Overall survival (OS) is an endpoint of significant importance when assessing safety and efficacy in oncology studies. Multiple trial design decisions are made when planning the analysis of OS and analysis of OS is even more complicated when it is analyzed as a non-primary endpoint. Here are some common trial design elements to consider that may have potential pitfalls for your next study.
When analyzing overall survival in a post-hoc manner sponsors need to carefully consider the types of analyses to present and have a thorough understanding of both the regulatory precedent and market landscape which their product will enter.
Overall survival (OS) is both an important efficacy & safety endpoint for oncology trials. Often when study results are submitted for regulatory consideration, OS results are often “immature”/still in their early stages which makes them difficult to evaluate. Understanding how to place these results into a proper benefit-risk framework for consideration is therefore important when assessing a potential treatment’s viability.
Since the introduction of the original 3+3 method, the available design options for dose escalation in early phase studies have expanded beyond traditional algorithm-based designs to include model-based designs.
Oncology dose-escalation trials are a distinct entity, with nuances and considerations which set them apart from other therapeutic areas. From varying trial designs to the patients who participate, dose-finding clinical trials in oncology are a clinical research paradigm. Understanding strategies to facilitate success is key to study planning and execution, from feasibility to site selection through enrollment and treatment.
