Dual Inhibition of EGFR With Afatinib and Cetuximab in the Treatment of Advanced Squamous Cell Cancers of the Head and Neck

Single-Arm Phase II Trial of Dual Inhibition of EGFR With Afatinib and Cetuximab With Correlative Studies in the Treatment of Advanced Squamous Cell Cancers of the Head and Neck

This is a single arm Phase II study for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, who are previously treated with a platinum based regimen or with an immune checkpoint inhibitor. The primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of cetuximab and afatinib.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Squamous Cell Cancers of the Head and Neck
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: cetuximab; Drug: afatinib

Detailed Description

This study will be a multicenter, single-arm, open-label Phase II trial. Patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, who are previously treated with a platinum based regimen or with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy or both, will be eligible for participation on the study. After a baseline evaluation and biopsy (where feasible), they will be treated with weekly/bi-weekly intravenous cetuximab and daily oral afatinib. Biopsy will be repeated where feasible after 4 weeks (window of +1 week) on therapy and again at disease progression or end of treatment.

Treatment will continue until disease progression or development of Grade 3 or higher drug related toxicities that fail to resolve to Grade 2 despite appropriate supportive care.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 50
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Cindy Voghell; Phone Number: 203-737-4784; Email: cynthia.voghell@yale.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Connecticut
    • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06520-8028
      • Recruiting
      • Yale Cancer Center
      • Contact: Clinical Trials Office; Phone Number: 203-785-5702
      • Principal Investigator: Aarti Bhatia, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck that is metastatic, recurrent or locally advanced and not treatable with curative intent.
• Previous treatment with a platinum-based regimen or immune checkpoint inhibitor or both.2-week washout period prior to treatment start will be required.
• Patients who have experienced progression of disease within 6 months following completion of a platinum-based chemoradiation in the definitive or adjuvant setting will be permitted.
• Prior cetuximab permitted if it was given as part of multi-modality therapy for initial treatment of locally advanced disease.
• Measurable disease based on RECIST v 1.1. Baseline measurements and evaluations must be obtained within 4 weeks of enrollment. Disease in previously irradiated sites is considered measurable if there has been unequivocal disease progression or biopsy-proven residual carcinoma following radiation therapy.
• ECOG performance status ≤2
• Adequate organ function, defined as all of the following:
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dl.
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1000 / mm3.
• Platelet count ≥75,000 / mm3.
• Estimated creatinine clearance > 45ml / min.
• Total Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of (institutional/central) normal (Patients with Gilbert's syndrome total bilirubin must be ≤4 times institutional upper limit of normal).
• Aspartate amino transferase (AST) or alanine amino transferase (ALT) ≤ three times the upper limit of (institutional/central) normal (ULN) (if related to liver metastases ≤ five times ULN).
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent that is consistent with ICH-GCP guidelines.
• Negative urine or serum pregnancy test for women of childbearing potential

Exclusion Criteria:

• Prior erlotinib, gefitinib or lapatinib therapy or prior exposure to any investigational EGFR or panErbB reversible or irreversible inhibitor or any prior panitumumab or investigational EGFR-directed monoclonal antibody.
• Radiotherapy within 2 weeks prior to enrollment. Palliative radiation to target organs may be allowed up to 2 weeks prior to enrollment, as long as there are other target lesions that can be monitored for response to study treatment.
• Known hypersensitivity to afatinib or its excipients
• Women of child-bearing potential (WOCBP) and men who are able to father a child, unwilling to be abstinent or use highly effective methods of birth control prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation and for at least 4 weeks after treatment has ended.
• Women who are pregnant, nursing, or who plan to become pregnant while in the trial.
• Any history of or concomitant condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would compromise the patient's ability to comply with the study or interfere with the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of the test drug.
• Concomitant malignancies at other sites that are being actively treated with systemic therapy
• Requiring treatment with any of the prohibited concomitant medications that cannot be stopped for the duration of trial participation.
• Clinically significant interstitial lung disease.
• Known history of untreated viral hepatitis or HIV.
• Patients with parenchymal brain metastases are not eligible, unless they have completed local therapy
• Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: All subjects; Advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region, having previously been treated on a platinum based regimen or with an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Subjects will receive Afatinib dose 30 mg per day and weekly/bi-weekly intravenous cetuximab.

Drug: cetuximab; 30-60 minutes after the recommended pre-medications, cetuximab will be administered intravenously at a dose of 400mg/m2 on cycle 1, day 1 of treatment (loading dose) and at a dose of 250mg/m2 every 7 days (+/- 1 day) thereafter. Alternatively, patients can be treated at a dose of 500mg/m2 every 14 days (+/- 2 days).; Other Names: Erbitux; Drug: afatinib; Patients will take a single oral dose of afatinib each day at a dose of 30 mg. Afatinib dose will not be escalated beyond the 30 mg daily oral dose; dose reductions of afatinib can occur to manage treatment related adverse events.; Other Names: GIOTRIF or GILOTRIF

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Tumor shrinkage	Objective Response Rate (Complete Response + Partial Response), defined by tumor shrinkage (mm), per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1.	Disease progression or end of treatment (up to 2 years)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression-free survival in weeks	We will use Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to estimate the median PFS in the cohort.	1 year follow-up
Overall survival in months	Measured by a monthly phone calls. We will use Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to estimate the median and OS in the cohort.	1 year follow-up
Duration of response in weeks		1 year follow-up
Toxicity assessed with National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.0		Up to 2.5 years

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Exploratory biomarker analysis	Analysis of tumor-tissue from biopsies obtained at baseline, after four weeks of treatment with the combination, and again at disease progression or end of treatment	Up to 2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Yale University
• Collaborators: Boehringer Ingelheim; National Comprehensive Cancer Network
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Aarti Bhatia, MD, MPH, Yale University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 24, 2017
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 29, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 29, 2016
• First Posted (Estimated): December 2, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 4, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 3, 2023
• Last Verified: October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Carcinoma; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Enzyme Inhibitors; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Cetuximab; Afatinib
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1608018260

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No