A phase III trial of nab-paclitaxel versus dacarbazine in chemotherapy-naive patients (pts) with metastatic melanoma: Analysis of peripheral neuropathy.

e20025 Background: Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a common side effect associated with taxane treatment. In a phase III trial, nab-paclitaxel vs dacarbazine demonstrated a significant improvement in progression-free survival (4.8 vs 2.5 months; P = 0.044) and at the interim survival analysis, a trend toward prolonged overall survival (12.8 vs 10.7 months; P = 0.094) for the treatment of chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic melanoma. Here we report on the PN profile of nab-paclitaxel in this phase III trial. Methods: Pts (median age, 63 years) with chemotherapy-naive stage IV melanoma (M1c stage, 65%; elevated LDH, 28%) and an ECOG performance status 0-1 were randomized to nab-paclitaxel 150 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle (n = 264) or dacarbazine 1000 mg/m2on day 1 of each 21-day cycle (n = 265). PN events were defined based on the Standardized MedDRA Query (V 12.1, broad scope). Results: As expected, a higher proportion of pts receiving nab-paclitaxel vs dacarbazine had ≥ 1 treatment-related PN event (68% vs 8%; P < 0.001). Treatment-related grade ≥ 3 PN was more frequent with nab-paclitaxel vs dacarbazine (25% vs 0%; P < 0.001); 2 grade 4 events were reported in the nab-paclitaxel arm. Treatment-related grade ≥ 3 PN was 15% in pts who received up to the median of 3 cycles of nab-paclitaxel. PN led to dose reduction in 13% or discontinuation in 15% of nab-paclitaxel–treated pts. The median time to onset of grade ≥ 3 PN was 101 days (95% CI, 85 - 113). Most early-onset PN events, occurring within the first 3 cycles, were grade 1. Grade ≥ 2 PN events peaked by cycle 4 and subsided by cycle 9. Forty-one of the 64 (64%) pts with a grade ≥ 3 PN event had an improvement of ≥ 1 grade, with a median time to improvement of 28 days (95% CI, 17 - 64), and 33 of 64 (52%) pts had improved to grade 1 or better by a median of 67 days from onset (95% CI, 22- upper limit not estimable); 30 of 64 (47%) pts resumed treatment with nab-paclitaxel. Conclusions: In this phase III trial, grade ≥ 3 PN was the main treatment-related toxicity with nab-paclitaxel as observed in other studies. However, PN was rapidly reversible; a majority of pts had improvement of PN symptoms within 1 month and resumed treatment. Clinical trial information: NCT00864253.