Apatinib Monotherapy or Combination Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients With Brain Metastases

Apatinib, an oral small molecular receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) developed first in China, exerts anti-angiogenic and antineoplastic function through selectively binding and inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). In this study, we aimed to explore the efficacy and safety profile of apatinib monotherapy, or combined with chemotherapy or endothelial growth factor receptor (EGFR)-TKI in heavily pretreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases. We performed a retrospective analysis for relapsed NSCLC patients with brain metastases from our institute, who received apatinib (250 mg or 500 mg p.o. qd) monotherapy, or combination with EGFR-TKI or chemotherapy as second or more line systemic therapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred. The objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), median progression-free survival (mPFS), median overall survival (mOS), and safety were analyzed. A total of 26 eligible patients were included: 24 patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, 2 with squamous carcinoma, and 14 patients harboring EGFR sensitizing mutations. The mPFS and mOS were 4.93 (range, 0.27-32.91; 95% CI 3.64-6.22) and 14.70 (range, 0.27-32.91; 95% CI 0.27-43.60) months for the whole group. The ORR and DCR were 7.7% (2/26) and 69.2% (18/26) for the entire lesions, and 7.7% (2/26) and 79.6% (20/26) for brain metastases, respectively. Compared with patients who received apatinib monotherapy, patients who received apatinib combination treatment had more favorable mPFS (11.77 vs. 2.27 months, p < 0.05) and mOS (24.03 vs. 6.07 months, p< 0.05). Treatment-related toxicities were tolerable including grade 1/2 hypertension, hand-and-foot syndrome, fatigue, nausea, liver dysfunction, myelosuppression, skin rash, and palpitation. In conclusion, apatinib exhibited high activity and good tolerance for NSCLC patients with brain metastasis, and it might become a potential choice for metastatic brain tumors in NSCLC patients.