title: Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin with or without erlotinib in advanced biliary-tract cancer: a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine and a platinum-based agent is regarded as a standard treatment for patients with advanced biliary-tract cancer. Results of phase 2 trials of single-agent erlotinib in biliary-tract cancer and of gemcitabine plus erlotinib in pancreatic cancer have shown modest benefits. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin plus erlotinib versus chemotherapy alone for advanced biliary-tract cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this open label, randomised, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients (in a 1:1 ratio) with metastatic biliary-tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, or ampulla of Vater cancer) to receive either first-line treatment with chemotherapy alone (gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) on day 1 and oxaliplatin 100 mg/m(2) on day 2) or chemotherapy plus erlotinib (100 mg daily). Treatment was repeated every 2 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxic effects. Randomisation was done centrally (stratified by participating centre and presence of measurable lesion). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. Analyses were by intention-to-treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01149122.
  
  
  RESULTS
  133 patients were randomly assigned to the chemotherapy alone group and 135 to the chemotherapy plus erlotinib group. The groups were balanced except for a higher proportion of patients with cholangiocarcinoma in the group given erlotinib than in the chemotherapy alone group (96 [71%] patients vs 84 [63%]). Median progression-free survival was 4·2 months (95% CI 2·7-5·7) in the chemotherapy alone group and 5·8 months (95% CI 4·6-7·0) in the chemotherapy plus erlotinib group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·80, 95% CI 0·61-1·03; p=0·087). Significantly more patients had an objective response in the chemotherapy plus erlotinib group than in the chemotherapy alone group (40 patients vs 21 patients; p=0·005), but median overall survival was the same in both groups (9·5 months [95% CI 7·5-11·5] in the chemotherapy alone group and 9·5 months [7·6-11·4] in the chemotherapy plus erlotinib group; HR 0·93, 0·69-1·25; p=0·611). All-cause deaths within 30 days of random assignment occurred in one (1%) of the patients in the chemotherapy alone group and in four (3%) of those in the chemotherapy plus erlotinib group. The most common grade 3-4 adverse event was febrile neutropenia (eight [6%] patients in the chemotherapy alone group and six [4%] in the chemotherapy plus erlotinib group). No patient died of treatment-related causes during the study. Subgroup analyses by primary site of disease showed that for patients with cholangiocarcinoma, the addition of erlotinib to chemotherapy significantly prolonged median progression-free survival (5·9 months [95% CI 4·7-7·1] for chemotherapy plus erlotinib vs 3·0 months [1·1-4·9] for chemotherapy alone; HR 0·73, 95% CI 0·53-1·00; p=0·049).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although no significant difference in progression-free survival was noted between groups, the addition of erlotinib to gemcitabine and oxaliplatin showed antitumour activity and might be a treatment option for patients with cholangiocarcinoma.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  None.
authors.affiliation: Division of Haematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Centre, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jeeyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Se Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Heung-Moon
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Jun Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hye Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Myung Ah
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joung Soon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Joung Soon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Hei Cheul
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Jeung
authors.forename: Jung Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyun Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dong Bok
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Hye Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jong-Mu
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Joon Oh
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Suk
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Won Ki
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Ho Yeong
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D005260:Female; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077150:Oxaliplatin; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D011799:Quinazolines; D000077150:Oxaliplatin; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D000093542:Gemcitabine