Enfortumab Vedotin Prolongs Survival in Advanced Urothelial Cancer

THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Overall survival is significantly longer in patients receiving enfortumab vedotin versus standard chemotherapy for previously treated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer, according to a study published online Feb. 12 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, held virtually from Feb. 11 to 13.

Thomas Powles, M.D., from the University of London, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 trial of enfortumab vedotin for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with disease progression during or after treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy and a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either enfortumab vedotin (301 participants) or chemotherapy (307 participants).

The researchers found that at a prespecified interim analysis (median follow-up of 11.1 months), overall survival was longer in the enfortumab vedotin group versus the chemotherapy group (12.88 versus 8.97 months; hazard ratio for death, 0.70). Similar results were seen for progression-free survival (5.55 versus 3.71 months; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.62). The groups were similar with respect to incidence of treatment-related adverse effects and incidence of events of grade 3 or higher.

“The benefit of enfortumab vedotin was observed in most subgroups, including patients with liver metastasis,” the authors write.

The study was funded by Astellas Pharma US and Seagen, the manufacturers of enfortumab vedotin.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

More Information