Apostolia Maria Tsimberidou, MD, PhD, tenured professor, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the IMPACT trial in patients with advanced cancer.

Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association between baseline characteristics and overall survival (OS). Researchers found that PI3 kinase/AKT/mTOR pathway abnormalities were an independent factor that predicted shorter survival. Other factors included increased lactate dehydrogenase levels, lower albumin levels, performance status greater than 1, liver metastases, increased platelet count, and an of age 60 years or older, explains Tsimberidou.

Researchers developed a prognostic score using these baseline characteristics. One point was assigned to each factor. Now, physicians can predict survival based on how many of these factors patients have, says Tsimberidou. The median OS for patients with 0 factors was 15 months compared with less than 2 months in patients with a score of 5 or higher.

Researchers subsequently added the intervention or the type of therapy in the multivariate model. Researchers found that the matched targeted therapy was an independent factor predicting longer OS. The data conclude that matched targeted therapy is associated with superior rates of response, progression-free survival, and OS. Long-term OS data has also been generated in patients who received matched targeted therapy, which was shown to be superior to those patients treated with non-matched therapy, states Tsimberidou.

Apostolia M. Tsimberidou, MD, PhD

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Dr. Tsimberidou on the Impact Trial in Patients With Advanced Cancer