Background: Apatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that selectively inhibits the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. A weighted pooled analysis was performed to evaluate the clinical outcome, efficacy, and toxicity of apatinib in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that failed prior treatment with chemotherapy or epidermal growth factor receptor-TKIs (EGFR-TKIs).
Methods: The literature published in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases was searched (from inception to November 30, 2017) for eligible trials using the following search terms: apatinib AND (lung cancer OR NSCLC). Meeting abstracts were also reviewed to identify appropriate studies. Inclusion criteria were as follows: prospective or retrospective studies that evaluated efficacy and/or safety of apatinib in patients with advanced NSCLC that failed prior chemotherapy or EGFR-TKIs; primary outcome included one of these endpoints, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), or adverse events (AEs); English language; and number of cases in the study ≥10 cases.
Results: A total of 457 patients with advanced NSCLC were treated with apatinib in 14 studies (10 retrospective and 4 prospective studies) and were included in this pooled analysis. The pooled median PFS was 4.77 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.11-5.00] in all groups, 4.80 months (95% CI, 4.65-4.95) in the 750 mg apatinib (high-dose) group, and 3.88 months (95% CI, 3.11-4.65) in the 250 to 500 mg apatinib (low-dose) group. Median PFS stratified by single apatinib therapy or apatinib combined with continuous EGFR-TKIs was 4.76 months (95% CI, 3.66-5.06) and 5.20 months (95% CI, 3.66-6.74), respectively. The pooled median OS, ORR, and DCR values were 6.85 months, 18%, and 72%, respectively; pooled median ORR and DCR were 15% and 72% in the 750 mg apatinib group versus 20% and 72% in the 250 to 500 mg apatinib group. ORR and DCR stratified by therapeutic regimens were 14% and 70% for single-agent apatinib, 29% and 88% for apatinib combined with continuous EGFR-TKIs, and 26% and 63% for apatinib combined with chemotherapy, respectively. The pooled AE rates of grade 3/4 were hypertension (7%), proteinuria (3%), hand-foot-skin reaction (6%), fatigue (4%), decreased appetite (1.1%), oral mucositis (3%), and thrombocytopenia (3%).
Conclusion: Apatinib has promising antitumor activity and manageable toxicity profile in patients with advanced NSCLC that failed prior chemotherapy or EGFR-TKIs. This result needs to be confirmed through the ongoing Phase III clinical trial.