A phase II study of anlotinib in 45 patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer

The purpose of this prospective phase II clinical trial was to investigate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib in patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Forty‐five patients with relapsed SCLC were enrolled and treated with anlotinib (one cycle of 12 mg daily for 14 days, discontinued for 7 days, and repeated every 21 days) until disease progression or intolerance of treatment. The primary end point was progression‐free survival (PFS). Secondary end points were overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), objective control rate (ORR) and toxicity. The median PFS was 4.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4‐5.8) and the median OS was 6.1 months (95% CI 2.2‐10.0). The OS for the limited‐stage subgroup was significantly longer than that of the extensive‐stage subgroup (P = .02). The DCR was 67%, and the ORR was 11%. The most common adverse event was hypertension (13%), which was controlled well with antihypertensive drugs. In conclusion, anlotinib has likely efficacy in patients with relapsed SCLC, and the side effects can be well tolerated. A longer OS was observed in limited‐stage SCLC patients treated with anlotinib.