A phase II clinical trial utilizing maximum medical and surgical cytoredutive treatments for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer to the liver

e15130

Background: The median overall survival (‘OS‘) for patients with mCRC treated with chemotherapy is about 20.4 months. Combination chemotherapy with surgical cytoreduction for patients with liver metastases are evaluated in a phase II clinical trial. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed mCRC to the liver or recurrent CRC after 5FU failure were consented to receive further chemotherapy with at least irinotecan-based chemotherapy, oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, and with the intention to treat the liver metastases with either RFA and/or liver resection between chemotherapy regimens whenever possible. Bevacizamab and cetuximab were considered options for treatment after their respective FDA approvals. Chemotherapy was given until there was treatment failure. The primary endpoint was OS. Results: Between 2001 and 2004 thirty-seven patients aged 41 to 79 were consented. One remained alive by December 2008. Only patients with an ECOG performance status of 0–1 were consented. Twenty had been treated with 5FU for a stage III CRC befored developing mCRC. All patients received irinotecan in the form of FOLFIRI, IFL, or as a single agent. Thirty-six also received oxaliplatin in the form of either FOLFOX4 or 6. Twenty-two patients received cetuximab as a single agent. Some regimens were augmented with bevacizumab. Fourteen patients could not undergo resection or RFA because of performance status or progression. Three required radiation to the CNS or distant bone. There were eleven patients who underwent RFA of at least one liver metastasis. There were ten patients who underwent liver resection. One patient underwent both RFA and liver resection at two different times. Another patient underwent RFA, adrenalectomy and wedge resection of the lung at three different times. He remained alive at 78 months at the time of submission. Median OS was 34.5+ months at the time of submission. Patient survival ranged from 15 to 86 months. There were no deaths associated with any surgical intervention. Conclusions: OS was improved in mCRC patients or recurrent CRC patients who had potentially ablatable or resectable liver lesions at the time of their diagnosis and who were treated with available aggressive medical and surgical therapies.

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A phase II trial of gefitinib monotherapy in patients with unresectable adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC)

15527

Background: ACC is a rare malignancy with a very poor prognosis. Surgery is the only potential curative option. Gefitinib is an oral EGFR inhibitor that may have activity in solid tumors that express EGFR. ACC over expresses EGFR in a high proportion of cases. Methods: From April 2004 through December 2006, the ACC Working Group conducted a phase II trial of Gefitinib as second line, monotherapy in patients with pathologically confirmed unresectable ACC who had progressed on mitotane or chemotherapy. All prior systemic therapy was discontinued 28 days prior to starting gefitinib. Patients were ineligible if: had received prior therapy with any EGFR inhibitor, pregnant or breast feeding, had other co-existing malignancies (other than basal cell carcinoma or cervical cancer in situ), had an ECOG PS > 2, absolute neutrophil counts < 1,500, or platelets < 20,000. Patients were not allowed concomitant use of phenytoin, carbamazepine, rifampicin, barbiturates, or St John’s Wort. Patients took gefitinib 250 mg orally once a day. Each cycle was 21 days with radiological assessment every 6 weeks.Response rate as determined by RECIST criteria was the primary endpoint. Results: 19 patients accrued to the study (18 with measurable disease and 1 without). Pt Characteristics: Female 79% (15/19); Median age 48 (range 26–74); 84% (12 female and 4 male =15/19) of the patients had steroid secreting tumors. Grade 3 toxicity was noted in 2 patients and included, hypertension and lower extremity edema and elevated liver transaminases. No grade 4 toxicities occurred. Of 19 patients evaluable, there were no complete responders, partial responders or patients with stable disease (0% response rate; 95% CI: 0%-18%). Conclusions: Gefitinib demonstrated no activity in patients with unresectable ACC. This study is now closed. This study demonstrated the ability to successfully accrue to a trial of novel agents in rare tumors in a multicenter setting.

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Phase II trial of carboplatin plus cetuximab for the treatment of stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

18005

Background: Cetuximab, an IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on both normal and tumor cells, has been investigated in advanced NSCLC as a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy. At the time of study design, triplet therapy had not demonstrated activity greater than doublets. This ongoing phase II open-label trial evaluates the doublet of cetuximab in combination with carboplatin (Cb) in patients (pts) with previously untreated stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. Methods: Eligible pts receive cetuximab 400 mg/m2 IV on day 1. Starting on day 8, pts receive cetuximab 250 mg/m2 IV weekly plus Cb AUC=6 IV q3w for 4 cycles (12 weeks). Pts who achieve CR, PR, or SD after 4 cycles may continue weekly cetuximab monotherapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary objective is to evaluate the response rate. Secondary objectives are to determine median progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months and median overall survival (OS) at 1 year. Results: The study has completed accrual, enrolling and treating 57 pts, all evaluable for response. None had received prior adjuvant chemotherapy for NSCLC. All pts received cetuximab; 49 received Cb. Of the 57 pts, 55 have discontinued: 30 (52.6%) for disease progression or relapse. Drug-related adverse events occurred in 53 pts (93%). Conclusions: These preliminary data of cetuximab in combination with Cb demonstrated modest response rates with an acceptable toxicity profile in pts with advanced NSCLC. Final PFS and OS data are pending.

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No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Phase I study of paclitaxel and day 1/day 8 gemcitabine in patients with solid malignancies

A phase I study was designed to evaluate the toxicity of escalating doses of gemcitabine along with fixed-dose paclitaxel in patients heavily pretreated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. All patients had no prior therapy with the study drugs and possessed both adequate performance and end organ function. Eighteen patients were entered in the study. Characteristics included a median age of 66 years (range, 41 to 77) and stage IV disease in all patients; there were six patients with colon cancer, two with bladder cancer, three with non-small-cell lung cancer, two with esophageal cancer, three with pancreatic cancer, and two with cancer of unknown primary. Paclitaxel (150 mg/m2 over 3 hours) was given on day 1 and gemcitabine (800, 900, and 1,000 mg/m2 over 15 minutes) was given in three separate dose-escalating cohorts (1-3) on days 1 and 8. The treatment cycled every 21 days. The dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) proved to be neutropenia. All nonhematologic toxicities were mild and included gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea), dermatologic (rash), and neurologic (paresthesias) disturbances along with transient elevations of liver function tests. The combination of gemcitabine and paclitaxel seems to be well tolerated, and the recommended starting dose for a phase II study, in pretreated patients using a day 1/day 8 treatment schedule, should be 900 mg/m2 for gemcitabine (days 1 and 8) along with 150 mg/m2 for paclitaxel (day 1).

Suppository delivery of 5-fluorouracil in rectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Preoperative radiotherapy with concomitant intravenous 5-fluorouracil (5-FU-i.v.) is effective in shrinking locally advanced rectal cancers and facilitating subsequent surgery. Topical 5-FU application may enhance its radiosensitizing and cytotoxic effects. Suppository and intravenous 5-FU administration were compared with respect to myelo-suppression and tissue concentrations.

METHODS

Rats received 120 mg/kg 5-FU-i.v. or via suppository (5-FU-S). White blood cell count, serum albumin, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were determined before and serially after 5-FU administration. In a separate experiment, rats received 5-FU-S or 5-FU-i.v. as already described. Portal and systemic blood, rectal, iliac lymph node, liver, and lung tissue were harvested for high-performance liquid chromatography determination of 5-FU concentrations 30 min, 1, 3, 6, and 12 h after drug administration.

RESULTS

No toxicity was observed in 5-FU-S animals, whereas 63% of 5-FU-IV animals had diarrhea. Weight loss and myelosuppression occurred only in 5-FU-i.v. animals. Rectal drug concentrations were significantly higher in the 5-FU-S animals compared with 5-FU-i.v. animals, 0.5-6 h after drug administration. Blood, liver, and lung 5-FU concentrations with 5-FU-S were comparable to those with 5-FU-i.v.

CONCLUSIONS

5-FU suppositories are associated with fewer systemic side effects and higher rectal 5-FU concentrations than with 5-FU-i.v. administration.

Suramin interference with transforming growth factor-beta inhibition of human renal cell carcinoma in culture

Suramin is a polyanionic compound used clinically for the treatment of trypanosomiasis, which is known to inhibit the action of many protein factors in vitro. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a multifunctional regulatory protein which inhibits the growth of renal cell carcinoma in culture. While suramin at 50-500 micrograms/ml had no significant effect on the growth of renal cell carcinoma in culture in our experiments, it did partially reverse the growth inhibition induced by TGF-beta in the two cell lines tested. This effect apparently is caused by suramin's direct interference with 125I-labeled TGF-beta's ability to bind to the cell, and not by any effect of suramin on the TGF-beta receptor. Furthermore, suramin dissociates TGF-beta bound to the cell with a t1/2 of less than 30 min. These results are consistent with those previously reported regarding suramin's interaction with other protein growth factors, and suggest that suramin may interact with the TGF-beta protein itself to inactivate it.

Suramin in advanced platinum-resistant ovarian cancer

10 patients with ovarian cancer, whose disease had progressed while receiving platinum-based therapy, were entered onto a phase II clinical trial of the antiproliferative agent suramin. Suramin was administered in a fashion that is associated with durable objective disease response in patients with hormonally resistant metastatic prostate cancer. No individual had an objective response to therapy in this study, but 3 of 9 evaluable patients (33%) experienced disease stabilisation and subjective clinical improvement for periods ranging from 2 to 5 months. Disease stabilisation was associated with prolonged periods of comparatively high plasma levels of drug, which appeared to be determined primarily by reduced drug clearance. We conclude that suramin has potential activity in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and we have initiated a second clinical trial using pharmacological information derived from this study.

Use of suramin in treatment of prostatic carcinoma refractory to conventional hormonal manipulation

Suramin and related compounds, in view of their growth factor and enzyme binding properties, represent in many respects a novel approach to the treatment of cancer. Although in this preliminary analysis of suramin use in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, the objective response rate does not appear impressive, much work still needs to be done to optimize suramin's administration to patients and to elucidate its various postulated mechanisms of action. The development of related compounds with more specific enzyme and growth factor antagonist properties is under way.

Characteristics of cell lines established from human gastric carcinoma

We report the establishment and characterization of four continuous cell lines derived from human primary and metastatic gastric carcinomas, and we compare their properties with a panel of colorectal carcinoma cell lines previously established and reported by us. Our success rate in culturing gastric carcinomas was relatively low, especially from primary tumors, compared to colorectal carcinoma. These observations may reflect the relatively modest number of gastric carcinoma cell lines established (mainly from Japan), compared to the abundance of colorectal carcinoma lines established worldwide. All four gastric lines expressed the surface glycoproteins carcinoembryonic antigen and TAG-72 and three lines expressed CA 19-9. Two of the lines expressed aromatic amino acid decarboxylase but lacked other markers for neuroendocrine differentiation. All four lines were positive for vasoactive intestinal peptide receptors but lacked gastrin receptors. In addition, two lines expressed receptors for muscarinic/cholinergic receptors but not beta-adrenergic receptors. Cytogenetic evidence for gene amplification was present in the cell lines. All four lines contained varying numbers of double-minute chromosomes. One line, SNU-16, was amplified for the c-myc proto-oncogene and contained four homogeneously staining regions. While c-myc and c-erb-B-2 RNA were expressed by all lines, there was no evidence of amplification or overexpression of several other proto-oncogenes and growth factors. The multiple properties we have described in our gastric carcinoma cell lines are remarkably similar to those found in the panel of colorectal carcinoma cell lines. These properties include morphology, growth characteristics, expression of surface glycoproteins, partial expression of neuroendocrine cell markers, frequent chromosomal evidence of gene amplification, and occasional amplification of the c-myc proto-oncogene. Our four well characterized cell lines should provide useful additions to the modest number currently available for in vitro studies of gastric carcinoma.

Patterns of proto-oncogene expression in human glioma cell lines

Previously reported studies have suggested that variations in the pattern of proto-oncogene expression within a specific tumor type may denote an underlying difference in the biology and clinical behavior of those tumors. To more sensitively characterize malignant tumors of the central nervous system, we have used Northern blot hybridization analysis to determine the patterns of expression of seven proto-oncogenes in 20 cell lines established from biopsy specimens of patients with malignant glioma. The following proto-oncogenes are expressed at detectable levels in 30 micrograms of total RNA from most glioma cell lines examined: c-myc (20/20), c-mil/raf-1 (18/18), neu (19/20), c-erbB (19/20), and c-myb (17/20). In contrast, only half of the cell lines expressed detectable c-sis (10/20). In none of the cell lines tested was N-myc (0/20) mRNA detected. Morphologic analysis of these 20 cell lines revealed three different growth patterns: bipolar, epithelial, and pleomorphic-glial. Detectable levels of c-sis mRNA typically occurred with either an epithelial or pleomorphic-glial morphology. The pleomorphic-glial subgroup was also characterized by the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein.

Suramin: an anticancer drug with a unique mechanism of action

We administered suramin, an anti-parasitic drug and reverse transcriptase inhibitor, to 15 patients with metastatic cancer. This compound is known to inhibit the binding of growth factors (eg, epidermal growth factor [EGF], platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF], tumor growth factor-beta [TGF-beta]) to their receptors and thus antagonize the ability of these factors to stimulate growth of tumor cells in vitro. There were no complete responses (CRs), four partial responses (PRs) (two of ten adrenal cortex, one of four renal, one of one adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma [HTLV-1]), and two minimal responses (MRs) (two of ten adrenal cortex). Toxicity included proteinuria (14 patients), reversible liver function test abnormalities (eight), vortex keratopathy (five), adrenal insufficiency (three), coagulopathy secondary to increased circulating levels of glycosaminoglycans (11), and one case of a reversible acute demyelinating polyneuropathy resembling the Guillain-Barrè syndrome. We conclude that suramin is an active agent in the treatment of metastatic cancer, and further work is necessary to define its scope.

Circulating glycosaminoglycan anticoagulants associated with suramin treatment

A complex coagulopathy appeared in three women receiving suramin as treatment for metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma. Although hepatocellular dysfunction accounted for some of the abnormality, a unique feature of the coagulopathy was the presence of an inhibitor of the thrombin clotting time. The potency of this circulating anticoagulant increased markedly during exacerbations of hepatic injury. The anticoagulant was removed from plasma samples from two of the patients by passage over a column of diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-Sephacel. It eluted from the DEAE at salt concentrations that removed "high-charge" glycosaminoglycans. Elimination of the purified anticoagulant activity in vitro required a combination of heparitinase and chondroitinase ABC, suggesting that the activity was mediated by both heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate. Suramin is hypothesized to inhibit enzymes that normally degrade glycosaminoglycans, resulting in accumulation of these substances, which are released from the liver into the circulation during periods of hepatic injury.

Effects of suramin on the function and structure of the adrenal cortex in the cynomolgus monkey

There have been reports of adrenal failure in patients treated with suramin, an agent that has recently been used as therapy for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. We conducted this study to assess the effect of suramin on adrenal function and structure in a primate, the cynomolgus monkey. Five male monkeys were treated with suramin (800 mg/m2, im) once a week, for 5 weeks. Five other animals (controls) received saline. The treated animals had progressive elevations of plasma ACTH (P less than 0.05) and PRA (P less than 0.02) and decreased serum cortisol responses 30 min after the administration of synthetic ACTH (P less than 0.05) compared to controls. There was disruption of the architecture of the adrenal cortex, a diffuse inflammatory cell infiltrate, and thinning of the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata in the suramin-treated animals. We conclude that suramin is toxic to adrenal cortical tissue and might be useful in treating conditions with adrenal cortical hyperfunction, such as adrenal cortical carcinoma and Cushing's syndrome.