ASCO 2017: Association of on-treatment plasma HGF levels with overall survival in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma treated with interferon alpha +/- bevacizumab (BEV): Results from CALGB 90206 (Alliance)

Chicago, IL (UroToday.com) It has been shown that elevated baseline Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) levels were associated with shorter overall survival (OS) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients treated with bevacizumab (BEV) + interferon alpha (INF). Dr .George presented a study (Clinical trial information: NCT00072046) evaluating HGF levels variation during treatment and correlation to outcome.

The authors analyzed baseline plasma samples from 310 treated patients (148 INF; 162 BEV+INF) using an optimized multiplex ELISA platform for HGF at baseline and after 4 weeks on treatment. Primary endpoint was OS.

The results demonstrated that the median baseline HGF level in all 310 pts was 161.4 pg/ml. Elevated HGF at 4-wks (>median) was associated with a worse OS (median OS = 14 vs 27 months; adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.75, p< 0.0001). Only 9/155 pts (5.8%) with baseline HGF levels ≤ median developed elevated HGF (>median) at 4-wks. Additionally, 66/155 pts (43%) with baseline HGF levels >median lowered HGF (<median) at 4-wks from baseline. A decline in HGF levels at 4-wks (< median) was associated with improved OS when compared to patients with high HGF (19 vs 13 months, adjusted HR=1.41, p=0.043).

In conclusion, RCC pts with low baseline HGF levels (< median), continue to have consistently low levels at 4 weeks’ time, which are associated with improved OS. Conversely, in patients with high baseline HGF levels final outcome can vary; with patients demonstrated to have high levels on treatment, eventually also having a worse OS, while those having lower levels during treatment, having a better OS. This suggests that low HGF predicts a therapeutic benefit and warrants further research.

Presented By: Daniel J. George, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

Written By: Hanan Goldberg, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow (SUO), University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Twitter: @GoldbergHanan

at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting - June 2 - 6, 2017 – Chicago, Illinois, USA