This is a repository copy of International standards for the analysis of quality-of-life and patient-reported outcome endpoints in cancer randomised controlled trials: recommendations of the SISAQOL Consortium.

A B S T R A C T PurposeThis randomized, open-label trial compared dacomitinib (PF-00299804), an irreversible inhibitor of human epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR)/HER1, HER2, and HER4, with erlotinib, a reversible EGFR inhibitor, in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and MethodsPatients with NSCLC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 2, no prior HER-directed therapy, and one/two prior chemotherapy regimens received dacomitinib 45 mg or erlotinib 150 mg once daily. ResultsOne hundred eighty-eight patients were randomly assigned. Treatment arms were balanced for most clinical and molecular characteristics. Median progression-free survival (PFS; primary end point) was 2.86 months for patients treated with dacomitinib and 1.91 months for patients treated with erlotinib (hazard ratio [HR] ϭ 0.66; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.91; two-sided P ϭ .012); in patients with KRAS wild-type tumors, median PFS was 3.71 months for patients treated with dacomitinib and 1.91 months for patients treated with erlotinib (HR ϭ 0.55; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.85; two-sided P ϭ .006); and in patients with KRAS wild-type/EGFR wild-type tumors, median PFS was 2.21 months for patients treated with dacomitinib and 1.84 months for patients treated with erlotinib (HR ϭ 0.61; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.99; two-sided P ϭ .043). Median overall survival was 9.53 months for patients treated with dacomitinib and 7.44 months for patients treated with erlotinib (HR ϭ 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56 to 1.13; two-sided P ϭ .205). Adverse event-related discontinuations were uncommon in both arms. Common treatment-related adverse events were dermatologic and gastrointestinal, predominantly grade 1 to 2, and more frequent with dacomitinib. ConclusionDacomitinib demonstrated significantly improved PFS versus erlotinib, with acceptable toxicity. PFS benefit was observed in most clinical and molecular subsets, notably KRAS wild-type/EGFR any status, KRAS wild-type/EGFR wild-type, and EGFR mutants.

Measures of health-related quality of life (HRQL) and other patient-reported outcomes (PRO) generate important data in cancer randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assist in evaluating the risks and benefits of cancer therapies, and fostering patient-centered cancer care.However, the various ways these measures are analyzed and interpreted make it difficult to compare results across trials, and hinders the application of research findings to inform publications, product labelling, clinical guidelines and health policy. To address these problems, the Setting International Standards in Analyzing Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Endpoints Data (SISAQOL) initiative has been established. This international multidisciplinary consortium, directed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), was convened to provide recommendations to standardize the analysis of HRQL and other PRO data in cancer RCTs. This article discusses the reasons why this project was initiated, the rationale for the planned work, and the expected benefits to cancer research, patient/provider decision-making, care delivery, and policymaking.5

BACKGROUNDThis phase 2 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00548093) assessed the efficacy, safety, and impact on health‐related quality of life of dacomitinib (PF‐00299804), an irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of human epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR)/HER1, HER2, and HER4, in patients with KRAS wild‐type non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).METHODSPatients with advanced NSCLC, progression on 1 or 2 regimens of chemotherapy and erlotinib, KRAS wild‐type or known EGFR‐sensitizing mutant tumor, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 2 received 45 mg of dacomitinib once daily continuously in 21‐day cycles.RESULTSA total of 66 patients enrolled (adenocarcinoma, n = 50; those without adenocarcinoma [nonadenocarcinoma], n = 16). The objective response rate (ORR) for patients with adenocarcinoma (primary endpoint) was 5% (2 partial responses; 1‐sided P = .372 for null hypothesis [H0]: ORR ≤ 5%) and 6% (1 partial response) for patients with nonadenocarcinoma. Responders included: 2 of 25 EGFR mutation‐positive tumors; 1 of 3 EGFR wild‐type with HER2 amplification. Median progression‐free survival was 12 weeks overall (n = 66) and 18 weeks (n = 26) for patients with EGFR mutation‐positive tumors. Common treatment‐related adverse events were of grade 1 or 2 severity, manageable with standard supportive care, and included diarrhea (grade 3 [G3], 12%), acneiform dermatitis (G3, 6%), exfoliative rash (G3, 3%), dry skin (G3, 0%), fatigue (G3, 3%), and stomatitis (G3, 2%). Six patients (9%) discontinued due to treatment‐related adverse events. By patient report, NSCLC symptoms of dyspnea, cough, and pain (chest, arm/shoulder) showed improvement first observed after 3 weeks on therapy.CONCLUSIONSDacomitinib demonstrated preliminary activity and acceptable tolerability in heavily pretreated patients, and may offer benefit in molecularly defined patient subsets. Cancer 2014;120:1145–1154. © 2014 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society.