Comparative healthcare research outcomes of novel Surgery in prostate cancer (IP4-CHRONOS): Pilot RCT assessing feasibility of randomization for focal therapy in localized prostate cancer

Background: Randomised comparative data is lacking for focal therapy in localised prostate cancer. Imperial Prostate 4 CHRONOS (IP4-CHRONOS) is an RCT designed to reflect patient and physician equipoise to maximise acceptance to randomisation. Methods: Patients and physicians could opt for CHRONOS-A or CHRONOS-B. CHRONOS-A randomised between focal therapy (HIFU/cryotherapy) and radical therapy (radiation/prostatectomy). Using a multi-arm-multistage design, CHRONOS-B randomised between focal and focal combined with neoadjuvant medication (3 months of either finasteride or bicalutamide). We report the pilot phase outcomes on feasibility of randomisation. IP4-CHRONOS had ethics committee approval and was registered (ISRCTN17796995). Results: Due to impact of COVID-19, the target for CHRONOS-A was modified from 60 to 36;36 patients were randomised over 24 months from 7 sites (Nov/2019-Nov/2021). CHRONOS-B randomised 64 patients over 14 months across 6 sites (Dec/2019-Feb/2021). Median (IQR) age and PSA (ng/ml) for CHRONOS-A were 69 (65-72) years and 6 (5-7) and for 66 (60.5-70) years and 6 (4-7) for CHRONOS-B, respectively. 34/36 (94%) and 60/64 (94%) had ISUP Grade Group > / = 2, respectively. 4/18 (22%) randomised to radical in CHRONOS-A withdrew consent;1/22 (5%) randomised to focal withdrew. In CHRONOS-B, only 1/21 (5%) randomised to focal alone, and another randomised to focal with neoadjuvant bicalutamide withdrew. A qualitative recruitment intervention partially improved accrual to CHRONOS-A. Conclusions: IP4-CHRONOS evaluated patient and physician equipoise regarding focal therapy. Randomising between focal and radical therapy is not feasible due to strong patient preferences. A multi-arm, multi-stage RCT investigating the role of neoadjuvant agents combined with focal therapy is feasible.

LBA4 Abiraterone acetate plus prednisolone (AAP) with or without enzalutamide (ENZ) added to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) compared to ADT alone for men with high-risk non-metastatic (M0) prostate cancer (PCa): Combined analysis from two comparisons in the STAMPEDE platform protocol

Background: Patients (pts) with high-risk M0 PCa are treated with ADT and when indicated, local radiotherapy (RT). Intensifying hormone treatment with AAP, ENZ or apalutamide continuous to progression improves outcomes of metastatic PCa but its efficacy in M0 PCa starting ADT is unknown. Methods: STAMPEDE is a multi-arm, multi-stage trial that, as part of 2 separate comparisons randomised PCa pts with M0 node positive or high-risk node negative (>1 T3/4, PSA ≥40ng/ml, Gleason 8-10 or relapsing) 1:1 to ADT (control) vs ADT with AAP (1000mg AA + 5mg P od) or ADT vs ADT with AAP + ENZ (160mg od) for 2 years (y), unless RT was omitted when treatment could be to progression. The primary end-point was metastasis-free survival (MFS, time to death or distant metastases). The sub-group of pts who received ADT +/- AAP was partially reported with metastatic pts in 2017 so one-sided type 1 error rate was set to 1.25%. All analyses were pre-specified, pooled using meta-analyses methods and stratified as described previously. Data frozen 3rd August 2021. Results: 1974 M0 pts at 113 sites in UK & Switzerland were randomised, 914 (Nov 2011 to Jan 2014) to ADT +/- AAP & 1060 (Mar 2016 to Jul 2014) to ADT +/- AAP + ENZ. Groups were well balanced: median age 68 y, range 43-86;median PSA 34 ng/ml, range 0.4-2773;Gleason 8-10, 79%;node positive 39%;planned for RT 85%. Median months to stopping AAP, 23.7 (IQR: 17.6-24.1);AAP when given with ENZ, 20.7 (IQR: 4.4-24);ENZ, 23.2 (IQR: 6.3-24). 180 MFS events occurred in the research group and 306 in the control group. AAP-based therapy improved MFS (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.44-0.64, P=2.9×10- 11) & survival (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.48-0.73, P=9.3×10-7): 6-y MFS from 69% to 82%, 6-y survival from 77% to 86%. Treatment effect was consistent in major subgroups and between AAP & AAP + ENZ randomisation periods (MFS HR=0.54, 95% CI 0.43-0.68;HR=0.53, 95% CI 0.39-0.71 respectively;interaction HR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.70-1.50, p=0.908). Conclusions: 2 y of AAP-based therapy significantly improves MFS & survival of high-risk M0 PCa starting ADT and should be considered a new standard of care. Clinical trial identification: NCT00268476. Legal entity responsible for the study: Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London. Funding: Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council, Astellas, Janssen. Disclosure: G. Attard: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Novartis;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Bayer;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Pfizer;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Sanofi;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Sapience;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Orion;Financial Interests, Personal, Royalties: Janssen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: Janssen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: Astellas;Non-Financial Interests, Principal Investigator: Janssen;Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role: Janssen;Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role: AstraZeneca;Non-Financial Interests, Principal Investigator: Astellas. L.C. Brown: Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, FOCUS4-C Trial from June 2017 to Dec 2021: AstraZeneca. N. Clarke: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Ferring;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Ferring;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Janssen;Financial Interests, Inst tutional, Research Grant: AstraZeneca. W. Cross: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Speaker fee: Myriad Genetics;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Speaker fee: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advisory Board fee: Bayer;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Speaker fee: Astellas;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Research grant: Myriad Genetics. R. Jones: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, advisory board attendance: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, advisory board attendance: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Honoraria for speaking: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Bayer;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Bayer;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Clovis;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Exelixis;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Ipsen;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Ipsen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Bristol Myers Squipp;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Bristol Myers Squibb;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Merck Serono;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Merck Serono;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Merck Sharpe Dome;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Merck Sharpe Dome;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Pfizer;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Roche;Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, IDMC membership: Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Janssen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, IDMC member: Stab;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Novartis / AAA;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: Janssen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: Pfizer;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: Tail;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: BioXcel;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: Bristol Myers Squibb;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: Novartis / AAA;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: Roche;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker: MSK. S. Gillessen: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, 2018: Sanofi;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, 2018, 2019: Orion;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, 2018: Roche;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, 2019 Speaker's Bureau: Janssen Cilag;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, 2020: Amgen;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, 2020: ESMO;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Travel Grant 2020: ProteoMEdiX;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2018, 2019: Bayer;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2020: Janssen Cilag;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2020: Roche;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2018: AAA International;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2018: Menarini Silicon Biosystems;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2019, 2020: Astellas Pharma;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2019: Tolero Pharmaceuticals;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2020: MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2020: Pfizer;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, 2021: SAKK;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2021: Telixpharma;Financial Interests, Institutional, Other, Steering Committee 2021: Amgen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, 2021: DESO;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2021: BMS;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2021: AAA International;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2021: Orion;F nancial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, 2021: SAKK;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, 2021: SAKK;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board, 2021: Bayer;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, 2021: MSD Merck Sharp & Dhome;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, 2021: RSI (Televisione Svizzera Italiana);Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, 2021: SAMO - IBCSG;Financial Interests, Institutional, Funding, 2021, Unrestricted grant for a Covid related study as co-investigator: Astellas;Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, 2019: Menarini Silicon Biosystems;Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, 2019: Aranda;Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, Continuing: ProteoMediX. S. Chowdhury: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Astellas;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Huma;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Bayer;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Bayer;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Novartis/AAA;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Beigene;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Remedy Bio;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Athenex;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Telix;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Clovis Oncology;Financial Interests, Personal, Stocks/Shares: Curve Life;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: Clovis Oncology;Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, Non-compensated advice: NHS England;Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role: NICE NHS England. Z. Malik: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, advisry board for new hormonal therapy for breast cancer:Sanofi;Other, support to attend meetings or advisory boards in the past: Astellas, Jaansen, Bayer. C. Parker: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Education Steering Committee: Bayer;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Speaker at prostate cancer educational events: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advisory board on apalutamide: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advisory board: Clarity Pharmaceuticals;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advisory board on relugolix: Myovant;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advisory board: ITM Oncologics. M.R. Sydes: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Speaker fees at clinical trial statistics training sessions for clinicians (no discussion of particular drugs): Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker, Speaker fees at clinical trial statistics training session for clinicians (no discussion of particular drugs): Eli Lilly;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Educational grant and drug for STAMPEDE trial: Astellas;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Educational grant and biomarker costs for STAMPEDE trial: Clovis Oncology;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Educational grant and drug for STAMPEDE trial: Janssen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Educational grant and drug for STAMPEDE trial: Novartis;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Educational grant and drug for STAMPEDE trial: Pfizer;Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, Educational grant and drug for STAMPEDE trial: Sanofi. M.K. Parmar: Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: AstraZeneca, Astellas, Janssen, Clovis. N.D. James: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Advice around PARP inhibitors: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Prostate cancer therapies: Janssen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Expert Testimony, Assisted with submissions regarding licencing for abiraterone: Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Docetaxel: Sanofi;Financial Interests, Institutional, Expert Testimony, Providing STAMPEDE trial data to facili ate licence extensions internationally for docetaxel: Sanofi;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Prostate cancer therapies: Clovis;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Prostate cancer therapies: Novartis;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board, Bladder cancer therapy: Merck;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Funding for STAMPEDE trial: Janssen;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Funding for STAMPEDE trial: Astellas;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Funding for RADIO trial bladder cancer: AstraZeneca. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Adaptive platform trials using multi-arm, multi-stage protocols: Getting fast answers in pandemic settings

Global health pandemics, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), require efficient and well-conducted trials to determine effective interventions, such as treatments and vaccinations. Early work focused on rapid sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), subsequent in-vitro and in-silico work, along with greater understanding of the different clinical phases of the infection, have helped identify a catalogue of potential therapeutic agents requiring assessment. In a pandemic, there is a need to quickly identify efficacious treatments, and reject those that are non-beneficial or even harmful, using randomised clinical trials. Whilst each potential treatment could be investigated across multiple, separate, competing two-arm trials, this is a very inefficient process. Despite the very large numbers of interventional trials for COVID-19, the vast majority have not used efficient trial designs. Well conducted, adaptive platform trials utilising a multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) approach provide a solution to overcome limitations of traditional designs. The multi-arm element allows multiple different treatments to be investigated simultaneously against a shared, standard-of-care control arm. The multi-stage element uses interim analyses to assess accumulating data from the trial and ensure that only treatments showing promise continue to recruitment during the next stage of the trial. The ability to test many treatments at once and drop insufficiently active interventions significantly speeds up the rate at which answers can be achieved. This article provides an overview of the benefits of MAMS designs and successes of trials, which have used this approach to COVID-19. We also discuss international collaboration between trial teams, including prospective agreement to synthesise trial results, and identify the most effective interventions. We believe that international collaboration will help provide faster answers for patients, clinicians, and health care systems around the world, including for future waves of COVID-19, and enable preparedness for future global health pandemics.