Capecitabine in carcinoma of the pancreas

Phase I study of capecitabine combined with radioembolization using yttrium-90 resin microspheres (SIR-Spheres) in patients with advanced cancer

BACKGROUND

This was a prospective single-centre, phase I study to document the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), and the recommended phase II dose for future study of capecitabine in combination with radioembolization.

METHODS

Patients with advanced unresectable liver-dominant cancer were enrolled in a 3+3 design with escalating doses of capecitabine (375-1000 mg/m(2) b.i.d.) for 14 days every 21 days. Radioembolization with (90)Y-resin microspheres was administered using a sequential lobar approach with two cycles of capecitabine.

RESULTS

Twenty-four patients (17 colorectal) were enrolled. The MTD was not reached. Haematologic events were generally mild. Common grade 1/2 non-haematologic toxicities included transient transaminitis/alkaline phosphatase elevation (9 (37.5%) patients), nausea (9 (37.5%)), abdominal pain (7 (29.0%)), fatigue (7 (29.0%)), and hand-foot syndrome or rash/desquamation (7 (29.0%)). One patient experienced a partial gastric antral perforation with a capecitabine dose of 750 mg/m(2). The best response was partial response in four (16.7%) patients, stable disease in 17 (70.8%) and progression in three (12.5%). Median time to progression and overall survival of the metastatic colorectal cancer cohort was 6.4 and 8.1 months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This combined modality treatment was generally well tolerated with encouraging clinical activity. Capecitabine 1000 mg/m(2) b.i.d. is recommended for phase II study with sequential lobar radioembolization.

Improvement of capecitabine antitumoral activity by melatonin in pancreatic cancer

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of melatonin and capecitabine on experimental pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

Fifty Syrian hamsters were randomized in 5 groups: group 1: no tumor induction (control group); group 2: tumor induction with BOP [N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl) amine]; group 3: tumor induction with BOP and melatonin administration; group 4: tumor induction with BOP and capecitabine administration; and group 5: tumor induction with BOP and administration of combined capecitabine and melatonin therapy. The evaluation of pathological tumor evolution and oxidative stress markers in pancreatic tissue was carried out.

RESULTS

All animals under BOP exposure presented poorly or moderately differentiated pancreatic adenocarcinoma associated with increased lipoperoxide levels and decreased antioxidant activity in pancreatic tissue. Pancreatic cancer was shown in only 66% of the capecitabine-treated group and 33% of melatonin-treated group (P < 0.05), most of them moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. When capecitabine and melatonin were combined, a well-differentiated pancreatic adenocarcinoma was observed in 10% of animals. The beneficial effect was associated with a decrease in lipoperoxide levels and increased antioxidant activity in pancreatic tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

The combined administration of capecitabine and melatonin provided an improvement in antioxidant status as well as a synergistic antitumoral effect in experimental pancreatic cancer.

Effects of capecitabine and celecoxib in experimental pancreatic cancer

INTRODUCTION

Pancreatic cancer is a major health problem because of its aggressiveness and the lack of effective systemic therapies. The aim of the study was the identification of beneficial properties of combined celecoxib and capecitabine treatment during an experimental pancreatic cancer model.

METHODS

N-nitrosobis (2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) was used as a tumoral agent for 12 weeks. Celecoxib and capecitabine were administered either as monotherapy or combined 12 weeks after cancer induction for a period of 24 weeks. The presence of well-developed or moderate adenocarcinoma was evaluated in the pancreas. Several markers of stress, such as lipoperoxides, reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GHS-Px) were determined.

RESULTS

BOP induced the presence of pancreatic tumors associated with a rise in lipoperoxides and the reduction of the antioxidant status in the pancreas. The administration of celecoxib and capecitabine reduced the number of animals with tumors (33 and 66%, respectively). This antitumoral effect was associated with a recovery of GSH, SOD and CAT activity in the pancreas of BOP-treated animals. The combined treatment exerted a synergic antitumoral effect and reduced pancreatic oxidative stress.

CONCLUSION

The combined administration of celecoxib and capecitabine exerted a synergistic antitumoral effect and increased the antioxidant status restoration in pancreatic cancer.

New treatment options for advanced pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer has a very high mortality rate and affects approximately 230,000 individuals worldwide. Gemcitabine has become established as the standard therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer; however, the survival advantage is small. Adjuvant chemotherapy using either 5-fluorouracil or gemcitabine is now established in pancreatic cancer as an alternative therapy. Combinations of gemcitabine with either platin agents or capecitabine may be advantageous. Anti-EGFR and anti-VEGF agents have been unsuccessful but multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors are under investigation. Of the increasing number of immunological agents, the GV1001 antitelomerase vaccine holds some interest. Targeted agents against important mitogenic pathways, including MEK/ERK, Src, PI3K/Akt, mTOR, Hedgehog and NF-kappaB, as well as agents targeting histone deacetylase, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, heat shock protein 90 and other agents such as beta-lapachone, hold considerable interest for further development. However, the probability of individual success is low.

Gemcitabine based combination chemotherapy in advanced pancreatic cancer-indirect comparison

Background

Recent meta-analyses have found a survival advantage with gemcitabine based combinations over single agent gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. There is paucity of evidence in the form of direct head-to-head randomised controlled trials to determine which combinations are to be preferred.

Method

Using the adjusted indirect comparison method proposed by Bucher et al, we have assessed randomised controlled trials of four gemcitabine based combinations namely gemcitabine plus a platinum compound or 5-fluorouracil or irinotecan or capecitabine.

Results

No particular combination was significantly superior to another, but the indirect evidence suggests some important trends.

Conclusion

The strongest trends on indirect comparison are towards favouring gemcitabine plus capecitabine or gemcitabine plus a platinum compound over gemcitabine plus irinotecan, and to a lesser degree, over gemcitabine plus 5-fluorouracil.

Capecitabine in Combination with Novel Targeted Agents in the Management of Metastatic Breast Cancer: Underlying Rationale and Results of Clinical Trials

At present there is no established standard of care for metastatic breast cancer and prognosis remains poor, although the use of newer chemotherapeutic regimens has led to modest improvements in survival. Capecitabine, an oral prodrug of 5-fluorouracil, is a promising addition to these approaches, having already shown single-agent activity against metastatic breast cancer. Following a pivotal trial demonstrating that capecitabine confers increased survival when used in combination with docetaxel, it is being investigated intensively in combined regimens using other standard chemotherapeutic agents, as well as with novel molecularly targeted therapies. Among the novel agents, the most intensively studied in combination with capecitabine is trastuzumab. Despite preclinical data suggesting that these two agents might not show additive effects, clinical trials have been very encouraging for both heavily pretreated patients and for patients receiving first-line therapy in the metastatic setting. This work is being further extended in an ongoing trial in the neoadjuvant setting. An initial trial in combination with bevacizumab, enrolling heavily pretreated patients, was less successful, but following the example of the E2100 trial, this combination is being re-examined in less heavily treated patients. In addition, this review discusses ongoing trials with an array of newer molecularly targeted agents. Significant improvement in time to progression has already been demonstrated in the combination of lapatinib and capecitabine compared with capecitabine monotherapy; for the most part, however, these trials are still in early stages.