Local Investigators Significantly Overestimate Overall Response Rates Compared to Blinded Independent Central Reviews in Phase 2 Oncology Trials

J Clin Pharmacol. 2021 Jun;61(6):810-819. doi: 10.1002/jcph.1790. Epub 2020 Dec 15.

Abstract

The overall response rate (ORR) is a largely adopted outcome measure in early-phase oncology trials. ORR is highly relevant in cancer drug development at the time of deciding whether to move to confirmatory phase 3 trials; moreover, ORR is gaining increasing relevance in fast-track registration procedures. No systematic analysis has been conducted so far to investigate whether a discrepancy exists between ORR assessed by local investigators and those assessed by blinded reviewers in phase 2 oncology trials. In this study, we carried out a search in the clinicaltrials.gov and EudraCT databases, looking at the trials reporting the results of both investigator-assessed and independently-assessed ORR. A discrepancy index was obtained by calculating the ratio of each investigator-assessed ORR on the corresponding independently assessed ORR, so that a discrepancy index >1 indicates that the investigator was "more optimistic," whereas a discrepancy index <1 indicates the opposite. We also analyzed different subgroups (by tumor type, by drug type, by year). Twenty trials met the search criteria; in some cases, >1 comparison was conducted in the trial, so that the total number of comparisons analyzed was 33. The estimated mean discrepancy index was 1.175 (95% confidence interval, 1.083-1.264; n = 33). In conclusion, local investigators significantly overestimate ORR compared to paired blinded reviewers in phase 2 oncology trials. This may represent a risk in drug development, when deciding whether to move to confirmatory, more expensive phase 3 trials. Blinded independent central review should be used in ORR assessment if a more conservative estimate of treatment efficacy is required, as in the case of fast-track drug developments leading to accelerated approvals of cancer therapies.

Keywords: blinded independent central review; local evaluation; local investigator; oncology; overall response rate; progression-free survival.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Bias
  • Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Research Personnel / statistics & numerical data*
  • Single-Blind Method

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents