henning Grønberg:First of all,I think we need to know how we can identify the patient who secured after accumulated therapy,because those patients obviously do not need immunotherapy.And then among the other patients,I think we need to understand how we can identify the patients who truly benefit from the immunotherapy.There is an effect in the overall population,but probably there’s some patients who do not benefit much and maybe not at all.And then there are some patients who truly benefit in terms of long term survival.We need longer follow up data from ongoing trials.I think we also need data from other trials that haven’t been presented yet.And then,of course we do need predictive biomarkers for the treatment of the small cell lung cancer,in general.
肿瘤瞭望:请您为我们分享下本届ASCO,您所关注的肺癌领域热点研究及话题有哪些?
Bjørn Henning Grønberg教授:首先,SCLC领域,我非常关注关于lurbinectedin联合阿替利珠单抗二线治疗晚期小细胞肺癌的安全性和有效性的研究数据,目前我们已知该研究取得阳性结果,但我认为我们仍需仔细考量该方案是否可应用于临床实践,原因在于该研究中试验组相较于对照组不良反应发生率更高。此外,非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)领域,我更关注关于探索可切除NSCLC新辅助化疗联合免疫治疗临床疗效的CheckMate-816研究的生存数据。
Prof.Bjørn Henning Grønberg:I particularly interested in small cell lung cancer,so I’m looking forward to see the data from the trial of lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab as second-line treatment for advanced small-cell lung cancer,we know that the trial is positive,but I think we need to look more at the data before we can decide whether this is something that should be offered all patients,because the was more toxicity in the experimental arm.Then other topics looking forward to see the survival data from the checkmate-816 trial on the Neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy in resectable NSCLC.So maybe those are the two highlights for me.