PROFILE 1007 Trial: Crizotinib vs Pemetrexed or Docetaxel in NSCLC

D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, Director, Thoracic Oncology Clinical Program, University of Colorado Cancer Center, comments on the subgroup analysis of the PROFILE 1007 trial, which looked at crizotinib versus either pemetrexed or docetaxel in patients with advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The control arm of this study (docetaxel or pemetrexed) was designed to differentiate between the two chemotherapies in this space. Though the two agents were originally thought to be nearly identical, pemetrexed stood out and performed better than docetaxel.

Patients treated with pemetrexed saw a nearly double progression-free survival rate compared to those treated with docetaxel. Pemetrexed stood out further as patients saw nearly a 30% response rate, which is unheard of for a chemotherapy in the second line, Camidge says.

Clinical Pearls

Camidge says that the superiority of pemetrexed is still under investigation.

• The PROFILE 1007 study looked at crizotinib versus either pemetrexed or docetaxel in patients with advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer
• Pemetrexed performed better than docetaxel
• The reason(s) behind the superiority of pemetrexed is still under investigation