Lenalidomide and irinotecan in adults with recurrent malignant gliomas: Phase I results of the phase I/II trial

2036

Background: Patients with recurrent malignant gliomas have limited treatment options. We previously reported promising results using 6 month progression free survival [PFS6] endpoint combining irinotecan and thalidomide compared to historical controls. In this study, we tested the tolerability and efficacy of Irinotecan combined with Lenalidomide, a more potent thalidomide analogue with unique antiangiogenic and immunomodulatory properties. Methods: This phase I portion of the phase I/II study aimed to determine the maximum tolerated doses (MTD) of irinotecan and lenalidomide. Eligible patients were adults (>=18 y) with recurrent WHO Grade 3 or 4 gliomas who were not on EIAED, had failed prior radiation therapy, had a KPS>=60, had adequate marrow, renal and hepatic organ function, no major medical illnesses and no other concurrent malignancies. Each cycle was designated as 4 weeks in duration. Results: Two of the 4 patients enrolled at the starting dose level of Lenalidomide 10 mg/day on days 1-21 and irinotecan 200 mg/m2 q2 weeks developed rash as dose limiting toxicity (DLT). The trial was restarted with no change in irinotecan dose but with a lowered Lenalidomide dose of 7.5 mg/day for cycle 1 with escalation to 10 mg/day for cycle 2 and beyond. Of 3 eligible patients enrolled, no DLTs were noted even after cycle 2. The dose was hence escalated to Lenalidomide 10 mg/day with unchanged irinotecan dose. Only 1/6 patients experienced a DLT (pulmonary embolism); however, it was noted that 4/6 patients required dose reduction of irinotecan to 150 mg/m2 after cycle 1. One patient died during cycle 2 of unknown causes (autopsy declined) without reports of preceding toxicities. Non DLT toxicities included neutropenia, leukopenia, hypokalemia, diarrhea, fatigue and nausea/vomiting. Lenalidomide pharmacokinetic data, obtained by serial blood draws initially after one dose of the drug on day 0 and subsequently after irinotecan and lenalidomide dose on day 1 to examine drug interactions, will be presented. Conclusions: Based on these results, the maximum tolerated dose was Lenalidomide 10 mg/day on days 1-21 and irinotecan 150 mg/m2 q 2 weeks every 28 days which will be used in the phase II study that will open shortly.

Bevacizumab versus bevacizumab plus vorinostat in adults with recurrent malignant glioma: Results of a phase I part of a phase I/II trial

2029^

Background: Antiangiogenic therapy using b evacizumab (Bev) has shown promising activity against recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). However, most patients have disease progression after striking but transient responses. Salvage therapies have been uniformly ineffective, suggesting development of resistance mechanisms including upregulation of other proangiogenic factors and increased activity of hypoxia inducible factors (HIF)-1a. Vorinostat, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor has single agent activity against recurrent GBM and downregulates HIF-1a and other proangiogenic and invasive factors. We hypothesized that HDAC inhibition combined with Bev would result in improved clinical outcome. We report the results of the Phase I portion of the study preceding the initiation of the 2-arm adaptive randomized Phase II study. Methods: Adults with recurrent malignant glioma, KPS ≥ 60, normal hepatic, renal and marrow organ function and no prior exposure to Bev or Vorinostat were enrolled to the combination therapy after the confirmation of recurrent GBM. A conventional 3+3 Phase I design was used to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and the toxicity profile of the combination of Bev and Vorinostat. The starting dose was Bev at 10mg/kg administered on days 1 and 15 intravenously and Vorinostat 400 mg/day orally on days 1 to 7, and days 15 to 21 with each cycle being 28 days. Results: A total of 6 patients were enrolled and all 6 patients were evaluable. Three patients were enrolled in the first cohort at the starting dose of the combination and completed the first cycle. One patient experienced a grade 3 ALT elevation and grade 3 hyperglycemia, which were designated as possibly related to vorinostat and constituting a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). No grade 4 toxicities were noted. The cohort was expanded by 3 more patients with none of these patients experienced a DLT in the first cycle. The starting dose level of Bev and v orinostat was declared the Phase II dose. Conclusions: Combination of Bev (10 mg/kg q 2 weeks) and of vorinostat (400 mg on days 1 to 7 and 15 to 21) has tolerable toxicity profile. This will be followed by a multicenter Bayesian adaptive randomized Phase II study.

Phase II study of carboplatin and erlotinib (Tarceva, OSI-774) in patients with recurrent glioblastoma

Targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) may be effective in a subset of glioblastoma patients. This phase II study assessed the clinical activity of erlotinib plus carboplatin and to determine molecular predictors of response. The primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS). Patients with recurrent glioblastoma with no more than two prior relapses received carboplatin intravenously on day 1 of every 28-day cycle (target AUC of 6 mg x ml/min). Daily erlotinib at 150 mg/day was dose escalated to 200 mg/day, as tolerated. Clinical and MRI assessments were made every 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. Tumor tissue was evaluated for EGFR, AKT and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) status. One partial response (PR) was observed out of 43 assessable patients. Twenty patients (47%) had stable disease (SD) for an average of 12 weeks. Median PFS was 9 weeks. The 6-month PFS rate was 14%. Median overall survival (OS) was 30 weeks. This regimen was well tolerated with grade 3/4 toxicities of fatigue, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and rash requiring dose reductions. A recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) predicted that patients with KPS >or=90 treated with more than 1 prior regimen had the highest OS. No correlation was observed between EGFR, Akt or PTEN expression and either PFS or OS. Carboplatin plus erlotinib is well tolerated but has modest activity in unselected patients. Future trials should be stratified based on optimal molecular or clinical characteristics.

A multicenter phase II trial of intrathecal topotecan in patients with meningeal malignancies

To determine the therapeutic efficacy (13-week and 26-week CNS progression-free survival [PFS], response rate, and overall survival) and safety of intraventricular (IVent) topotecan in patients with neoplastic meningitis (NM), we conducted a phase II, open-label, nonrandomized, single-arm trial of IVent topotecan in patients with NM using 400 mug of topotecan IVent twice weekly for 6 weeks, followed by evaluation with imaging, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and physical examinations. In the absence of disease progression, patients were then treated with IVent topotecan weekly for 6 weeks, twice monthly for 4 months, and monthly thereafter. Sixty-two patients (23 males and 39 females) were enrolled from April 2001 through March 2006. Median age and KPS at enrollment were 56 (range 5-83) and 80 (range 60-100), respectively. Primary cancers included breast (19), lung (13), CNS (14), and others (16). Forty patients (65%) completed the 6-week induction period, among whom 13 (21%) had CSF clearance of malignant cells. Kaplan-Meier estimates of PFS at 13 and 26 weeks were 30% (95% confidence interval [CI], 20%-45%) and 19% (95% CI, 11%-34%). Overall median survival (50 deaths) was 15 weeks (95% CI, 13-24 weeks). The most common side effect was chemical meningitis in 32% of patients (5% grade 3); 32% experienced no drug side effects. IVent topotecan is well tolerated, but provides no added benefit over other IVent therapies. Because of its modest side effect profile, combining IVent topotecan with other IVent or systemic interventions should be considered.

Impact of phase II trials with progression-free survival as end-points on survival-based phase III studies in patients with anaplastic gliomas

Background

To assess progression-free survival (PFS) as the appropriate end-point for phase II trials for anaplastic gliomas (AGs) and to determine the impact of PFS on survival-based phase III trials.

Methods

Combined data from 16 phase II studies (N = 529 patients) were analyzed to determine progression-free survival (PFS) at 6, 9, and 12 months and the impact of age, Karnofsky performance score (KPS), number of prior chemotherapies, and response to treatment on PFS.

Results

The specific chemotherapy used was the major effector of PFS at 6, 9, and 12 months. Age, KPS, treatment response rate, and number of prior chemotherapies did not affect PFS to the same extent. Hierarchical cluster analyses and linear least squares fitting of PFS₉ v PFS₁₂ demonstrated the existence of three therapeutic efficacy groups with PFS rates at 6, 9, and 12 months ranging from lowest (A) to highest (C). The PFS₆ was 15% in group A and 41% in group C (p < .0001); the PFS₁₂ was 9% in group A and 33% in group C (p < .0001). Further, 80% of patients at recurrence had a 23% likelihood that each chemotherapy would provide > 1 year of additional life.

Conclusion

Based on PFS rates at 6, 9, and 12 months for AG patients, a differential of 1.5 to 2 years is the norm and could invalidate overall survival as an end-point for phase III studies in patients with AG. PFS is a more reliable end-point because it reflects the true antitumor benefit of the chemotherapy.

Phase III randomized study of postradiotherapy chemotherapy with combination alpha-difluoromethylornithine-PCV versus PCV for anaplastic gliomas

PURPOSE

In the current study, we sought to determine whether the addition of DFMO (alpha-difluoromethyl ornithine; eflornithine), an inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, to a nitrosourea-based therapy procarbazine, 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea, vincristine (PCV) would be more effective as a postirradiation adjuvant therapy for anaplastic gliomas (AG) than PCV alone.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

After conventional radiation therapy, 249 AG patients were randomized to receive either DFMO-PCV (125 patients) or PCV alone (124 patients), with survival being the primary endpoint and progression-free survival being an important secondary endpoint. The starting dosage of DFMO was 3 grams/m(2) p.o. q. 8 h for 14 days before and 4 weeks after 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea; PCV was administered as described previously (1). Clinical and radiological (gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging) follow-ups were nominally at the end of each 6- or 8-week cycle (PCV at 6 weeks; DFMO-PCV at 8 weeks). Laboratory evaluations for hematological and other adverse effects were at 2-week intervals.

RESULTS

In the DFMO-PCV arm, there were 114 evaluable patients with 78.1% anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), 3.5% anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA), 14% anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO), and 4.4% other malignant gliomas. These histological groupings were comparable with those of the 114 patients in the PCV arm: (a) 69.3% AA; (b) 7% AOA; (c) 21.1% AO; and (d) 2.6% malignant gliomas. Although improved survival estimates for the DFMO-PCV treatment group persisted over the course of the study, analysis of survival differences over the entire follow-up period did not yield significance (P = 0.11). However, careful analysis of the corresponding hazard and hazard ratio functions indicated that the real treatment difference was limited to the first 24 months of follow-up (P = 0.02). The median progression-free survival for the two treatment groups, as measured from postradiotherapy registration, was 71.1 months for the DFMO-PCV arm and 37.5 months for the PCV-only arm. Median survival, measured from registration, was 75.8 and 61.1 months, respectively, for the DFMO-PCV and PCV arms. The treatment effect persisted when the AA histology was separated from AO and AOA histologies. This effect persisted even after adjusting for the covariates of age, Karnofsky performance status, and extent of surgery. There was a statistically significant increase in grade 3 adverse events for diarrhea and anemia associated with DFMO-PCV. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events of nausea, ototoxicity, and thrombocytopenia were not significantly increased among groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of DFMO to the nitrosourea-based PCV regimen in this Phase III study demonstrated a sustained benefit in survival probabilities for AG patients but not in the corresponding hazard rates. Survival analysis from registration found a DFMO-PCV median survival of 6.3 years (49 of 114 events), whereas that for PCV alone was 5.1 years (55 of 114 events). The hazard function demonstrated a difference over the first 2 years of study (hazard ratio 0.53, P = 0.02) but not after 2 years (hazard ratio 1.06, P = 0.84), supporting the conclusion that DFMO adds to the survival advantage of PCV chemotherapy for AG patients by direct temporal interaction with PCV.

Treatment of recurrent gliomas with eflornithine

BACKGROUND

Oral eflornithine in combination with intravenous mitoguazone (methylbisguanylhydrazone) has shown activity against recurrent anaplastic gliomas. Eflornithine alone, however, has not been evaluated against recurrent gliomas.

PURPOSE

This study compared the antitumor activity of oral eflornithine with that of oral eflornithine combined with intravenous mitoguazone in the treatment of patients with recurrent or progressive glioblastoma multiforme as well as nonglioblastoma anaplastic gliomas.

METHODS

During the 1st year of therapy with eflornithine alone, the drug was given at a dose of 3.6 g/m2 on days 1-14, 22-35, and 43-56 every 8 hours; cycles were repeated every 63 days until progression. For the 2nd year, the drug was given on days 1-14, 29-42, and 57-70, with 84 days between cycles. For the 1st and 2nd years of eflornithine-mitoguazone therapy, eflornithine was given at 1.8 g/m2 on the same schedule. Mitoguazone was given intravenously at 200 mg/m2 on the final day of each 2-week sequence of eflornithine therapy. Response was determined by evaluating changes in the size of contrast-enhanced neuroimages.

RESULTS

Because of two cases of lethal hepatic necrosis, the initial random allocation of patients to the eflornithine-mitoguazone arm was stopped after 23 patients had been accrued. Ninety-eight patients were entered in the eflornithine arm; 80 patients (36 glioblastoma multiforme patients and 44 anaplastic glioma patients) were assessable for response. Antitumor activity (partial response, minor response, and stable disease) was seen in 45% of the patients with anaplastic gliomas, for a median of 49 weeks, but in only 17% of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (median not attained). Twenty-one (20%) of the patients with anaplastic glioma and 33% of the patients with glioblastoma multiforme were removed from the study before completing the first 8-week course of therapy because of neurological deterioration and tumor progression by the 5th week of treatment.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that eflornithine alone is an effective palliative therapy for recurrent anaplastic gliomas. Additional studies are needed to confirm our finding.

[Kidney transplantation]

In a consecutive series of 639 Renal Transplants (RT) performed between January 1st 1978 and December 31st 1988, 75 Renal Transplanctectomies (RTX) were carried out. Of those, fifty-seven (76%) were due to immunological causes, 10 (13.3%) to vascular complications, 7 (9.3%) to urological problems and 1 (1.3%) to deep infection. The time elapsed between RTX and RT was as follows: 25 were performed earlier than 6 weeks, 17 between 6 weeks to 6 months, and 33 after 6 months. The higher number of complications did not happened, as it is frequently described, in the first group; on the contrary, it fell in the group that had been transplanted longer. There were 13 immunologically caused renal rhexis, 5 of which were RTX, another 5 were operated on and diagnosed at perioperation, and immediately received the appropriate treatment so they were able to keep their kidney, and finally, 3 patients were diagnosed a rejection with renal rhexis, ecographically confirmed. These patients were given only medical treatment, which was enough to allow jugulation of the picture. RTX techniques used were: extracapsular in 28 cases and intracapsular in 47. Surgical approach, except for 2 cases of simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplantation, was extraperitoneal.