Harat, Maciej

2008 Background: For non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases (BM) stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is the current preferred therapy. Due to frequent intracranial failures, there is a high unmet need for salvage therapies. Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) reduces intracranial failure but used less frequently due to cognitive consequences. Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are electric fields that disrupt cancer cell division and have shown improved survival and safety in patients with glioblastoma and metastatic NSCLC. Phase 3 METIS trial [NCT02831959] aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TTFields therapy in NSCLC patients with BM treated with SRS, specifically in terms of lengthening time to intracranial progression without cognitive decline. Methods: Mutation negative (M-) NSCLC patients with 1–10 BM were randomized 1:1 to receive stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) followed by Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields; 150 kHz) therapy with best supportive care (BSC) or SRS followed by BSC. Patients with Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ≥70, newly diagnosed with one inoperable or 2–10 supra-/infratentorial brain metastases suitable for SRS and receiving optimal extracranial disease therapy were included. Exclusions were prior WBRT and single operable or recurrent brain metastases. Primary endpoint was time to first intracranial progression (RANO-BM) based on cumulative risk. Patients were followed every two months until second intracranial progression. Cognition and patient quality of life (QoL) were evaluated. Results: Between July 2016 and September 2022, 298 patients were randomized. Baseline characteristics were balanced: median age was 63.5 (range 37-84) years, 37.6% females, majority of patients had a KPS ≥ 80, median time from initial NSCLC diagnosis was 1.8 months (range: 0.2-55.7), 77% had adenocarcinoma. Median treatment duration of TTFields was 16 weeks, with a median usage time of 67%. Primary endpoint, time to intracranial progression from SRS, was significantly prolonged with SRS followed by TTFields therapy with BSC vs. BSC alone arm (median of 21.9 vs. 11.3 months); HR=0.67 [0.48-0.93], p=0.02. TTFields-related AEs were mainly dermatological, and Grade ≤2. TTFields therapy also improved deterioration-free survival of global health status, physical functioning, and fatigue according to QoL, and did not negatively impact cognition. Conclusion: METIS study met its primary endpoint, demonstrating that TTFields therapy following SRS in mutation negative NSCLC patients with BM, significantly prolongs time to intracranial progression and could postpone WBRT, without QoL and cognition decline. Clinical trial information: NCT02831959 .

Abstract INTRODUCTION: TTFields are electric fields that disrupt processes necessary for cancer cell survival and can stimulate an antitumor immune response in preclinical NSCLC models. TTFields therapy is a noninvasive and locoregional treatment approved for glioblastoma, which has recently demonstrated a survival benefit when applied to the thorax with standard of care (SOC) systemic therapy in patients with metastatic NSCLC that progressed on/after platinum. Here we describe the pivotal METIS study (EF-25, NCT02831959) evaluating the efficacy and safety of TTFields therapy applied to brain metastases from NSCLC. TRIAL DESIGN: Patients (270) with 1–10 brain metastases from NSCLC will receive stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), followed by 1:1 randomization to TTFields (NovoTTF-200M [150 kHz] applied to the head ≥ 18 h/day) with best SOC, or best SOC alone. Key inclusion criteria are life expectancy ≥ 3 months, a new diagnosis of 1 inoperable or 2–10 supra and/or infratentorial brain metastases from NSCLC, that are amenable to SRS. Patients who had prior whole brain radiotherapy, or have single operable, leptomeningeal, or recurrent brain metastases, certain genetic mutations, or severe comorbidities or contraindications, are not eligible. The primary endpoint is time to first intracranial progression. Secondary endpoints include time to neurocognitive failure, overall survival, radiological response rate, time to second intracranial progression, time to first/second intracranial progression by modified RECIST v1.1, rate of intracranial progression, time to distant progression, rate of cognitive decline, quality of life, neurocognitive failure-free survival, and safety. The study is powered at 80% (2-sided alpha of 0.05) to detect a hazard ratio of 0.57. In July 2021, an independent Data Monitoring Committee reviewed the study data and recommended continuation. The study includes 128 sites in Europe, Israel, mainland China, North America, and Hong Kong. The final patient was enrolled in March 2023.