A randomized, double-blind, phase III study of Docetaxel and Ramucirumab versus Docetaxel and placebo in the treatment of stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer after disease progression after 1 previous platinum-based therapy (REVEL): treatment rationale and study design.

This article describes the treatment rationale and study-related procedures for the A Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase 3 Study of Docetaxel and Ramucirumab Versus Docetaxel and Placebo in the Treatment of Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Following Disease Progression after One Prior Platinum-Based Therapy (REVEL) study (I4T-MC-JVBA; ClinicalTrials.govNCT01168973). This international, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded phase III trial examines the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab treatment administered in combination with docetaxel, as compared with docetaxel administered with placebo, in patients with stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease progressed during or after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy with or without maintenance treatment. The primary end point is overall survival; secondary end points include progression-free survival, objective response rate, disease control rate, patient-reported outcomes, and assessment of safety and tolerability of ramucirumab. Eligible patients (enrollment N = 1242) are randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive either docetaxel (75 mg/m(2)) plus ramucirumab (10 mg/kg) (Arm A) or docetaxel (75 mg/m(2)) plus placebo (Arm B). Both drugs are administered via intravenous infusion once every 3 weeks until evidence of disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, noncompliance, or patient's consent withdrawal. Efficacy and safety will be compared between the study arms and in patient subgroups including patients with nonsquamous versus squamous tumor histology and patients who received prior bevacizumab treatment. Multiple blood and tumor tissue biomarker samples are collected during the study. The goal of the REVEL study is to demonstrate that ramucirumab in combination with docetaxel improves overall survival of patients with NSCLC with progressive disease after first-line therapy, and to advance our knowledge of the role of angiogenesis blockade in patients with NSCLC by identifying patients who are likely to experience maximum benefit based on extensive clinical biomarker correlative analysis.