Efficacy of pemetrexed and carboplatin with or without bevacizumab in lung adenocarcinoma patients with EGFR non‐T790M mutations after progression on first‐line EGFR‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of pemetrexed and carboplatin plus bevacizumab (PC + B) versus pemetrexed and carboplatin (PC) in lung adenocarcinoma patients with EGFR non‐T790M mutations after progression on first‐line EGFR‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). METHODS: Patients with EGFR‐positive lung adenocarcinoma who had received second‐line PC with or without bevacizumab harboring EGFR non‐T790M mutations after progression on first‐line EGFR‐TKIs between April 2015 and 2017 at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital were enrolled in the study. The primary endpoint was progression‐free survival and secondary endpoints were overall survival, objective response rate, disease control rate, and safety. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients were eligible for the study: 55 and 30 cases were enrolled in the PC and PC + B groups, respectively. The median progression‐free survival was prolonged with PC + B compared to PC (median 8.2 vs. 5.1 months; P = 0.037). The objective response rate was improved with PC + B compared to PC (46.7% vs. 25.5%; P = 0.047) and overall survival prolonged with PC + B compared to PC (median 26.3 vs. 19.2 months; P = 0.012). Safety was similar to previous studies of bevacizumab in non‐small cell lung cancer: one patient experienced grade 3 hypertension and proteinuria but did not require the discontinuation of therapy. CONCLUSION: The addition of bevacizumab to PC was superior to PC alone as second‐line therapy in patients with advanced non‐T90M EGFR‐positive lung adenocarcinoma. However, this result needs to be confirmed by prospective clinical trials.