Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Phase II Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Apricoxib in Combination With Either Docetaxel or Pemetrexed in Patients With Biomarker-Selected Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose Overexpression of COX-2 correlates with advanced stage and worse outcomes in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), possibly as a result of elevated levels of COX-2–dependent prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Exploratory analyses of studies that used COX-2 inhibitors have demonstrated potentially superior outcome in patients in whom the urinary metabolite of PGE2 (PGE-M) is suppressed. We hypothesized that patients with disease defined by PGE-M suppression would benefit from the addition of apricoxib to second-line docetaxel or pemetrexed. Patients and Methods Patients with NSCLC who had disease progression after one line of platinum-based therapy, performance status of 0 to 2, and normal organ function were potentially eligible. Only patients with a ≥ 50% decrease in urinary PGE-M after 5 days of treatment with apricoxib could enroll. Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 or pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 once every 21 days per the investigator was administered with apricoxib or placebo 400 mg once per day. The primary end point was pro...