First-in-human phase II trial of the botanical formulation PHY906 with capecitabine as second-line therapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

Background

Preclinical studies showed a Chinese botanical formula, PHY906, has synergistic anti-tumor activity with capecitabine. Our phase I study determined maximal tolerated dose of capecitabine 1,500 mg/m² BID day 1–7 and PHY906 800 mg BID day 1–4 every 2 weeks. We conducted this phase II study to explore the efficacy of capecitabine and PHY906 in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who were previously treated with gemcitabine-based regimens.

Methods

Patients with pancreatic cancer and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2 received PHY906 and capecitabine. Toxicity was assessed per NCI-CTCAE v3.0 and response per response evaluation criteria in solid tumors q 6 weeks. Correlative studies of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors were tested using a cytometric bead array. Quality of life was assessed by utilizing Edmonton symptom assessment system. The primary objective was overall survival.

Results

The study enrolled 25 patients. Median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 10.1 weeks (range 0.4–54.1) and median overall survival (mOS) was 21.6 weeks (range 0.4–84.1). Eighteen patients received at least 2 cycles, and achieved mPFS of 12.3 weeks and mOS of 28 weeks. Six-month survival rate was 44 % (11/25). Unsupervised clustering of patients grouped those with shortened survival together by their cytokine profile showed that only IL-6 had a significant difference (p < .001) between short- and long-term survivors.

Conclusions

Capecitabine plus PHY906 provides a safe and feasible salvage therapy after gemcitabine failure for APC. Role of IL-6 in tumor progression and tumor cachexia needs to be investigated with respect to its relation to pathophysiology of pancreatic cancer and development of anti-IL-6 therapeutics.     

Mitomycin-C and capecitabine as third-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: a phase II study

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic value and safety of third-line treatment with mitomycin-C (MMC) and capecitabine (Xeloda) in patients with advanced colorectal cancer pretreated with combination regimens including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), folinic acid (FA) and irinotecan (CPT-11) or 5-FU, FA and oxaliplatin (L-OHP).Patients and methods A total of 21 patients (M/F 16/5, median age 60.0 years) with advanced colorectal cancer, all of whom had developed progressive disease while receiving or within 6 months of discontinuing two sequential chemotherapy lines with 5-FU, FA and CPT-11 or 5-FU, FA and L-OHP, were accrued to this study. At the time of their relapse or progression, cytotoxic chemotherapy, consisting of intravenous MMC 7 mg/m² on therapeutic day 1 plus oral capecitabine 1000 mg/m² twice daily on days 1–14, was initiated. After rest for 7 days, capecitabine 1000 mg/m² twice daily was administered on days 22–35 followed by 7 days rest. Treatment courses were repeated every 6 weeks unless there was evidence of progressive disease, unacceptable toxicity or patient refusal of treatment.Results All the patients were assessable for toxicity and 19 for response. The median number cycles of chemotherapy was two (range one to four). Only 1 patient (4.8%) had a partial response, 4 patients (19.0%) had stable disease, and 14 patients (66.7%) progressed. The median follow-up period was 7.3 months and median time to progression was 2.6 months. The median overall survival was 6.8 months. No toxic deaths occurred. Toxicities of third-line treatment were mild and manageable. As NCI/NIH common toxicity criteria, grade 3/4 anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in two, one and one patients, respectively.Conclusion Our findings suggest that the combination of MMC and capecitabine in patients with advanced colorectal cancer pretreated with combination regimens including 5-FU, FA and CPT-11 or 5-FU, FA and L-OHP is safe. However, this regimen had a poor response rate and no definitive contribution to increasing patients overall survival time. Further evaluation of other salvage regimens seems to be warranted.     

A phase II study of mitomycin-C and S-1 as third-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of mitomycin-C (MMC) and S-1 as third-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) showing resistance to irinotecan- and oxaliplatin-containing regimens. Patients were recruited into the study from January 2009 and 10 patients were enrolled for 10 months. However, since no patients had shown a response by 10 months, the study was terminated early according to the protocol. MMC 7 mg/m(2) was administered intravenously on day 1 every 6 weeks in the first 4 cycles. S-1 was administered twice daily at 35 mg/m(2), within 1 h of meals on days 1-14. Following a rest for 7 days, S-1 was administered again on days 22-35, followed by a 7-day rest. A total of 14 cycles were delivered for 10 patients. All 10 patients were assessable for response. A total of 3 patients (30%) had stable disease and the remaining 7 showed disease progression. With a median follow-up of 7 months, the median overall survival was 10.5 months. Grade 3-4 myelotoxicities included neutropenia in two patients, anemia in two and thrombocytopenia in one. Grade 1-2 nausea and vomiting developed in 5 patients. One patient experienced grade 3 diarrhea. Grade 1-2 hand-foot syndrome occurred in 4 patients. In conclusion, the combination of MMC and S-1 as third-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced CRC appears to be well tolerated but has poor activity.     

A phase I and pharmacokinetic study of CBT-1 as a multidrug resistance modulator in the treatment of patients with advanced cancer

CBT-1, a natural product, was studied in an escalating dose Phase I clinical trial with doxorubicin at 60 mg/m2. CBT-1 was administered by mouth at doses from 200 mg/m2 to 600 mg/m2. The drug was given for 7 days and doxorubicin administered intravenously on day 6. The MTD was determined to be 500 mg/m2 although some patients did tolerate 600 mg/m2 with moderate nausea and occasional vomiting. Side effects were otherwise mild in the 23 patients treated. Pharmacokinetic determinations in an additional 11 patients demonstrated that CBT-1 did not significantly alter the pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin. In this Phase I study, 25 of 34 patients were evaluable for response and 5 patients demonstrated tumor shrinkage.     

Preliminary report of a phase I study of combination chemotherapy and humanized A33 antibody immunotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: In previous studies, humanized A33 (huA33) demonstrated modest antitumor activity in chemotherapy-resistant colorectal cancer patients. In addition, unexpected major tumor responses were observed in patients treated with a specific chemotherapy regimen [carmustine, vincristine, fluorouracil, and streptozocin (BOF-Strep)] administered after huA33 protocols. We designed the present Phase I, open label, cohort, dose-escalation study of huA33 and a fixed dose of BOF-Strep to (a) determine the maximum tolerated dose of huA33 immunotherapy administered with chemotherapy, (b) determine whether chemotherapy modifies huA33 immunogenicity, and (c) develop preliminary information regarding antitumor activity. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Stage IV fluorouracil/leucovorin and irinotecan-refractory colorectal cancer patients (n = 16) received escalating weekly doses of huA33 (5-40 mg/m(2)) with BOF-Strep chemotherapy. RESULTS: Four patients requiring radiotherapy or surgery were removed early. Of 12 evaluable patients, grade 3 and 4 neutropenia (n = 2) and grade 3 thrombocytopenia (n = 1) were observed. Seven of 12 (58.3%) patients developed anti-huA33 activity. Three patients had radiographic partial responses for 7.5, 5.5, and 14 months with greater than 85% decline in serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels. One mixed response (4.5 months with a serum carcinoembryonic antigen decline of 38%) was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: huA33 can be safely combined with BOF-Strep chemotherapy. The present report provides compelling evidence supporting our previous observations of major antitumor activity with the combination of huA33 and BOF-Strep chemotherapy. huA33 is still immunogenic when administered with chemotherapy. Future studies to evaluate the immunogenicity of new huA33 antibodies and identify which drugs in the BOF-Strep regimen are critical for enhanced antitumor efficacy are planned.     

A phase I study of EKB-569 in combination with capecitabine in patients with advanced colorectal cancer

PURPOSE: To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), characterize the principal toxicities, and assess the pharmacokinetics of EKB-569, an oral selective irreversible inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, in combination with capecitabine in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients were treated with EKB-569 daily for 21 days and capecitabine twice daily for 14 days of a 21-day cycle. The dose levels of EKB-569 (mg/day) and capecitabine (mg/m(2) twice daily) assessed were 25/750, 50/750, 50/1,000 and 75/1,000. An expanded cohort was enrolled at the MTD to better study toxicity and efficacy. Samples of plasma were collected to characterize the pharmacokinetics of the agents. Treatment efficacy was assessed every other cycle. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients, the majority of whom had prior chemotherapy, received a total of 163 cycles of treatment. Twenty patients were treated at the MTD, 50 mg EKB-569, daily and 1,000 mg/m(2) capecitabine twice daily. Dose-limiting toxicities were diarrhea and rash. No patients had complete or partial responses but 48% had stable disease. The conversion of capecitabine to 5-fluorouracil was higher for the combination of EKB-569 and capecitabine (321+/-151 ng*h/mL) than for capecitabine alone (176+/-62 ng*hours/mL; P=0.0037). CONCLUSION: In advanced colorectal cancer, 50 mg EKB-569 daily can be safely combined with 1,000 mg/m(2) capecitabine twice a day. A statistically significant increase in plasma levels of 5-fluorouracil for the combination of EKB-569 and capecitabine may be due to the single-dose versus multiple-dose exposure difference, variability in exposure or a potential drug interaction.     

A phase I study of menogaril in patients with advanced cancer

Menogaril (7-con-O-methylnogarol) is a semisynthetic anthracycline analogue of nogalamycin that has shown good activity against a variety of experimental tumor systems as well as decreased cardiac toxicity when compared with doxorubicin in preclinical studies. Forty-one patients with refractory solid tumors received menogaril during a phase I trial at The Johns Hopkins Oncology Center (Baltimore). Menogaril was administered as an intravenous (IV) infusion on days 1 and 8 of a 28-day cycle in doses of 8 to 140 mg/m2. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) grade 3 and 4 leukopenia was the principle dose-limiting toxicity and was occasionally accompanied by thrombocytopenia. Both WBC and platelet nadirs occurred between days 15 and 22. Anemia requiring transfusion was occasionally seen. Nonhematologic toxicities observed included frequent anorexia and malaise that was not dose related and postinfusion phlebitis that was dose related and occasionally dose limiting. Gastrointestinal toxicity and alopecia were infrequent and mild in severity. Three patients with cumulative doses of menogaril greater than 1,400 mg/m2 had no significant changes in ejection fractions as determined by serial gated blood pool scans. Two patients had greater than 10% decrements in ejection fractions without clinical changes at total doses of 128 and 288 mg/m2. One patient with prior anthracycline therapy and chest irradiation decreased her left ventricular ejection fraction from 52% to 30% and developed respiratory failure after two cycles of therapy in the setting of disease progression. No responses to menogaril therapy were observed. The recommended phase II dose for menogaril on this day 1 and 8 schedule is 140 mg/m2. A starting dose of 90 mg/m2 should be considered for heavily pretreated patients. In comparing results of this phase I schedule with those of other schedules, evidence for schedule-dependent toxicity differences should be sought.     

High- versus low-dose levo-leucovorin as a modulator of 5-fluorouracil in advanced colorectal cancer: A 'GISCAD' phase III study

Background: Although leucovorin (LV) + 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) isconsidered the treatment of choice for advanced colorectal cancer in mostcountries, the optimal schedule of this combination has not yet beenestablished. Low-dose LV appears to be as active as high-dose LV in thedaily-times-five regimen, but no randomized study of the levorotatorystereoisomer (6S-LV) given at two different dose levels has been published.Patients and methods: Between November 1991 and June 1994, 422patients (all with measurable disease previously untreated with chemotherapy)were randomized to 6S-LV (100 mg/sqm/i.v.) + 5-FU (370 mg/sqm/15 min i.v.infusion), both administered for 5 days every 28 days (arm A), or to 6S-LV (10mg/sqm/i.v.) + 5-FU (doses as above), also given for 5 days every 28 days (armB). The primary endpoint of the study was the comparison of response rates(WHO criteria); the secondary endpoint was the assessment of survival andtolerability. No evaluation of the quality of life or the symptomatic effectof treatment was planned.Results: The response rate was 9.3% in arm A (95% CI:5.4–13.1), with 2 CR and 18 PR, and 10.7% in arm B (95%CI: 6.5–14.9), with 3 CR + 19 PR, without any significant difference(P = 0.78). The median time to progression was eight months in bothgroups and overall survival was 11 months, with no difference betweentreatments. Toxicity mainly consisted of gastrointestinal side effects(mucositis and diarrhoea), which were rarely severe (grade 3–4:5%–10% of patients) and similar in the two groups.Conclusions: In this large-scale multicentre trial, the low and highdoses of 6S-LV appeared to be equivalent in terms of the biochemicalmodulation of 5-FU in advanced colorectal cancer although, for several reasons(including the timing and the strict criteria of response evaluation, the highnumber of patients with unfavourable prognostic factors, themulti-institutional nature of the study, the dose and modality of 5-FUadministration), the response rate was lower than that reported in some of theother published studies. Given the considerable difference in economic costbetween the two dosages, the use of high-dose 6S-LV in the daily-times-fiveregimen is not recommended in clinical practice.     

Phase I study of bevacizumab combined with irinotecan and S-1 as second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer

Purpose

The combination of an oral fluoropyrimidine derivative, S-1, and irinotecan has been reported to be a promising regimen for advanced colorectal cancer. However, the safety and efficacy of bevacizumab (BV) to combine with irinotecan and S-1 has not been determined. The aim of the study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD) of BV combined with irinotecan plus S-1, and to observe the safety and efficacy of this regimen as second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Methods

This study initially had been planned as a phase I/II study. Eighty mg/m² of irinotecan on days 1 and 8, 80 mg/m² of S-1 for 14 consecutive days, and two doses of BV (Level 1; 10 mg/kg, Level ?1; 7.5 mg/kg) were administered on day 1 every 3 weeks.

Results

Fourteen patients were enrolled in phase I of the study between January 2008 and September 2010. Dose-limiting toxicities were diarrhea, abdominal pain, and infection. The MTD and RD of BV were determined to be 10 mg/kg and 7.5 mg/kg, respectively. The main adverse events were leukopenia, anorexia, and diarrhea. There were no treatment-related deaths. An independent review committee was scheduled to evaluate safety in phase I, but this trial closed early due to toxicity.

Conclusions

This study identified the risk of gastrointestinal toxicity with the combination of irinotecan, S-1 and BV as second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.     

Simplified prognostic model in patients with oxaliplatin-based or irinotecan-based first-line chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: a GERCOR study

Background.

The present study was done to establish a prognostic model for patients and trials using an oxaliplatin-based or irinotecan-based first-line chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Patients and Methods.

Eight hundred three patients treated with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI in three prospective trials were randomly separated into learning (n = 535) and validation (n = 268) samples. Eleven baseline variables were evaluated in univariate and multivariate analysis as prognostic factors for overall survival, and a prognostic score was developed.

Results.

Independent prognostic factors identified in multivariate analysis for overall survival were performance status (PS) (p < .001), serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p < .001), and number of metastatic sites (p = .005). A prognostic score based on these three variables was found efficient (Harrell''s C index 0.61). This new model was improved by selecting only PS and LDH (Harrell''s C index 0.64). Three risk groups for death could be identified: a low-risk group (n = 184; median overall survival [OS] 29.8 months), an intermediate-risk group (n = 223; median OS 19.5 months), and a high-risk group (n = 128; median OS 13.9 months). Median survival for the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups were 26.8, 21.1, and 16.5 months, respectively, in the validation sample (Harrell''s C index 0.63).

Conclusions.

Serum LDH level was the main prognostic factor in predicting survival, followed by WHO PS. We identified three risk groups for death depending on these two baseline parameters. This simple prognostic model can be useful for clinician''s use and patient stratification in future clinical trials.     

Multicenter phase I study of irinotecan plus raltitrexed in patients with 5-fluorouracil-refractory advanced colorectal cancer

Irinotecan and raltitrexed are active against advanced colorectal cancer, act through different mechanisms, and have non-overlapping toxicity profiles. In vitro studies have shown a schedule-dependent synergism between both drugs. The aim of this multicenter study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of this combination. Patients with 5-fluorouracil-refractory, advanced colorectal cancer were eligible. Dose escalation consisted of irinotecan (250-350 mg/m(2) as a 60-min infusion) in combination with a fixed dose of raltitrexed (3 mg/m(2) as a 15-min infusion, 1 h after irinotecan). Courses were repeated every 21 days. Three to 6 patients were to be included at each dose level. Dose limiting (NCI-CTC grade 3-4) toxicities (DLT) were assessed during the first 2 cycles. Thirteen patients were recruited (4, 3 and 6 in levels I, II and III, respectively). Main toxicity was diarrhea and asthenia, whereas myelotoxicity was mild. At level III, 2/6 patients experienced DLT (grade 4 diarrhea and neutropenia). The MTD was not reached, but further dose escalation was not attempted. Among 12 patients with measurable disease, 2 partial responses were observed for an overall response rate of 17%. The combination of single-agent full doses of irinotecan (350 mg/m(2)) and raltitrexed (3 mg/m(2)) in a 3-weekly schedule is feasible, with mild toxicity and a promising clinical activity. Diarrhea is the DLT, but it is not more common or severe than that described with irinotecan alone.     

Lack of Bax expression is associated with irinotecan-based treatment activity in advanced colorectal cancer patients

Background

Currently, first-line chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer is not tailored on predictive biomarkers. Bax proapoptotic protein may correlate to chemosensitivity and differential response to irinotecan or oxaliplatin-based combinations.

Methods

Bax expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 49 advanced colorectal cancer patients enrolled at our institution from 2002 to 2004 within a multicenter, phase II, randomized trial of first-line UFT/leucovorin/irinotecan (TEGAFIRI) versus UFT/leucovorin/oxaliplatin (TEGAFOX).

Results

Bax-positive and negative samples were 49 and 51 %. Response was significantly lower in Bax positive (25 %) as compared to Bax negative (56 %) (Odds ratio = 0.26; p = 0.03). No significant difference was noted in TEGAFOX subgroup; in TEGAFIRI arm, responses were lower in Bax positive (18 %) than Bax negative (67 %) (Odds ratio = 0.11; p = 0.03). No difference in terms of progression-free and overall survival was observed according to Bax.

Conclusion

Bax-negative colorectal cancer may identify a specific phenotype of patients with significantly higher chance to respond to doublet irinotecan-based chemotherapy.     

晚期结直肠癌的化疗进展

手术切除是结直肠癌的根治手段,但术后复发率和转移率高。近年来,随着新药、新方法不断研发和改进,给晚期结直肠癌患者带来新的希望。现综述晚期结直肠癌的化疗进展。     

A phase I study of the vitamin D analogue EB 1089 in patients with advanced breast and colorectal cancer.

Preclinical studies have shown that the vitamin D analogue EB 1089 has significantly less calcaemic activity than its parent compound 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) and significant anti-tumour activity. This phase I trial was designed to evaluate the calcaemic effect of the drug in patients with advanced cancer. EB 1089 was given to 36 patients with advanced breast and colorectal cancer in doses of between 0.15 and 17.0 microg m(-2) day(-1). Serial serum and urine calcium, urine creatinine and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) were monitored. Hypercalcaemia was seen in all patients receiving 17.0 microg m(-2) day(-1). Hypercalcaemia attributable to EB 1089 was reversible by discontinuing or reducing EB 1089 therapy. During the first 5 days of treatment, urine calcium (P = 0.0001) and serum-corrected calcium (P = 0.027) were related to EB 1089 dose, whereas serum parathyroid hormone (P = 0.0001) showed an inverse relationship. Twenty-one patients received compassionate treatment for between 10 and 234 days. No complete or partial responses were seen. Six patients on treatment for more than 90 days showed stabilization of disease. EB 1089 was well tolerated and adverse events considered to be caused by EB 1089 were limited to dose-dependent effects on calcium metabolism. The dose estimated to be tolerable for most patients from this study is around 7 microg m(-2) day(1). These data support previous work that has demonstrated EB 1089 to be significantly less calcaemic than 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.     

晚期结直肠癌的化疗进展

手术切除是结直肠癌的根治手段,但术后复发率和转移率高。近年来,随着新药、新方法不断研发和改进,给晚期结直肠癌患者带来新的希望。现综述晚期结直肠癌的化疗进展。