MA02.06 A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Chemotherapy Combined with Yangzheng Xiaoji in Advanced NSCLC

Yangzheng Xiaoji (YZXJ) is a Chinese medicine formulation made of 16 herbs and used in patients with solid cancers. The aim of this randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled multi-center trial (YANG-1，ClinicalTrials.gov registration No. NCT02195453) is to evaluate the impact of Yangzheng Xiaoji capsule on the quality of life (QoL) and treatment-related side effects in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving chemotherapy. Patients with advanced NSCLC and with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 1, who receive first-line chemotherapy (gemcitabine or pemetrexed and cisplatin), were randomized (1:1) to Yangzheng Xiaoji (YZXJ) or placebo combined with chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was QoL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) and Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS)) after two or four cycles of chemotherapy. The second endpoints included overall response rate, progression free survival and toxicity. Between 10/2014 and 4/2017, the trial enrolled and randomized 504 patients from 25 centers in China. 397 patients received at least two cycles of chemotherapy and were included for final analysis. Baseline characteristics, including FACT-L and LCSS scores, were well balanced between two groups. The mean FACT-L scores were significantly changed in both groups from the baseline to that after chemotherapy (97.58 increase to 100.89 in YZXJ/chemotherapy arm, P<0.001; 93.83 decrease to 97.93 in placebo arm, P<0.001). The mean score of LCSS from baseline was significantly changed in YZXJ/chemotherapy groups (25.84 decrease to 22.31, P<0.001), but there was no statistical difference in the placebo group(25.59 vs. 26.45, P=0.136). The YZXJ/chemotherapy arm had a better QoL than the placebo/chemotherapy arm (FACT-L, 3.30 vs. -4.09; P<0.001) as well as improved lung cancer symptoms compared with placebo (LCSS, -3.53 vs. -0.86; P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in chemotherapy completion rate, ORR and PFS between two groups. The most common adverse events were bone marrow toxicity (70.92% vs. 67.59%) and gastrointestinal reaction (34.66% vs. 63.24%) (YZXJ vs. Placebo, P=0.441 and P<0.001, respectively). The rate of fatigue was significantly lower in YZXJ group than placebo group (4.38% vs. 30.04%, P<0.001). For patients with advanced NSCLC who received platinum-based chemotherapy, Yangzheng Xiaoji Capsule significantly improved the quality of life and symptoms, especially fatigue and gastrointestinal reaction.