The prognosis of prognostic factors in phase I clinical trials.
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Publications and source records attributed to J Verweij.
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BACKGROUND: GI147211 is a water-soluble synthetic analogue of camptothecin showing promising in vivo and in vitro antitumor activity and an acceptable toxicity profile. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between April 1995 and November 1996, 67 eligible patients with pretreated breast cancer (25 patients) and chemo-naïve colorectal (19 patients) and non-small-cell lung cancer (23 patients) were entered into three multicentric, non-randomized phase II trials. Treatment schedule consisted of intravenous GI1147211 administered at a dose of 1.2 mg/m2/day for five consecutive days every three weeks. RESULTS: Hematological toxicity was common with grade 3-4 neutropenia in 54% of patients and neutropenic fever together or not associated with infection in 14.5% of patients. Grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia and grade 2-4 anemia were observed in 20% and in 68% of patients, respectively. Non-hematological toxicity was generally mild to moderate and consisted mainly of gastrointestinal toxicity, asthenia and alopecia. A dose-escalation to 1.5 mg/m2/d was feasible in 17 (25%) patients. The antitumor activity of GI1147211 was moderate in breast cancer patients (3 partial responses (PRs), response rate (RR) 13%) and minimal in non-small cell lung cancer patients (2 PRs, RR 9%). No objective responses were obtained in colorectal patients. CONCLUSIONS: GI147211, at the dose and schedule employed in this study, showed an acceptable safety profile but a modest antitumor activity in the examined tumor types.
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Ras oncogenes play an important role in carcinogenesis and are frequently found in various human tumour types. Cellular activity of Ras oncoprotein, regulated through the enzyme farnesyl transferase, is crucial in the process of ras -dependent carcinogenesis, and therefore, specific inhibition of this enzyme is an attractive goal in anticancer treatment. Specific inhibitors of farnesyl transferase have been developed in recent years, many of them showing in vitro and in vivo growth inhibitory or cytostatic activity. Recently, results of the first clinical studies with various farnesyl transferase inhibitors have been presented. In the design of phase I and II studies, either single-agent or combination studies, new endpoints have to be defined in order to properly assess feasibility, antitumour activity and clinical valuability.
The aim of this phase I study was to assess feasibility, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of methoxymorpholino doxorubicin (MMRDX or PNU-152243) administered as a 3 h intravenous infusion once every 4 weeks. Fourteen patients with intrinsically anthracycline-resistant tumours received 37 cycles of MMRDX. The first cohort of patients was treated with 1 mg m(-2) of MMRDX. The next cohorts received 1.25 mg m(-2) and 1.5 mg m(-2) respectively. Common toxicity criteria (CTC) grade III/IV nausea and vomiting were observed in 1/18 cycles at 1.25 mg m(-2) and in 2/11 cycles at 1.5 mg m(-2). Transient elevation in transaminases up to CTC grade III was observed in 2/16 cycles at 1.25 mg m(-2) and 4/11 cycles at 1.5 mg m(-2). No cardiotoxicity was observed. At 1.25 mg m(-2) CTC grade IV neutropenia occurred in 1/17 cycles. At 1.5 mg m(-2) CTC grade III neutropenia was seen in 2/7 and grade IV in 3/7 evaluable cycles. Thrombocytopenia grade III was observed in 2/9 and grade IV in 1/9 evaluable cycles. One patient treated at 1.5 mg m(-2) died with neutropenic fever. Therefore, dose-limiting toxicity was reached and 1.25 mg m(-2) was considered the maximum tolerated dose for MMRDX as 3 h infusion. No tumour responses were observed. Pharmacokinetic parameters showed a rapid clearance of MMRDX from the circulation by an extensive tissue distribution. Renal excretion of the drug and its metabolite was negligible. In conclusion, prolongation of MMRDX infusion to 3 h does not improve the toxicity profile as compared with bolus administration.
Capecitabine and docetaxel are both active against a variety of solid tumours, while their toxicity profiles only partly overlap. This phase I study was performed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and side-effects of the combination, and to establish whether there is any pharmacokinetic interaction between the two compounds. Thirty-three patients were treated with capecitabine administered orally twice daily on days 1-14, and docetaxel given as a 1 h intravenous infusion on day 1. Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks. The dose of capecitabine ranged from 825 to 1250 mg m(-2) twice a day and of docetaxel from 75 to 100 mg m(-2). The dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was asthenia grade 2-3 at a dose of 1000 mg m(-2) bid of capecitabine combined with docetaxel 100 mg m(-2). Neutropenia grade 3-4 was common (68% of courses), but complicated by fever in only 2.4% of courses. Other non-haematological toxicities were mild to moderate. There was no pharmacokinetic interaction between the two drugs. Tumour responses included two complete responses and three partial responses. Capecitabine 825 mg m(-2) twice a day plus docetaxel 100 mg m(-2) was tolerable, as was capecitabine 1250 mg m(-2) twice a day plus docetaxel 75 mg m(-2).
The pharmacokinetics of the combination of docetaxel and ifosfamide were studied in a phase I study. Docetaxel was given to cancer patients as a 1-hour infusion followed by a 24-hour infusion of ifosfamide (schedule A). After the dose-limiting toxicity of the combination was reached, ifosfamide was administered as a 24-hour infusion followed after 24 hours by a 1-hour infusion of docetaxel (schedule B). Cycle duration was 21 days. Docetaxel was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, and ifosfamide and its metabolites, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Twenty-seven patients were treated according to schedule A, and 6 according to schedule B. Combining the two drugs did not change their respective plasma half-lives. The sequence of drug administration did not affect the clearance and the area under the curve (AUC) of docetaxel. There was a decrease in the AUC of ifosfamide in schedule A compared with schedule B, resulting from an increase in the clearance of ifosfamide. The pharmacokinetics of docetaxel are not influenced by combination with ifosfamide, regardless of the drug sequence, but ifosfamide pharmacokinetics are changed by docetaxel, depending on the sequence of administration. The increase of clearance in schedule A may be due to the pretreatment with corticosteroids.
The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of docetaxel (Taxotere) in patients with progressive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, previously treated with at least one chemotherapy regimen, and the effect of the number of previous chemotherapy lines on response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival. Two-hundred and fifty-three patients from 10 hospitals in The Netherlands received docetaxel as part of a compassionate use program. The majority had received prior anthracycline-containing chemotherapy (84.2%). The recommended starting dose was 100 mg/m2 i.v. every 3 weeks. All patients received corticosteroid premedication. Two-hundred and thirty patients were evaluable for response. The overall response rates (ORR) to docetaxel when used as second-, third- or fourth-line treatment were, respectively, 40.2, 26.0 and 34.6% (p value 0.30). The median progression-free survival for this population was 4.9 months and the median overall survival of the whole group was 8.5 months, and both were not related to the number of previous chemotherapy regimens (p value, respectively, 0.71 and 0.16). The toxicity of docetaxel was manageable and neutropenia was the most frequently noted toxicity. This study confirms that docetaxel is an active cytotoxic agent in pretreated patients with progressive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and is still active when used as third- or fourth-line treatment.
Several analogs of the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin (CPT) have been introduced in clinical practice in the last decade. All CPT analogs are sensitive to a pH-dependent reversible conversion between a pharmacologically active lactone form and its inactive, lactone ring-opened, carboxylate form. The reversible conversion is also dependent on the, sometimes species-dependent, protein binding properties of the two forms, resulting in different lactone to carboxylate plasma ratios for the various analogs. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the CPT analogs is helpful in understanding the pharmacodynamic outcome of drug treatment, in clinical as well preclinical studies. Measurement of these analogs is habitually complicated by the chemical instability of the lactone moiety and necessitates a rapid centrifugation of the blood sample, preferably at the bedside of the patient, to collect the plasma supernatant. Since the lactone forms of these drugs are able to diffuse across cell membranes, including those of the red blood cells, rapid collection and processing is even necessary in the case where only the total concentrations of the CPT analogs are to be measured. Sample pretreatment procedures of the CPT analogs topotecan, irinotecan, 9-aminocamptothecin and lurtotecan are summarized and discussed in this review.
Cremophor EL (CrEL) is a castor oil surfactant used as a vehicle for formulation of a variety of poorly water-soluble agents, including paclitaxel. Recently, we found that CrEL can influence the in vitro blood distribution of paclitaxel by reducing the free drug fraction, thereby altering drug accumulation in erythrocytes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical pharmacokinetics of CrEL, and to examine inter-relationships of paclitaxel disposition, infusion duration and CrEL kinetics. The CrEL plasma clearance, studied in 17 patients for a total of 28 courses, was time dependent and increased significantly with prolongation of the infusion duration from 1 to 3 to 24 h (p<0.03). An indirect response model, applied based on use of a Hill function for CrEL concentration-dependent alteration of in vivo blood distribution of paclitaxel, was used to fit experimental data of the 3 h infusion (r2=0.733; p=0.00001). Simulations for 1 and 24 h infusions using predicted parameters and CrEL kinetic data revealed that both short and prolonged administration schedules induce a low relative net change in paclitaxel blood distribution. Our pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model demonstrates that CrEL causes disproportional accumulation of paclitaxel in plasma in a 3 h schedule, but is unlikely to affect drug pharmacokinetics in this manner with alternative infusion durations.
The Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group (STBSG) of the EORTC ran a phase II study to assess the therapeutic activity of high-dose ifosfamide in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas by means of response rate (RR). Investigators claiming a response submitted the relevant chest radiographs (CXR) or scans to two other members of the STBSG for peer review. The reviewers completed a questionnaire indicating overall response or reasons for rejecting the claimed responses. An independent radiologist also reviewed the cases and he was blinded to the results of the peer review until the study was concluded. Twenty-two patients were reviewed by the radiologist and peer review, and the completed questionnaires were retrospectively reviewed. Two differences were noted, one partial responder (PR) was regarded as stable disease by the radiologist and one PR by peer review was determined a complete response by the radiologist. The radiologist found subsequent evidence of progressive disease in three patients who initially showed a PR, whilst the review group noted only one. This study suggests peer review in this tumor type is a satisfactory method of achieving an accurate, objective RR.
Gender-dependent differences in the clinical pharmacokinetic behavior of various drugs have been documented previously. Most commonly, these differences are associated with differences in body composition, renal elimination, drug absorption or hepatic metabolism. Gender-dependent differences in the pharmacokinetics of topotecan (Hycamtin) have not yet been described. In this report, pharmacokinetic data of the lactone and carboxylate forms of topotecan were derived from clinical studies in which topotecan was administered either orally or i.v. to a total of 55 males and 37 females. A significant difference (p=0.0082) of 38% was found between the apparent clearance of topotecan lactone after oral administration in males (237+/-105 l/h) and females (163+/-62.5 l/h). When adjusted for body surface area, this difference remained significant (p=0.031). Similarly, differences were noted in the percentage of topotecan in the lactone form (37.1+/-5.32 versus 41.7+/-6.51%, p=0.0076). Statistical analysis revealed that individual hematocrit values, which were consistently lower in females (p<0.023), were a significant predictor of the apparent topotecan lactone clearance. This was confirmed experimentally in in vitro incubation studies in whole blood using artificially altered hematocrit values and in blood samples from both male and female volunteers. Topotecan is thus subject to significant gender-dependent differences in pharmacokinetics that arise as a result of a physiological difference in hematocrit values between males and females. This finding may have significant implications for the interpretation of the relationships between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic outcome of topotecan treatment, and may provide a basis for the development and refinement of future clinical protocols.
Topical treatment of skin metastases with a cytotoxic agent is attractive for its easy self-administration and absence of major systemic interference. Miltefosine exerts its cytotoxicity by acting on cell membrane phospholipids and can be administered topically. Twenty breast cancer patients with progression of skin metastases were treated with a 6% solution of miltefosine, which was topically administered once daily during the first week and twice daily thereafter. Sixteen out of 20 patients also had metastatic disease at other sites. Concomitant systemic treatment when ongoing for at least 2 months prior to study entry was permitted, and consisted of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy in seven and nine patients, respectively. Prior palliative cytotoxic and hormonal therapy had been administered to 11 and 19 patients, respectively. No grade 3 and 4 toxicity occurred. Miltefosine therapy was discontinued in two patients due to nausea and in one patient due to skin toxicity. Grade 1 and 2 adverse skin reactions, and nausea and vomiting were seen in 11 and two patients, respectively. In 18 patients evaluable for response, four partial responses were noted (response rate 22%), while seven patients had stable disease. Three partial responses were observed in patients in whom the skin lesions were smaller than 1.5 cm2. Median duration of response was 2.5 months and median time to progression for all patients was 1.9 months. In this study topically applied miltefosine for metastatic skin lesions of breast cancer showed modest activity in a relatively heavily pretreated patient population, without serious systemic toxicity.
SAM486A (previously termed CGP 48664), a potent inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, is under clinical development for the treatment of advanced refractory malignancies. Hematological toxicity manifested by dose-dependent neutropenia has been observed in phase I studies. Population methods were used to investigate pharmacokinetics (PK) as a prognostic factor for safety end point (hematological toxicity) in patients with advanced cancers. SAM486A plasma concentrations and neutrophil counts were collected from three ascending-dose tolerability and PK studies (study 1: single 5-day continuous intravenous (IV) infusion with doses ranging from 24-700 mg/m2/cycle; study 2: 10-minute to 3-hour IV infusion once weekly with doses ranging from 16-325 mg/m2/week; study 3: 1-hour IV infusion once daily for 5 days with doses ranging from 3.6-202.8 mg/m2/day). The PK of SAM486A were best estimated by a population linear three-compartment model with NONMEM (version 5) using data from 9 patients in studies 1 through 3. The population pharmacokinetic parameters (SD) were CL = 6.2 (0.4) l/h/m2, Q2 = 15.4 (1.5) l/h/m2, Q3 = 33.6 (5.3) l/h/m2, V1 = 9.5 (1.6) l/m2, V2 = 672 (52) l/m2, and V3 = 39.9 (8.3) l/m2, and the corresponding intersubject variability was 45.4%, 74.0%, 85.3%, 80.1%, 37.0%, and 103%, respectively, where CL is total body clearance, Q2 and Q3 are intercompartmental clearances, and V1, V2, and V3 are the volumes of distribution in central and peripheral compartments, respectively. The intrasubject variability was 24.0%. The cumulative AUC before the onset of neutrophil nadir count (AUC) and the duration of exposure over threshold SAM486A concentrations in the range of 0.05 to 0.1 microM based on Bayesian PK parameter estimates significantly correlated with absolute neutrophil count nadir (< 5 x 10(9)/l). AUC showed the best correlation (R2 = 0.72) with absolute neutrophil count nadir by an inhibitory sigmoid Emax model and also correlated with percent decrease in neutrophil count from baseline to nadir by a simple Emax model (R2 = 0.53). Logistic regression analysis indicated that AUC and the duration of exposure over 0.05 to 0.1 microM, but not Cmax, were strong predictors of grade 4 neutropenia (< 0.5 x 10(9)/l). Drug exposure parameters such as AUC derived from population analysis may be used clinically as a useful predictor of drug-induced neutropenia.
PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility, pharmacokinetic interaction, and possible sequence-dependent effects of the irinotecan/cisplatin combination given every 3 weeks, and to assess the influence of additional granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on the hematologic toxicity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who had received no more than one prior combination chemotherapy regimen or two single-agent regimens were entered. Treatment consisted of a 90-minute irinotecan infusion followed by a 3-hour cisplatin infusion on day 1, with cycles repeated once every 3 weeks. After the maximum-tolerated dose was determined, the sequence of administration was reversed. In a separate cohort of six patients, we assessed the effect of G-CSF on the experienced hematologic toxicity and dose-intensity. Irinotecan doses ranged from 175 to 300 mg/m(2) and cisplatin doses ranged from 60 to 80 mg/m(2). RESULTS: Fifty-two patients entered the study; one was not eligible, and two were not assessable for response. Twenty-five patients were pretreated, and 26 were not. Fifty-one patients received a total of 223 courses. The dose-limiting toxicity was a combination of neutropenic fever, diarrhea, and fatigue at a dose level combining irinotecan 300 mg/m(2) with cisplatin 80 mg/m(2). Neutropenia was common (grades 3 to 4, 68%). Irinotecan pharmacokinetics were linear over the dose range studied. No sequence-dependent side effects were observed. Tumor responses included three complete responses and eight partial responses. CONCLUSION: For phase II studies, we recommend irinotecan 260 mg/m(2) combined with cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) once every 3 weeks for chemotherapy-naive patients in good physical condition, and irinotecan 200 mg/m(2) combined with cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) for other patients.
PURPOSE: To investigate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of irinotecan and cisplatin administered once every 3 weeks in a dose-escalating study in patients with solid tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-two cancer patients were treated with irinotecan administered as a 90-minute infusion at doses ranging from 175 to 300 mg/m(2) followed by cisplatin administered as a 3-hour intravenous infusion at doses ranging from 60 to 80 mg/m(2). After reaching the maximum-tolerated dose, the sequence of drug administration was revised. For pharmacokinetic analysis, serial plasma samples were obtained on days 1 through 3 of the first cycle. Forty-five patients were assessable for irinotecan pharmacokinetics, and 46 were assessable for cisplatin pharmacokinetics. RESULTS: Irinotecan and cisplatin demonstrated linear pharmacokinetics comparable to that observed with single-agent administration, which suggests an absence of pharmacokinetic interaction. SN-38G constituted the major plasma metabolite of irinotecan, whereas 7-ethyl-10-[4-N-(1-piperidino)1-amino]-carbonyloxycamptothecine (NPC) was only a minor metabolite in plasma, possibly indicating a rapid conversion of NPC to SN-38. The terminal elimination phases of SN-38 and SN-38G were similar and relatively delayed when compared with the elimination of irinotecan. Maximal DNA adduct formation did not significantly differ from that observed with single-agent administration. The percentage decrease in WBC was significantly related to the areas under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUCs) of the lactone form of irinotecan (P =.0245) and SN-38 (P =. 0123). The severity of diarrhea was not significantly related to the AUCs of irinotecan and SN-38, nor to the systemic glucuronidation rate of SN-38. CONCLUSION: There was no apparent pharmacokinetic interaction between irinotecan and cisplatin in this study. Reversion of the administration sequence of the drugs did not seem to have any influence on the pharmacokinetics. The incidence and severity of delayed-type diarrhea was not related to any of the studied parameters.
PURPOSE: To assess antitumor response and time to progression (TTP) with docetaxel compared with doxorubicin in first-line treatment of advanced and/or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with measurable soft tissue sarcoma lesions and adequate bone marrow, liver, and renal function were entered onto the study. They were randomized to either docetaxel 100 mg/m(2) given as a 1-hour intravenous infusion every 3 weeks or doxorubicin 75 mg/m(2) given as a bolus injection every 3 weeks. A maximum of seven cycles of treatment were scheduled. The study was designed as a randomized phase III study evaluating TTP by log-rank model. There was a clause for premature closure of the trial if fewer than five responses were observed among the first 25 assessable patients in the docetaxel treatment arm. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients were entered onto the study; 85 were assessable for toxicity and 83 for response. The rate of severe granulocytopenia was not significantly different between the two arms. Nausea (P =.001), vomiting (P <.001), and stomatitis (P =.005) were more common with doxorubicin therapy, whereas neurotoxicity was more frequent with docetaxel treatment. The response rate to doxorubicin therapy was 30% (95% confidence interval, 17% to 46%), whereas no responses to docetaxel therapy were seen (P <.001). In view of this, the trial was closed prematurely and the phase III study part was not conducted. CONCLUSION: Docetaxel is inactive in soft tissue sarcomas and cannot be recommended for further use in treatment of this disease.
PURPOSE: In in vitro studies, synergism and sequence-dependent effects were reported for the combination of topotecan and cisplatin. Recently, an oral formulation of topotecan became available. This phase I study was performed to assess the feasibility of the combination of oral topotecan and cisplatin, the pharmacokinetic interaction, and sequence-dependent effects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Topotecan was administered orally (PO) daily for 5 days in escalating doses and cisplatin was given intravenously (IV) at a fixed dose of 75 mg/m(2) either before topotecan administration on day 1 (sequence CT) or after topotecan administration on day 5 (sequence TC) once every 3 weeks. Patients were treated in a randomized cross-over design. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were entered onto the study; one patient was not eligible. Sequence CT induced significantly more severe myelosuppression than did sequence TC, and the maximum-tolerated dosage of topotecan in sequence CT was 1.25 mg/m(2)/d x 5. In sequence TC, the maximum-tolerated dosage of topotecan was 2.0 mg/m(2)/d x 5. Dose-limiting toxicity consisted of myelosuppression and diarrhea. Pharmacokinetics of topotecan and cisplatin were linear over the dose range studied; no sequence-dependent effects were observed. In addition, topotecan did not influence the protein binding of cisplatin or the platinum-DNA adduct formation in peripheral leukocytes in either sequence. CONCLUSION: The recommended dosages for phase II studies involving patients like the patients in our study are topotecan 1.25 mg/m(2)/d PO x 5 preceded by cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) IV day 1 once every 3 weeks, and topotecan 2.0 mg/m(2)/d PO followed by cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) IV day 5. No pharmacokinetic interaction could be discerned in our study. The antitumor efficacy of both schedules should be evaluated in a randomized phase II study.