Tislelizumab versus chemotherapy as second-line treatment for European and North American patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a subgroup analysis of the randomized phase III RATIONALE-302 study.

Ajani, Jaffer;El Hajbi, Farid;Cunningham, David;Alsina, Maria;Van Cutsem, Eric;et.al.
(2024) ESMO Open — Vol. 9, n° 1, p. 102202 [1-9] (2024)

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Authors
  • Ajani, Jaffer
    Author
  • El Hajbi, Farid
    Author
  • Cunningham, David
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  • Alsina, Maria
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  • Van den Eynde, MarcUCLouvain
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  • Van Cutsem, Eric
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: The phase III RATIONALE-302 study evaluated tislelizumab, an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 antibody, as second-line (2L) treatment for advanced/metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This prespecified exploratory analysis investigated outcomes in patients from Europe and North America (Europe/North America subgroup). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with tumor progression during/after first-line systemic treatment were randomized 1 : 1 to open-label tislelizumab or investigator's choice of chemotherapy (paclitaxel, docetaxel, or irinotecan). RESULTS: The Europe/North America subgroup comprised 108 patients (tislelizumab: n = 55; chemotherapy: n = 53). Overall survival (OS) was prolonged with tislelizumab versus chemotherapy (median: 11.2 versus 6.3 months), with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.55 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35-0.87]; HR was similar irrespective of programmed death-ligand 1 score [≥10%: 0.47 (95% CI 0.18-1.21); <10%: 0.55 (95% CI 0.30-1.01)]. Median progression-free survival was 2.3 versus 2.7 months with tislelizumab versus chemotherapy [HR: 0.97 (95% CI 0.64-1.47)]. Overall response rate was greater with tislelizumab (20.0%) versus chemotherapy (11.3%), with more durable response (median duration of response: 5.1 versus 2.1 months). Tislelizumab had a favorable safety profile versus chemotherapy, with fewer patients experiencing ≥grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (13.0% versus 51.0%). Those on tislelizumab experienced less deterioration in health-related quality of life, physical functioning, and/or disease- and treatment-related symptoms (i.e. fatigue, pain, and eating problems) as compared to those on chemotherapy, per the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and QLQ-OES18 scores. CONCLUSIONS: As a 2L therapy for advanced/metastatic ESCC, tislelizumab improved OS and had a favorable safety profile as compared to chemotherapy in European/North American ESCC patients in the randomized phase III RATIONALE-302 study.
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Ajani, J., El Hajbi, F., Cunningham, D., Alsina, M., Thuss-Patience, P., Scagliotti, G. V., Van den Eynde, M., Kim, S.-B., Kato, K., Shen, L., Li, L., Ding, N., Shi, J., Barnes, G., & Van Cutsem, E. (2024). Tislelizumab versus chemotherapy as second-line treatment for European and North American patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a subgroup analysis of the randomized phase III RATIONALE-302 study. ESMO Open, 9(1), 102202 [1-9]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esmoop.2023.102202 (Original work published 2024)