Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G R Weiss.
Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) is a rare skin condition that is of unknown etiology. We present an unusual case of a patient with PRP as the sole initial manifestation of hepatocellular cancer. The course of the patient's illness and management of this case is discussed. Possible reasons for this association are presented.
PURPOSE: Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat, with most patients surgically unresectable at the time of diagnosis. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy can offer palliation, but more effective therapy is needed. This trial evaluated the effects of an aggressive schedule of paclitaxel given with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients were required to have a histologic diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma with measurable disease and no prior chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Patients had to have performance status of 0 to 2, pretreatment absolute granulocyte count > or = 1,500/microL, and platelet count greater than or equal to the institutional lower limit of normal. Following pretreatment with dexamethasone, diphenhydramine, and cimetidine, patients received paclitaxel at a dose of 250 mg/m2 by 24-hour infusion on day 1, repeated every 21 days. G-CSF was given at a dose of 5 microg/kg/d on days 3 to 18 or until two consecutive absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) > or = 10,000/microL were obtained. Doses of paclitaxel were modified depending on nadir counts. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were entered onto this study, with six ineligible. For the 39 eligible patients, there was one complete response (CR) and two partial responses (PRs), five stable/no responses, 23 increasing disease, two early deaths, and six patients whose assessment was inadequate to determine response. The response rate was therefore three of 39 or 8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2% to 21%). The median survival time for the 39 eligible patients was 5 months. The most common toxicities were anemia, leukopenia/granulocytopenia, malaise/fatigue, nausea/vomiting, alopecia, thrombocytopenia, paresthesias, and liver function abnormalities. There was one death due to sepsis. CONCLUSION: Single-agent paclitaxel in this dose and schedule has minimal activity in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients.
Interleukin 6 (IL-6) has antitumor activity comparable to IL-2 in murine models with less toxicity. Because the biological effects of intermittent and continuous infusions may differ, we conducted two concurrent Phase I trials of daily x5, 1-h, and continuous 120-h i.v. infusions to determine the toxicity, biological effects, and maximum tolerated dose of i.v. IL-6. Cohorts of six patients with advanced cancer received escalating doses (1, 3, 10, 30, 100, and 150 microgram/kg/day) of recombinant human IL-6 on days 1-5 and 8-12 of each 28-day course (1-h trial) or on days 1-5 of each 21-day course (120-h trial). Treatment was administered in regular inpatient wards and in outpatient clinics and was withheld in the event of grade 3 toxicity. Sixty-nine patients (1-h trial, n = 40; 120-h trial, n = 29) were enrolled, including 27 with renal cancer and 16 with melanoma. All were ambulatory, and 40 were asymptomatic. Fever (97%), anemia (78%), fatigue (56%), nausea or vomiting (49%), and elevated serum transaminase levels (42%) were the most frequent toxicities. Transient hypotension developed in 23 patients (33%). There were three deaths during the study due to progressive disease and/or infection. There were no objective responses. Dose-related increases in platelet counts and C-reactive protein levels were detected in most patients. Principal dose-limiting toxicities included atrial fibrillation (1 episode in the 1-h trial and 4 episodes in the 120-h trial) and neurological toxicities (3 episodes in the 1-h trial and 4 episodes in the 120-h trial). The neurological toxicities included confusion, slurred speech, blurred vision, proximal leg weakness, paraparesis, and ataxia. These effects were transient and reversed when IL-6 was discontinued. IL-6 can be given by i.v. infusion at biologically active doses with acceptable toxicity. Dose-limiting toxicities consisted mainly of a spectrum of severe but transient neurological toxicities and occasional episodes of atrial fibrillation. The maximum tolerated doses recommended for use with these i.v. schedules in Phase II trials are 100 microgram/kg/day by daily x5 1-h infusion and 30 microgram/kg/day by 120-h infusion. Phase II trials will be performed to determine the antitumor activity of IL-6 and better define its toxicity. Patients in these and other IL-6 studies should be monitored closely for neurological and cardiac effects.
Mitoguazone is a unique chemotherapeutic agent whose activity is believed to result primarily from the competitive inhibition of S-adenosyl-methionine decarboxylase leading to a disruption in polyamine biosynthesis. Initial clinical trials demonstrated that the dose-limiting toxicities (mucositis and myelosuppression) of Mitoguazone were both dose and schedule dependent. Early pharmacokinetic studies of Mitoguazone in man revealed a prolonged half-life. Concurrent with a recent Phase II trial of Mitoguazone in patients with AIDS related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the single dose pharmacokinetics of Mitoguazone were characterized. Twelve patients received 600 mg/m2 of intravenous Mitoguazone over 30 minutes on an intermittent every 2 week schedule. Blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), pleural fluid and tissue samples were collected and analyzed by HPLC. Mitoguazone was cleared from the plasma triexponentially with a harmonic mean terminal half-life of 175 hours and a mean residence time of 192 hours. Peak plasma levels occurred immediately post-infusion, ranged from 6.47 to 42.8 micrograms/ml, and remained (for an extended period) well above the reported concentration for inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis. Plasma clearance averaged 4.73 l/hr/m2 with a relatively large apparent volume of distribution at steady-state of 1012 l/m2 indicating tissue sequestration. Renal excretion of unchanged Mitoguazone accounted for an average of 15.8% of the dose within 48 to 72 hours post-administration. Detectable levels of drug were present in random voided samples eight days post-dose. Mitoguazone levels in CSF ranged from 22 to 186 ng/ml post-dose with CSF/plasma ratios ranging from 0.6% to 7%. The pleural fluid/plasma ratio was approximately 1. Tissue levels of Mitoguazone were highest in the liver followed by lymph node, spleen and the brain.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of chronic oral administration of etoposide with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) [sargramostim (Immunex)] coadministration or premedication; to estimate and compare the frequency of toxicities accompanying etoposide administration alone, etoposide/GM-CSF coadministration and etoposide with GM-CSF premedication. Thirty-nine patients with advanced treatment-refractory malignancies were enrolled to this study. Eligible patients were randomized to one of three treatment arms: daily oral etoposide alone for 21 days (arm A); daily oral etoposide for 21 days with GM-CSF, 250 micrograms/m2, s.c. twice daily for the first 10 days of etoposide administration (arm B); or daily oral etoposide for 21 days with GM-CSF twice daily for the sixth through second days preceding etoposide administration (arm C). Courses of treatment were repeated every 28 days. Etoposide dosages for each arm were 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/m2/day. At least three patients were treated at each dosage level until dose-limiting toxicity was observed. Patients had twice weekly blood counts and weekly clinical examinations to assess toxicity. Patients with measurable or evaluable evidence of cancer were assessed for antitumor response after every other course of therapy. Nadir neutrophil counts at each dosage level were compared between treatment arms by non-parametric Wilcoxen rank sum tests. GM-CSF coadministration (arm B) or premedication (arm C) with daily chronic oral etoposide was feasible and did not lead to excessive hematological toxicity. Pairwise comparisons of neutrophil nadirs for the first course of therapy for each treatment arm did not demonstrate any significant differences and, at most, a slight trend favoring improved neutrophil nadirs was shown for arm C compared to arm A (p = 0.07). Dose intensity as measured by mean days of etoposide administered per patient for each arm suggested only slight improvement in etoposide tolerance for treatment arms B and C. The conclusion, GM-CSF can be safely administered to patients receiving chronic daily oral etoposide. It appears that GM-CSF provides no clinically useful improvement in granulocyte tolerance of therapy.
This report describes a patient with metastatic malignant melanoma treated with recombinant human interleukin 4 who developed vitiligo and severe Graves' Disease after therapy. The patient has experienced complete remission of melanoma for 49+ months. The association of antitumor response, vitiligo and thyroid disorders is reviewed.
PURPOSE: To evaluate irinotecan (CPT-11; Yakult Honsha, Tokyo, Japan) in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma that had recurred or progressed following fluorouracil (5-FU)-based therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were treated with irinotecan 125 to 150 mg/m2 intravenously (IV) every week for 4 weeks, followed by a 2-week rest. Forty-eight patients were entered onto the study and all were assessable for toxicity. Forty-three patients completed one full course of therapy and were assessable for response. RESULTS: One complete and nine partial responses were observed (response rate, 23%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 10% to 36%). The median response duration was 6 months (range, 2 to 13). The median survival time was 10.4 months and the 1-year survival rate was 46% (95% CI, 39% to 53%). Grade 4 diarrhea occurred in four of the first nine patients (44%) treated on this study at the 150-mg/m2 dose level. The study was amended to reduce the starting dose of irinotecan to 125 mg/m2. At this dose, nine of 39 patients (23%) developed grade 4 diarrhea. Aggressive administration of loperamide also reduced the incidence of grade 4 diarrhea. Grade 4 neutropenia occurred in eight of 48 patients (17%), but was associated with bacteremia and sepsis in only case. CONCLUSION: Irinotecan has significant single-agent activity against colorectal cancer that has progressed during or shortly after treatment with 5-FU-based chemotherapy. The incidence of severe diarrhea is reduced by using a starting dose of irinotecan 125 mg/m2 and by initiating loperamide at the earliest signs of diarrhea. These results warrant further clinical evaluation to define the role of irinotecan in the treatment of individuals with colorectal cancer.
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BACKGROUND: The objectives of this Phase II trial of paclitaxel were to estimate the response rate and to define the toxicities of paclitaxel administered with recombinant granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas. METHODS: Patients were eligible if they had a histologic diagnosis of unresectable, recurrent or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma and had had no prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Paclitaxel at 250 mg/m2 was given by continuous intravenous infusion over 24 hours every 21 days. Doses were modified in subsequent courses based on nadir counts. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor was given at 5 micrograms/kg subcutaneously days 3-18. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients were treated; 1 patient had a complete response and 5 had partial responses for an overall response rate of 12.5% (95% confidence interval, 4.7%-25.3%). Thirty-eight of the 48 patients experienced grade 4 toxicities, with most of these life-threatening toxicities being hematologic. No deaths were attributed to therapy. CONCLUSIONS: At the tested dose and schedule paclitaxel has antitumor activity approximating that of decarbazine in soft tissue sarcomas. Whether paclitaxel would be more effective administered in a longer infusion or with a chemosensitizer remains to be tested in this group of heterogeneous neoplasms.
BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma is considered to be a drug responsive disease; however, there is no cure for this disease and virtually all patients will develop drug resistance. One form of drug resistance that has been documented is the multidrug resistance phenotype or MDR. METHODS: A randomized trial of the combination of vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (VAD) and VAD plus oral verapamil (VAD/v) in drug refractory multiple myeloma patients was performed by the Southwestern Oncology Group. Verapamil was used as a chemosensitizing agent to attempt to overcome or prevent MDR and improve the therapeutic outcome. RESULTS: Response rates between the two treatment arms were similar with an overall response rate of 41% for the VAD alone arm and 36% for the VAD/v arm. Overall survival of patients was also similar with a median survival of 10 months for the VAD arm and 13 months for the VAD/v arm. The toxicity profile was also similar for both treatments, with myelosuppression being the dose-limiting toxicity. No significant correlation was observed between expression of P-glycoprotein, serum verapamil levels, and response to therapy. CONCLUSIONS: No beneficial effect was observed from the addition of oral verapamil to the VAD chemotherapy regimen for the treatment of drug-resistant myeloma patients. More effective and less toxic chemosensitizers are needed to study the role of chemosensitizers in reversing MDR in the clinic.
Preclinical studies of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-CdA) against solid tumors in the human tumor cloning assay and evidence that 2-CdA is active against slow-growing or resting tumor cells have stimulated interest in the clinical activity of this agent against solid tumors. This study sought to estimate the maximum tolerated dose, dose-limiting toxicity, and plasma and urine pharmacokinetics accompanying the intravenous administration of 2-CdA by 120-h continuous infusion in patients with solid tumors. Treated patients were also assessed for other toxicities of therapy and for antitumor response. A total of 23 patients received 35 courses of treatment given at doses of 3.5, 5.3, 6.5 and 8.1 mg/m2 per day by continuous intravenous infusion for 5 days and repeated every 28 days. Blood and urine specimens were collected before, during, and after drug infusion. The dose-limiting toxicity at 8.1 mg/m2 per day manifested as granulocytopenia in 2 of 5 patients (3 of 7 courses of treatment) and as thrombocytopenia in 3 of 5 patients (3 of 7 courses of treatment). At the dose levels of 6.5 and 8.1 mg/m2 per day, recovery from thrombocytopenia was often delayed. Severe lymphocytopenia (< 1,000/microliters) was observed at all dose levels of 2-CdA. Dose-related anemia and leukopenia were observed and were infrequently severe. Non-hematological toxicities were confined to mild-to-moderate nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and anorexia. Fever of 37 degrees-40 degrees C was induced during drug infusion in 19 patients. No antitumor response was observed. Average plasma concentrations at steady-state (Cpss) ranged from 3 ng/ml at the initial dose level to 13 ng/ml at the dose level of 8.1 mg/m2 per day. Both the Cpss and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) were proportional to the dose. A relationship was observed between the percentage of change in absolute neutrophil count and the AUC. Renal excretion accounted for only 18% of the elimination of 2-CdA over the 5-day infusion period. The maximum tolerated dose for 2-CdA given by 5-day continuous infusion was 8.1 mg/m2 per day in this study. The recommended dose on this schedule for phase II studies is 6.5 mg/m2 per day. Granulocytopenia and thrombocytopenia were dose-limiting. No antitumor activity was observed during this study. On the basis of the plasma concentrations of 2-CdA observed, it is unlikely that this schedule of drug administration will permit achievement of the concentrations consistent with antitumor activity observed in preclinical studies.
CHIP, a second generation analogue of cisplatin, was subjected to a Phase II trial for the treatment of advanced, hormonally refractory carcinoma of the prostate. Forty-six patients were treated with CHIP 300 mg/m2 intravenously every 4 weeks. Evaluations for tumor response were done after three cycles of therapy. Among 40 evaluable patients there were no complete responses, but there were 6 partial responses for an overall response rate of 15% (95% confidence interval of 5.7 to 29.8%). The median time to response was 2.4 months and the median progression-free survival was 4.1 months. Median survival was 8.4 months. The most common toxicities were hematologic and gastrointestinal. While CHIP can be administered on an outpatient basis, its response rate for prostatic carcinoma appears to be similar to that of cisplatin.
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PURPOSE: A phase II study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of docetaxel in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between June 1992 and March 1994, 40 patients with metastatic malignant melanoma and no prior chemotherapy were treated with docetaxel 100 mg/m2 administered intravenously over 1 hour every 21 days. None of the patients had brain metastasis. Toxicity and follow-up data are provided. RESULTS: One patient had a histologically confirmed complete response that lasted for 14+ months. Four patients had partial responses, bringing the overall response rate to 12.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6% to 30%). A patient with a partial response had a single chest-wall metastasis and was rendered free of disease surgically after a maximal response to docetaxel and remained free of tumor recurrence after 18+ months. Tumor was stabilized in 22 patients. The overall median survival time was 13 months. The main hematologic toxicity was neutropenia, which was severe but transient. Peripheral neuropathy was the limiting nonhematologic toxicity in three patients. Other important toxicities included cutaneous toxicity, fluid retention, oral mucositis, and hypersensitivity reactions. Preadministration of dexamethasone and diphenhydramine reduced the incidence of hypersensitivity reactions, cutaneous toxicities, and fluid retention. CONCLUSION: Docetaxel has definite but low-level activity against malignant melanoma. Further investigation of this drug should be conducted in multidrug combination programs.
PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine if recombinant interferon alfa-2a (rIFN alpha-2a) could prolong remission duration and/or survival in patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) who achieved an objective response to chemoradiotherapy. A secondary end point was to assess the toxicity of chronic IFN administration. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred seventy-one of 215 eligible patients achieved an objective response and were eligible to receive rIFN alpha-2a (3 million units [MU]/m2 subcutaneously three times per week escalated to 9 MU/m2 as tolerated) or observation for 2 years. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-two of 140 registered patients were eligible. Sixty-four patients were randomized to receive IFN and 68 to observation alone. The median time from randomization to progression was 9 months on the IFN arm and 10 months on the observation arm (P = .72). The overall median survival time was 16 months on the observation arm versus 13 months on the IFN arm (P = .77). Significant toxicities occurred in the rIFN alpha-2a arm. Grade 3 or higher toxicities included malaise, fatigue, and/or lethargy (30%), leukopenia (14%), neutropenia (13%), dyspnea (13%), nausea (11%), and respiratory infection (6%). Forty-three patients discontinued treatment due to intolerable side effects. CONCLUSION: rIFN alpha-2a in the dose and schedule used in this study failed to prolong response duration or survival in patients with limited-stage SCLC who had previously responded to an induction chemoradiotherapy program. Failure may have been partly related to poor tolerance and inability to complete therapy.
PURPOSE: A variety of fluorinated pyrimidine-based regimens for the treatment of disseminated colorectal cancer have been presented in the medical literature. The Southwest Oncology Group designed a screening trial of seven regimens of fluorouracil (5-FU) to assess efficacy and toxicity afforded by biochemical modulation or schedule variations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six hundred twenty patients were entered into this trial between August 1989 and January 1993. Eligible patients were classified as having recurrent or disseminated disease that was measurable or nonmeasurable. All eligible patients were evaluated for toxicity and survival; patients with measurable disease were evaluated for response according to standard criteria. RESULTS: No regimen achieved a higher response rate than single-agent bolus 5-FU. Eighty-four percent of patients have been monitored until death. The median survival time for the entire cohort is 14 months. Survival hazards ratios showed a positive trend in favor of the unmodulated infusion regimens, while high-grade toxicities occurred more frequently in the 5-FU bolus arms. The major high-grade toxicities were granulocytopenia and diarrhea. CONCLUSION: In this trial, no regimen provided substantial improvement relative to 5-FU bolus or single-agent therapy for either response or survival in the treatment of disseminated colorectal cancer. The single-agent infusion regimens demonstrated the most encouraging results with a favorable toxicity profile and a 2-month longer survival duration than 5-FU bolus therapy.
PURPOSE: This phase III randomized trial was designed to determine if granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) reduces the hematologic toxicity and morbidity induced by chemoradiotherapy in limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). METHODS: This multicenter prospective trial randomized 230 patients to receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) with or without GM-CSF given on days 4 to 18 of each of six cycles. The primary end point was hematologic toxicity. Secondary end points included the following: nonhematologic toxicities; days of (1) fever, (2) antibiotics, (3) hospitalization, and (4) infection; number of transfusions; drug doses delivered; and response rates and survival. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increase in the frequency and duration of life-threatening thrombocytopenia (P < .001) in patients randomized to GM-CSF. GM-CSF patients had significantly more toxic deaths (P < .01), more nonhematologic toxicities, more days in hospital, a higher incidence of intravenous (IV) antibiotic usage, and more transfusions. Patients randomized to GM-CSF had higher WBC and neutrophil nadirs (P < .01), but no significant difference in the frequency of grade 4 leukopenia or neutropenia. Patients randomized to GM-CSF had a lower complete response rate (36% v 44%), but the differences were not significant (P = .29). There were no significant differences in survival (median, 14 months on GM-CSF and 17 months on no GM-CSF; P = .15). CONCLUSION: GM-CSF, as delivered in this study, should not be included with concurrent chemoradiotherapy treatment programs for limited-stage SCLC. The simultaneous use of hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) and chemoradiotherapy should be performed only in experimental settings. Chemoradiotherapy programs with cisplatin and etoposide ([VP-16] PE) and simultaneous chest RT produce grade 4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in a small-enough proportion of patients that prophylactic hematopoietic growth factors are clinically unnecessary.