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Introduction: This randomized open-label phase II study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of pazopanib in combination with pemetrexed compared with the standard cisplatin/pemetrexed doublet in patients with previously untreated, advanced, nonsquamous non–small-cell lung cancer. Methods: Patients were randomized (2:1 ratio) to receive pemetrexed 500 mg/m 2 intravenously once every 3 weeks plus either oral pazopanib 800 mg daily or cisplatin 75 mg/m 2 intravenously once every 3 weeks up to six cycles. All patients received folic acid, vitamin B12, and steroid prophylaxis. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Results: The study was terminated after 106 of 150 patients were randomized due to a higher incidence of adverse events leading to withdrawal from the study and severe and fatal adverse events in the pazopanib/pemetrexed arm than in the cisplatin/pemetrexed arm. At the time enrolment was discontinued, there were three fatal adverse events in the pazopanib/pemetrexed arm, including ileus, tumor embolism, and bronchopneumonia/sepsis. Treatment with pazopanib/pemetrexed was discontinued resulting in more PFS data censored for patients in the pazopanib/pemetrexed arm than those in the cisplatin/pemetrexed arm. There was no statistically significant difference between the pazopanib/pemetrexed and cisplatin/pemetrexed arms for PFS (median PFS, 25.0 versus 22.9 weeks, respectively; hazard ratio=0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.43%–1.28%; p = 0.26) or objective response rate (23% versus 34%, respectively; 95% confidence interval, –30.6% to 7.2%; p = 0.21). Conclusion: The combination of pazopanib/pemetrexed in first-line treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer showed some antitumor activity but had unacceptable levels of toxicity.

INTRODUCTION: Type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor is deregulated in solid tumors. Cixutumumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits the activity of type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor, was investigated in combination with pemetrexed/cisplatin in the frontline setting. METHODS: In this open-label, phase II study, patients with stage IV nonsquamous NSCLC and a performance status of 0 to 1 were randomized (1:1) to receive 20 mg/kg cixutumumab, 500 mg/m2 pemetrexed, and 75 mg/m2 cisplatin (cixutumumab [n = 87]) or pemetrexed and cisplatin (control [n = 85]). Eligible patients received pemetrexed-based maintenance therapy with cixutumumab (cixutumumab arm) or without it (control arm). The primary end point was progression-free survival. Secondary end points assessed overall survival, objective response rate, and safety. Survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model. Exploratory correlative analyses were also performed. RESULTS: The mean age of the intent-to-treat population (n = 172) was 59 years (range 32-83). Median progression-free survival was 5.45 months with cixutumumab versus 5.22 months in the control (hazard ratio = 1.15, 95% confidence interval: 0.81-1.61; p = 0.44). Median overall survival was 11.33 months with cixutumumab versus 10.38 months in the control (hazard ratio = 0.93, 95% confidence interval: 0.64-1.36). Objective response rate did not differ between treatments (p = 0.338). Grade 3 or 4 hyperglycemia occurred at a higher rate with cixutumumab than in the control (9.4% versus 1.2%). One death possibly related to cixutumumab occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy was not improved in patients with nonsquamous NSCLC when cixutumumab was added to pemetrexed/cisplatin. Combination therapy was well tolerated and no new safety concerns were reported. This work was supported by Eli Lilly and Company.

Introduction: Soluble mesothelin (SM), megakaryocyte potentiating factor (MPF), and osteopontin (OPN) are blood biomarkers of mesothelioma. This study evaluates their use as markers of response to therapy and outcome. Methods: Sixty-two patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma were included in an observational multicenter study. Blood samples and matched computed tomography scans were collected at diagnosis and, when possible, during and after therapy. For each patient, the best overall radiological response was compared with the changes in serum SM, MPF, and plasma OPN levels across corresponding time points. Results: In five patients, blood sampling was done shortly before and after extrapleural pneumonectomy. SM and MPF levels markedly decreased after surgery, whereas OPN levels showed a median increase. Fifty-seven patients were surveilled during (and after) chemotherapy, of whom 27 (47%) had stable disease, 14 (25%) partial response, and 16 (28%) progressive disease. In patients with stable disease, SM and MPF levels did not change significantly across the corresponding time points, whereas OPN levels significantly decreased. In those with partial response, SM and MPF levels significantly decreased, whereas OPN levels showed no significant change. In patients with progressive disease, all three biomarker levels significantly increased. Patient responses correlated with a 15% change in all three biomarkers, although SM and MPF appeared more accurate than OPN. Low baseline OPN levels were independently associated with favorable progression-free survival and overall survival. Neither SM nor MPF showed prognostic value. Conclusions: SM and MPF levels were more closely associated with disease course than OPN and might prove useful in monitoring patient response in mesothelioma. Baseline OPN levels were an independent negative predictor of survival. These promising results require further validation.

Purpose The EORTC 08062 phase II randomised trial investigated the activity and safety of single agent amrubicin, cisplatin combined with amrubicin, and cisplatin combined with etoposide as first line treatment in extensive disease (ED) small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Patients and methods Eligible patients with previously untreated ED-SCLC, WHO performance status (PS) 0–2 and measurable disease were randomised to 3 weekly cycles of either amrubicin alone 45 mg/m2 i.v. day(d) 1–3 (A), cisplatin 60 mg/m2 i.v. d1 and amrubicin 40 mg/m2 i.v. d1–3 (PA), or cisplatin 75 mg/m2 i.v. d1 and etoposide 100 mg/m2 d1, d2–3 i.v./po (PE). The primary end-point was overall response rate (ORR) as assessed by local investigators (RECIST1.0 criteria). Secondary end-points were treatment toxicity, progression-free survival and overall survival. Results The number of randomised/eligible patients who started treatment was 33/28 in A, 33/30 in PA and 33/30 in PE, respectively. Grade (G) ⩾3 haematological toxicity in A, PA and PE was neutropenia (73%, 73%, 69%); thrombocytopenia (17%, 15%, 9.4%), anaemia (10%, 15%, 3.1%) and febrile neutropenia (13%, 18%, 6%). Early deaths, including treatment related, occurred in 1, 3 and 3 patients in A, PA and PE arms, respectively. Cardiac toxicity did not differ among the 3 arms. Out of 88 eligible patients who started treatment, ORR was 61%, (90% 1-sided confidence intervals [CI] 47–100%), 77% (CI 64–100%) and 63%, (CI 50–100%) for A, PA and PE respectively. Conclusion All regimens were active and PA met the criteria for further investigation, despite slightly higher haematological toxicity.

INTRODUCTION: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibition is the preferred first-line treatment of advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung that harbors EGFR activating tyrosine kinase domain mutations. Most data available pertain to Asian populations in which such mutations are more prevalent. We report on the long-term results of first-line treatment with erlotinib in Caucasian patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung that have a somatic EGFR mutation in their tumor., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with malignancy. Thrombosis is one of the leading causes of death in patients with malignancy after cancer itself. As such, prompt recognition and treatment of VTE are required in order to reduce the risk of VTE-related mortality. This report reviews the interrelationship between cancer, renal insufficiency and VTE. The working group behind this review article concludes that Low Molecular Weight Heparins (LMWHs) decrease the risk of recurrent venous thrombosis in cancer patients without increasing major bleeding complications. LMWHs are therefore recommended as first line antithrombotic treatment in cancer patients with a clear clinical benefit. In patients with renal dysfunction, who are at both increased risk of bleeding and of thrombotic complications, preference should be given to unfractionated heparin or a LMWH with a mean molecular weight such as tinzaparin, having less risk of plasma accumulation and offering the possibility to maintain full therapeutic dose., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Aims: Amrubicin, a 3rd gen. anthracycline and potent topoisomerase II inhibitor, has shown activity in SCLC. ACT-1 compared the safety and efficacy of amr vs. topo for 2nd line treatment of SCLC. Methods: 637 pts were random. 2:1 amr 40mg/m2 IV d 1–3 (n=424) vs. topo 1.5mg/m2 IV d 1–5 (n=213) with proph. WBC growth factors and antibiotics required in last 1/3 of trial. Endpoints: OS (primary), RR, PFS, and safety. Subgroup analyses used protocol-defined definitions: refract. pts had PD as best response to 1st line therapy or progressed

Background: Soluble mesothelin (SM) and megakaryocyte potentiating factor (MPF) are serum biomarkers of mesothelioma. This study examined the effect of clinical covariates on biomarkers levels and their diagnostic and prognostic value. Methods: Five hundred ninety-four participants were enrolled in a multicenter study, including 106 patients with mesothelioma and 488 control subjects. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify which covariates were independently associated with SM and MPF levels. The effect of these covariates on the diagnostic accuracy was evaluated with receiver operating characteristics curve analysis. In patients with mesothelioma, survival analysis was performed with Cox regression. Results: SM and MPF levels were independently associated with age, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and BMI in control subjects and with GFR and tumor stage in patients with mesothelioma. The diagnostic accuracy of SM and MPF was significantly affected by the distribution of these covariates in the study population. The patients with mesothelioma were best discriminated from the control subjects with either the youngest age, the highest GFR, or the largest BMI. Furthermore, the control subjects were significantly better differentiated from stage II to IV than from stage I mesothelioma. MPF, not SM, was an independent negative prognostic factor, but only if adjusted for the biomarker-associated covariates. Conclusions: SM and MPF levels were affected by the same clinical covariates, which also had a significant impact on their diagnostic and prognostic value. To improve the interpretation of biomarker results, age, GFR, and BMI should be routinely recorded. Approaches to account for these covariates require further validation, as does the prognostic value of SM and MPF.

Rationale: Soluble mesothelin (SM) is currently the reference serum biomarker of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Megakaryocyte potentiating factor (MPF), which originates from the same precursor protein, is potentially more sensitive, yet lacks validation. Objectives: To analyze the diagnostic performance of MPF as an MPM biomarker and compare this performance with SM. Methods: A total of 507 participants were enrolled in six cohorts: healthy control subjects (n = 101), healthy asbestos-exposed individuals (n = 89), and patients with benign asbestos-related disease (n = 123), benign respiratory disease (n = 46), lung cancer (n = 63), and MPM (n = 85). Sera were analyzed for SM and MPF levels using the Mesomark and Human MPF ELISA kit, respectively. Measurements and Main Results: SM and MPF levels differed significantly between patients with M PM and participants from each other cohort (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis did not reveal a significant difference between both markers in area under curve (AUC) for distinguishing MPM from all cohorts jointly (SM = 0.871, MPF = 0.849; P = 0.28). At 95% specificity, SM and MPF had a sensitivity of 64% (cutoff = 2.00 nmol/L) and 68% (cutoff = 12.38 ng/ml), respectively. Combining both markers did not improve the diagnostic performance. Conclusions: In this prospective multicenter study, MPF is validated as a highly performant MPM biomarker. The similar AUC values of SM and MPF, together with the limited difference in sensitivity, show that both serum biomarkers have an equivalent diagnostic performance.

Medical oncologists are faced with multiple factors to consider when staging a patient with suspected or confirmed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Identifying pathological nodal (N2) disease is, however, of great importance because its presence significantly affects outcomes and potential treatment strategies. Recent data supporting the use of adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapies in these patients suggests that every reasonable effort should be made to assess the lymph node status accurately in patients with clinical early stage disease as well as in those with clinically staged N2 disease who have undergone preoperative treatments. Newer procedures such as integrated positron emission tomography computed tomography and esophageal or endobronchial endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration are minimally invasive techniques that may enhance the accuracy of mediastinal staging, traditionally devoted to mediastinoscopy. As their availability widens, they are likely to become an important part of staging and treatment paradigms. Intraoperatively, a growing body of evidence suggests that lymph node dissection can be performed safely, and should replace sampling as a more effective means of identifying unsuspected N2 disease. This paper will review the current literature on staging NSCLC with regard to the detection of nodal disease through preoperative staging of the mediastinum, the use of intraoperative lymph node sampling or dissection at the time of resection, and procedures for use in restaging patients with clinical stage IIIA N2 disease who have undergone preoperative chemotherapy (with or without radiotherapy).

Background: We previously reported that treatment of patients with symptomatic advanced non-small cell lung cancer with single agent Gemcitabine (GEM) resulted in a superior clinical-benefit response rate (RR) compared to cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. We now report the detailed individual symptom control analysis, and the influence of cisplatin-use, age, performance status (PS) and duration of treatment. Patients and methods: Patients received either GEM (1000 mg/m2, days 1, 8 and 15) or cisplatin (100 mg/m2, day 1) plus Vindesine (3 mg/m2, days 1 and 15) (PV), both every 4 weeks. Scores of 9 symptoms were listed weekly by the patient on visual analogue scales. Improvement of a symptom was defined as 2 consecutive cycles of improvement over baseline. Results: Baseline symptoms in the 169 patients were well balanced between the 2 arms (84 GEM, 85 PV). Both patients with objective response and disease stabilisation had clearly better symptom control than those with disease progression. Symptom control in both arms was similar for ‘disease-specific’ symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, pain or haemoptysis. Compared to PV, a significantly larger number of GEM-patients had better scores for ‘constitutional’ items such as anorexia (P=0.007), ability to carry on with daily activities (P=0.04) and overall impression of quality-of-life (P=0.008). Symptom control was very similar in younger (

Background: Both gemcitabine and etoposide are active in the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), and are characterised by mild toxicity profiles. The combination of both drugs was found to be feasible and active in a phase I dose-finding study in solid tumours. Therefore, a phase II trial was initiated to examine the activity and toxicity of this schedule in extensive disease SCLC. Patients and methods: Forty-two chemo-naive extensive disease SCLC patients were enrolled to receive gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2, days i, 8 and 15, and etoposide 80 mg/m2, days 8, 9 and 10 of a 28-day cycle. Results: Thirty-seven patients were evaluable for efficacy (five received less than one cycle). No complete responses were observed, but partial responses were seen in 17 patients, yielding an overall response rate of 46%. The median duration of response was 5.8 months. Disease stabilisation was obtained in another 10 patients (27%). The median survival of the 37 protocol-qualified patients was 10.5 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.512.0). The levels of WHO grade 3 and 4 toxicities were low and clinically manageable. Conclusion: In comparison with standard platinum-based regimens, this combination of gemcitabine and etoposide resulted in a somewhat lower response rate, but a similar median survival time. Haematological toxicity was more pronounced than expected from the toxicity data of each agent individually. However, because of its mild non-haematological toxicity, and its ability to be administered in an outpatient setting, this combination provides a reasonable palliative option for patients with extensive disease SCLC.

PURPOSE: To determine the feasibility and safety of multiple sequential courses of high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral-blood progenitor cells (PBPCs) administered in a multicenter setting to patients with small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-nine patients (limited disease, n = 30; extensive disease, n = 39) treated at 15 European centers were scheduled to receive three courses of high-dose chemotherapy with ifosfamide 10 g/m2, carboplatin 1200 mg/m2, and etoposide 1200 mg/m2 (ICE) divided over 4 days at 28-day intervals. PBPCs were harvested before treatment and mobilized with epirubicin 150 mg/m2 administered via an intravenous bolus divided over 2 days and filgrastim 5 μg/kg/d administered subcutaneously. RESULTS: The performed leukaphereses (one to five per patient) yielded a median of 16.6 × 106/kg (range, 1.0 to 96.6 × 106/kg) CD34+ cells, which was sufficient for three reinfusions. Fifty patients (72%) completed the treatment according to schedule. Nine patients completed two courses, and six patients completed one course of treatment. The increase in dose-intensity was 290% that of a standard ICE regimen. The median duration of myelosuppression was similar between courses, namely 4 days (range, 1 to 12 days) for leukocytes less than 0.5 × 109/L and 4 days (range, 0 to 22 days) for thrombocytes less than 20 × 109/L. Febrile neutropenia developed in 66% of courses, severe diarrhea in 14%, mucositis in 10%, and nausea and vomiting in 21% of courses. There were six cases of toxic death (9%), most of which occurred in the first year of accrual and thus were attributable to the learning curve. The antitumor effect of the regimen was reflected in an 86% remission rate (95% confidence interval [CI], 74% to 93%), with 51% of patients achieving a complete response (95% CI, 38% to 63%). Median overall survival was 18 months for patients with limited disease and 11 months for patients with extensive disease. CONCLUSION: This multiple sequential high-dose ICE regimen could be safely administered on a multicenter basis to patients with small-cell lung cancer. The dose-intensity could be increased to 290% that of standard ICE regimen. The benefit of this approach is currently being tested in a randomized trial that aims to double the long-term rate of survival for patients with small-cell lung cancer.

7500 Background: L-BLP25 is a MUC1 antigen specific cancer immunotherapy. We report results from the phase III START study of L-BLP25 in patients (pts) not progressing after primary chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for stage III NSCLC. Methods: From Jan 2007 to Nov 2011, 1513 pts with unresectable stage III NSCLC that did not progress after CRT (platinum based chemo and ≥50 Gy) were randomized (2:1; double-blind) to L-BLP25 (806 µg lipopeptide) or placebo (PBO) SC weekly x 8 then Q6 weeks until disease progression or withdrawal. Cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m2 x 1 or saline was given 3 days prior to first L-BLP25/PBO dose. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Results: The primary analysis population (n=1239) was defined prospectively to try to account for a clinical hold by excluding pts randomized 6 months (m) before the hold. Arms were balanced for baseline characteristics. Median age was 61 y; 38.2% had stage IIIA and 61.3% IIIB; 65% had concurrent and 35% sequential CRT. Median OS was 25.6 m with L-BLP25 vs. 22.3 m with PBO (adjusted HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.75-1.03, p=0.123). Secondary endpoints time-to-progression and time-to-symptom-progression support consistency of results: HR 0.87 (95% CI 0.75-1.00, p=0.053) and 0.85 (95% CI 0.73-0.98, p=0.023). In predefined subgroup analyses, pts with concurrent CRT (n=806) had median OS of 30.8 m (L-BLP25) vs. 20.6 m (PBO; HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.95, p=0.016), while median OS with sequential CRT was 19.4 m (L-BLP25) vs. 24.6 m (PBO; HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.87-1.44, p=0.38; interaction p=0.032, Cox PH model). Sensitivity analyses revealed that there was no OS benefit in pts randomized 6 m before the hold (HR 1.09, CI 0.75-1.56, p=0.663). LEBLP25 was well tolerated with no safety concerns identified and no emergent evidence of immune related adverse events. Conclusions: L-BLP25 maintenance therapy in stage III NSCLC was well tolerated, but did not significantly prolong OS. Sensitivity analyses showed a smaller treatment effect due to the clinical hold, suggesting that longer uninterrupted treatment with L-BLP25 is required. Clinically meaningful prolongation of OS was observed in the predefined subgroup of pts with primary concurrent CRT. Clinical trial information: NCT00409188.

7544 Background: GA201, a humanized, engineered IgG1 anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) mAb designed to enhance ADCC, has shown promising clinical activity in phase I and in the neoadjuvant treatment of head and neck cancer. This phase Ib study (NCT01185847) aimed to determine the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), activity and recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of GA201 in combination with chemotherapy in non-squamous NSCLC. Methods: Successive cohorts received GA201 1000 mg or 1400 mg (IV d1, d8 then 2-weekly (q2W)) in combination with chemotherapy at standard doses. Data cut off was 7 months after enrolling the last patient. Results: 14 patients (4 female) with performance status 0-1 were enrolled. No maximum tolerated dose was reached. Most common adverse events (AEs – all grades) included rash (100%), hypomagnesaemia (71%), infusion-related reactions (64%), mucosal inflammation (57%) and anemia (50%). AEs of ≥ grade 3 included rash (71%), skin fissure (21%), dry skin (14%), paronychia (14%), and asthenia (14%). Median timeto improvement of rash grade 3 was 11 days. AEs led to dose reduction for 4 patients and discontinuation for 1 patient. There were 6 confirmed partial responses (43%, 5 in 1400 mg cohort) and 7 patients (50%) with stable disease >=9 weeks. Duration of response ranged between 5 and 42 weeks (3 patients still ongoing). Preliminary biomarker analysis shows a correlation between tumor-infiltrating CD16+ immune cells and target lesion shrinkage at first tumor assessment [R(spear)=-0.65 (p=0.02)]; no apparent correlation between EGFR H-score and response was found. PK data supports 1400 mg as the RP2D (d1, d8 then q2W). Conclusions: The RP2D of GA201 in combination with chemotherapy was established to be 1400 mg. The incidence of EGFR associated rash was high and guidelines to reduce its severity were implemented with a noted improvement in tolerability. Promising antitumor activity was observed. Biomarker data support the mode of action of GA201 via ADCC. A randomized phase II trial of this combination is ongoing and fully recruited.

7013 Background: Previous trials with the MAGE-A3 recombinant (rec) protein formulated with an immunostimulant have shown induction of specific immune responses and signals of clinical activity in different cancer diseases. In this phase I/II study (NCT 00455572), we evaluated the safety profile of the MAGE-A3 cancer immunotherapeutic (CI), formulated with the rec MAGE-A3 protein and the AS15 immunostimulant, and the induction of specific immune response with or without adjuvant chemotherapy (CT). Methods: MAGE-A3 CI was administered i.m. 8q3w in resected MAGE-A3+ stage IB-III NSCLC patients (pts). Three cohorts (C) were evaluated: Immunization with concurrent cisplatin plus vinorelbine (C1), sequentially after the same CT (C2) or with no CT (C3). The anti-MAGE-A3 humoral and cellular immune responses were evaluated by ELISA and intracellular cytokine staining (T cells producing both IFNg and TNF) respectively. Adverse Events (AEs) were graded according to CTCAE v. 3.0. Results: A total of 38/55 treated pts received the 8 doses schedule (15/19 in C1, 14/18 in C2, 9/18 in C3). Almost all pts reported at least one AE, mostly general constitutional disorders and administration site reactions. Six patients reported related grade 3 AEs. No related grade 4-5 AE or related SAE were reported. Immunogenicity results in the total treated population are reported in the table below. Conclusions: In this trial, patients in cohorts 2 and 3 correspond to the two populations enrolled in the Phase III MAGRIT trial evaluating the same MAGE-A3 CI. The phase I/II results suggest that this CI is well tolerated and induces in all treated pts specific antibodies against MAGE-A3 after 4 doses in presence or not of concurrent or sequential adjuvant CT. About 25% of the treated pts are considered as CD4 responders in presence or not of concurrent or sequential adjuvant CT. [Table: see text]

7086 Background: Radiological response evaluation is notoriously difficult in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, an asbestos-related malignancy. Soluble mesothelin (SM), megakaryocyte po...

Introduction: Soluble mesothelin (SM) and megakaryocyte potentiating factor (MPF) are serum biomarkers of mesothelioma. This study aims to examine the longitudinal behavior of SM and MPF in controls to gain insight in the optimal use of these biomarkers in screening. Methods: Asbestos-exposed individuals, with no malignant disease at inclusion, were surveilled for 2 years with annual measurements of SM and MPF. Fixed thresholds were set at 2.10 nmol/L for SM and 13.10 ng/ml for MPF. Longitudinal biomarker analysis, using a random intercept model, estimated the association with age and glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and the intraclass correlation. The latter represents the proportion of total biomarker variance accounted for by the between-individual variance. Results: A total of 215 participants were included, of whom 179 and 137 provided a second sample and third sample, respectively. Two participants with normal SM and MPF levels presented afterward with mesothelioma and lung cancer, respectively. Participants with elevated biomarker levels were typically older and had a lower GFR. During follow-up, biomarker levels significantly increased. Longitudinal analysis indicated that this was in part due to aging, while changes in GFR had a less pronounced effect on serial biomarker measurements. SM and MPF had a high intraclass correlation of 0.81 and 0.78, respectively, which implies that a single biomarker measurement and fixed threshold are suboptimal in screening. Conclusions: The longitudinal behavior of SM and MPF in controls indicates that a biomarker-based screening approach can benefit from the incorporation of serial measurements and individual-specific screening rules, adjusted for age and GFR. Large-scale validation remains nevertheless mandatory to elucidate whether such an approach can improve the early detection of mesothelioma.

7597 Background: Compared to chemotherapy, 1st line treatment with EGFR-TK inhibitors results in superior progression-free survival (PFS) in Asian patients with advanced NSCLC with activating EGFR TK domain mutations. We conducted a prospective study with 1st line erlotinib in Caucasian pts with EGFR TK domain mutations. Methods: Multicentre phase II study. EGFR mutation status was determined in a central lab on macro-dissected biopsies obtained from pts with advanced adenocarcinoma with a non- or past smoking history. Pts were given erlotinib, 150 mg daily till disease progression or prohibitive toxicity. The primary end point of the study was a 70% PFS at 3 months. Results: An EGFR mutation was found in 64 (28%) of 247 pts screened. Eighteen pts did not enter the study because of deterioration, withholding of consent after mutation analysis, or failing other clinical selection criteria. Forty six pts (8 male, 38 female) with median age of 72 years (35-83), median performance status of 1 (1-3) stage dist...