Quality-of-life and quality-adjusted survival (Q-TWiST) in patients receiving lapatinib in combination with paclitaxel as first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer.
BACKGROUND
In a phase 3 randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, first-line therapy with lapatinib plus paclitaxel significantly improved clinical outcomes based on a pre-planned analysis of ErbB2+ metastatic breast cancer patients (GSK Study #EGF30001; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00075270). Patients with ErbB2- or untested did not significantly benefit. This article focuses on the quality of life (QOL) and quality-adjusted survival outcomes (Q-TWiST) in the study.


METHODS
QOL was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B). Changes from baseline were analyzed using ANCOVAs, repeated measures and pattern mixture modeling. The Q-TWiST method was used to examine the trade-off between toxicities and delayed progression.


RESULTS
The study included 579 subjects, of whom 86 were ErbB2+. In the ITT population, no significant differences in QOL or Q-TWiST scores were observed. In the ErbB2+ subgroup, the lapatinib plus paclitaxel (L + P) arm demonstrated stable FACT-B scores over the first year, while average scores for patients on P + placebo (P + pla) monotherapy decreased (change from baseline: L + P, p = 0.99; P + pla, p = 0.01). Clinically meaningful differences were observed between treatment arms on the FACT-B, Trial Outcome Index and breast cancer subscale scores. Pattern mixture models suggested more QOL differentiation between treatments among patients who progressed or withdrew early. Q-TWiST differences between the arms in the ErbB2+ subgroup ranged from 2 to 15 weeks with an L + P advantage across all utility weight combinations.


CONCLUSIONS
In the ITT population, results provide no evidence of QOL differences between treatment groups. In a small, prospectively-defined subgroup of ErbB2+ patients, L + P resulted in more stable QOL and more quality-adjusted survival than paclitaxel monotherapy, representing clinically important differences between treatments.
Sherrill
Beth
B
RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. bsherrill@rti.org
Di Leo
Angelo
A
Amonkar
Mayur M
MM
Wu
Yun
Y
Zvirbule
Zanete
Z
Aziz
Zeba
Z
Bines
Jose
J
Gomez
Henry L
HL
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D000077341:Lapatinib; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D011788:Quality of Life; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases
D000077341:Lapatinib; D017239:Paclitaxel; D011799:Quinazolines; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases