Tocilizumab Combined With First-Line Chemo-Immunotherapy in Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for approximately 85% of all diagnoses. For patients with metastatic NSCLC lacking actionable driver mutations (e.g., EGFR, ALK), the standard first-line therapeutic strategy involves immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis, administered either as monotherapy or in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy. While these regimens have significantly improved overall survival (OS), a substantial proportion of patients fail to derive durable clinical benefit, and long-term survival rates for metastatic disease remain suboptimal, often due to host-related factors that impair the anti-tumor immune response.

A critical determinant of poor therapeutic outcomes in advanced NSCLC is cancer-associated cachexia (CAC), a multifactorial paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by systemic inflammation, negative protein-energy balance, and the involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia). Primary observational studies demonstrate that nutritional derangements closely associated with cachexia - such as significant weight loss and malnutrition - are highly prevalent in lung cancer, particularly in advanced disease, with lung cancer-specific cohorts reporting rates ranging from approximately 35% - 70% depending on disease stage and assessment method. Unlike starvation, it is driven by aberrant systemic inflammation and not fully reversible via nutritional support.

Clinically, cachexia is defined by the international consensus (Fearon criteria) as weight loss >5% over 6 months, or weight loss >2% in individuals with a body mass index (BMI) < 20 kg/m2 or sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is specifically defined by a low skeletal muscle index (SMI) at the L3 vertebral level, with widely validated cutoffs of < 52.4 cm2/m2 for men and < 8.5 cm2/m2 for women.

This is a Phase 1b/2, multi-site, single-arm, open-label, non-randomized study looking at whether adding tocilizumab to standard treatment for metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is safe, possible, and effective. The study includes people with metastatic NSCLC, that is lung cancer that has spread, who have experienced significant loss of weight or muscle mass.

Primary Objective Evaluate the safety/feasibility and efficacy of adding tocilizumab to standard first-line chemo-immunotherapy in biomarker-selected patients with stage IV NSCLC, defined by weight loss ≥5% within the prior 6 months, or ≥2% if BMI < 20 kg/m².

Co-primary endpoint 1: Safety/Feasibility Proportion of patients completing four cycles of chemo-IO + tocilizumab without grade ≥3 autoimmune or non-hematological treatment-related adverse events (TRAE). Feasibility will be defined as ≥80% completion; unacceptable toxicity as >30% incidence of grade ≥3 serious AEs.

Co-primary endpoint 2: Progression-Free Survival Rate at 6 months Proportion of patients alive and progression-free at 6 months after starting therapy per RECIST v1.1, estimated by Kaplan-Meier and presented with a 95% CI.

Secondary Objectives Assess the effect of tocilizumab on body composition, inflammatory biomarkers, and treatment response.

Secondary Endpoints: change in weight/muscle mass (CT-based sarcopenia/Fearon index); Overall Response Rate (ORR); median Overall Survival Rate; and CRP levels from baseline to end of treatment.

Correlative Objectives Evaluate associations between treatment response (PFS rate at 6 months, ORR) and baseline inflammatory biomarkers (CRP) as well as molecular biomarkers (KRAS, STK11) identified by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of tumor tissue.

Exploratory Objectives Identify associations between treatment response (PFS rate at 6 months, ORR) and longitudinal measurements of CRP, IL-6, Cyclin D1 and Bcl-xL mRNA, as well as baseline PTPRT methylation.

Participants will go through the screening and baseline process to assess eligibility. If eligible, participants will attend study treatment visits every 21 days for about 3 months, an End of Treatment (EOT) visit about 30 days after the last dose of treatment, and follow up for up to 12 months after the EOT visit. Tocilizumab will be administered in addition to standard treatment regimens for NSCLC, at a dose of 8 mg/kg intravenous (IV) once every three weeks (once every 21 days); on day one of each treatment cycle. Tocilizumab is administered as a single IV drip infusion over 1 hour; it cannot be administered as bolus or push. Tocilizumab will be given for 4 doses, at the beginning of treatment, or until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities.

The study will be open at 4 VA hospitals, and planned enrollment is about 43 participants in total with about 11 participants from each site. This research study is expected to take about 4 years. Individual participation in the study will take about 18 months.