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N Saijo

Publications and source records attributed to N Saijo.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Preclinical and clinical trials of topoisomerase inhibitors.

CPT-11, developed by Yakult Honsha, has achieved the position of standard chemotherapy for colorectal cancer in the United States and in Western countries because CPT-11 + 5FU + LV showed survival benefit compared with 5FU-LV in two randomized controlled trials. CPT-11 has been distributed to almost all countries. In Japan, combination therapy of CDDP + CPT-11 was significantly superior to CDDP-VP-16 in the treatment of extensive disease small cell lung cancer. This combination is also active against non-small cell lung cancer. Daiich Pharmaceutical Co. developed a more active nonmasked form of camptothecin derivative, DX-8915f. The phase I study of a new camptothecin inhibitor, DX-8915f, has just been completed. The new topoisomerase I inhibitors of indolocarbazol derivatives, NB-506 and J107088, developed by Banyu Co., have strong antitumor activity and a wide therapeutic ratio. The phase I trial of J107088 is currently ongoing in the United States and Japan. These do not show any cross-resistance to MDR drugs.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

Correlation between docetaxel clearance and estimated cytochrome P450 activity by urinary metabolite of exogenous cortisol.

PURPOSE: There is no simple and practical method for the estimation of the interpatient variability of cytochrome P450 (CYP3A4) enzyme activity. Cortisol is metabolized by this enzyme and excreted as 6-beta-hydroxycortisol (6beta-OHF) and free-cortisol (FC) in urine, and docetaxel is also metabolized by hepatic CYP3A4 enzyme. We developed a new method for the estimation of CYP3A4 activity by measuring urinary cortisol metabolite after administration of exogenous cortisol. This study was aimed at assessing the predictability of the individual activity of CYP3A4 estimated by this method. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer were entered onto this study. Hydrocortisone 300 mg was administered intravenously, and urinary 6beta-OHF and FC were measured. More than 2 days later, 60 mg/m(2) of docetaxel was administered intravenously with pharmacokinetic sampling. The correlation between docetaxel pharmacokinetics and estimated interpatient variability of CYP3A4 activity with the application of our method was assessed. RESULTS: After cortisol administration, the total amount of 24-hour urinary 6beta-OHF (T6beta-OHF) increased about 60-fold compared with pretreatment levels, averaging 12,273 +/- 4,076 microg/d (mean +/- SD). Docetaxel clearance (CL) and area under the concentration-time curve averaged 24.5 +/- 6.4 L/h/m(2) and 2.66 +/- 0.91 mg/L 8729. h, respectively. An excellent correlation between docetaxel CL and T6beta-OHF was observed (r =.867). In multivariate analysis, T6beta-OHF (P <.001), alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (P <.004), AST (P =.007), and age (P =. 022) significantly correlated with docetaxel CL. CONCLUSION: The interpatient variability of CYP3A4 activity and docetaxel CL could be predicted by measuring T6beta-OHF after cortisol administration.

Adult↗

Novel combination chemotherapy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

Treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a vexing problem and long-term survival beyond 5 years is extremely rare. Five new agents, paclitaxel, docetaxel, vinorelbine, gemcitabine and irinotecan, have been introduced for the treatment of NSCLC and investigated extensively both preclinically and clinically. Monotherapy with one of these agents has produced survival benefits over the best supportive care in Phase III studies. Combination chemotherapy with a new agent and platinum produced a higher response rate than conventional cisplatin-based chemotherapy and improved survival was observed in some randomised trials. There was little difference in efficacy and toxicity between the chemotherapeutic regimens with a new agent and a platinum in Phase III trials, suggesting the clinical utility of these regimens is similar. Many trials have focused on regimens containing two new agents, with or without platinum. Preliminary results of Phase III trials of three drug combinations versus two drug combinations suggested the former to be more promising, in terms of response rates and survival. Whether the era of platinum-based chemotherapy in the treatment of NSCLC should continue or not must be determined by Phase III trials, evaluating the use of a platinum agent with one of the new agent combinations. These aggressive chemotherapeutic combinations will hopefully improve survival and quality of life for patients with advanced NSCLC.

Animals↗

Inhibitory effects of repeated intravenous injections of dexamethasone on pulmonary toxicity of a new mitomycin C analogue, KW-2149, in a novel rat model.

An animal model for testing pulmonary toxicity of KW-2149, a new mitomycin C analogue, was developed (by intravenously injecting 3.28 mg/kg of the drug into male SD rats 3 times at weekly intervals), and exhibits pleural effusion from 1 week after the last injection. In this animal model, repeated intravenous injections of dexamethasone (DM), following any of three different schedules examined, were more or less effective of reducing the amount of effusion. The optimal results were obtained with 4 administrations a week (i.e. twice before and twice after KW-2149 treatment). The results of the present experiment suggest possible clinical application of DM in protecting patients from pulmonary toxicity of KW-2149.

Animals↗

[A summary report of response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST criteria)].

The World Health Organization definitions for objective tumor response published in the 1979 WHO Handbook have been the most commonly used criteria around the world. However, some problems developed with the use of WHO criteria. These issues led to various modifications to the WHO criteria, resulting in a situation in which response criteria were no longer comparable among research organizations or researchers. However, because the efficacy of novel therapies and drugs is estimated according to tumor regression, it is very important to unify the definitions of objective tumor response. A revised version of the WHO criteria, Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST criteria), was published in 1999 to deal with these issues. However, some problems concerning the evaluation of non-cytotoxic drugs and unidimensional measurements remain in the new criteria.

Guidelines as Topic↗

[Evidence based chemotherapy for lung cancer].

There is often little foundation for decisions in experience-based or impression-based medicine. Therapy, however, should be based on the highest level of available evidence. In many clinical cancer practices, "uncertainty" exists. When no evidence is available, it is important that we perform clinical trials to generate new evidence. Organizing multi-institutional clinical trials in Japan is an urgent necessity. Limited disease SCLC Concurrent radiotherapy in combination with cisplatin and etoposide is considered to be a standard treatment in limited disease SCLC. Extensive disease SCLC Chemotherapy regiments such as PE or CAV/PE are standard therapy for ED SCLC. There is no current evidence for alternating chemotherapy, dose intensive chemotherapy, high dose chemotherapy, late intensification chemotherapy or maintenance chemotherapy in extensive disease SCLC. New drugs in combination with cisplatin have been reported to show promising antitumor activity in extensive disease SCLC. The impact of CPT-11 + CDDP on survival may be discussed at the 2000 ASCO meeting. Surgically unresectable stage III NSCLC In a recent meta-analysis, cisplatin-based chemotherapy plus radiotherapy was compared with radiotherapy alone in prolonging survival. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy with or followed by radiation was proven to enhance survival. However, the optimal sequencing of chemotherapy and radiation has not been definitively established. Chemoradiotherapy with new drugs (paclitaxel, docetaxel, vinorelbine, gemicitabine, CPT-11) has been evaluated for activity and efficacy. Metastatic stage IV NSCLC Compared with the best supportive care alone, cisplatin-based chemotherapy yields an absolute improvement in survival. New drugs in combination with cisplatin or carboplatin have been reported to show promising antitumor activity. There is no combination therapy including a new anti-cancer agent which can be recommended as a "gold standard". There is no current evidence that either confirms or refutes non-platinum-based combination chemotherapy. Second line chemotherapy Second line chemotherapy (docetaxel 75 mg/m2) improves survival in patients previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

[Growth factor and signal transduction in lung cancer cell].

Growth factors are molecules that participate in the control of cell proliferation. They require specific receptors on the target cell and intracellular signaling pathways to transmit the stimulus to the nucleus. Growth factors can stimulate or inhibit cell division. Most of the factors implicated in lung cancer growth are thought to act through positive feedback loops in which factors secreted by the cancer cells bind to receptors on their own surfaces(autocrine stimulation) or those of neighboring cells (paracrine stimulation). Abnormal expression of growth factors, their receptors, or components of their signaling pathways can result in the unrestrained growth of cancer. In this review, we described outlines of the growth factors, their receptors, signal transduction pathways, as well as their clinical applications.

Animals↗

[The role of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group].

The Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG), a cooperative oncology group funded by the government of Japan, was founded in 1989. Over the past decade, the quality of clinical trials in Japan has improved greatly. The purpose of the JCOG is to establish and to improve the standard treatment of cancer by carrying out large, prospective, randomized, multicenter, clinical trials. The organizations to conduct clinical trials, such as a data center, clinical trial review committee, and monitoring committee, have been developed. One of the most important roles of the JCOG is the establishment and development of the necessary infrastructure. The JCOG is the largest cooperative oncology group in Japan and is conducting clinical trials to establish new "state of the art" treatment. However, the expansion of the data center and positioning of research nurses in each institute are essential for further development of the JCOG and clinical trials in Japan.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

[The strategy of combination phase I/II study].

Combination chemotherapy plays an important role in anticancer chemotherapy. Many new anticancer drugs, including target-based drugs, have been introduced clinically. The opportunity to evaluate combination chemotherapy including new drugs has increased recently. Combination phase I/II studies must be designed scientifically and ethically in order to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination chemotherapy including new drugs. It is important to choose appropriate drugs and to determine an effective method of administration, because drug-drug interaction can be a problem in combination chemotherapy. It is important to clarify the causes of drug-drug interactions through pharmacokinetics analysis because these interactions influence toxicity and efficacy. To conduct high quality clinical trials, we need to improve the infrastructure of such trials.

Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic↗

Histologic types of lung carcinoma and related family history of anatomic sites and histologic types of cancers.

BACKGROUND: Familial factors are suggested to play roles in lung carcinogenesis, but may well be different for each histologic cell type. METHODS: Information regarding smoking, past medical history, and family history of malignant diseases among first-degree relatives was collected from a total of 1188 patients with primary lung carcinoma (participants) who were treated in the thoracic oncology ward at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. These data were analyzed for associations with the histologic type of the lung carcinoma. The main outcome measures were the relative risk of developing a malignancy, at any site or at certain specific sites, in first-degree relatives of participants who had a specific histologic type of lung carcinoma compared with the relative risk in those first-degree relatives of participants with other cell types. RESULTS: Participants with multiple malignant lesions reported significantly more first-degree relatives with a malignancy than those without multiple tumors (P = 0.008 by the Wilcoxon rank sum test). There was no statistically significant correlation between age, gender, smoking history, or histologic tumor type in the participant and the overall family history of malignancy. Site specific analyses revealed that participants with adenocarcinoma reported a family history of colorectal carcinoma, and those with squamous cell carcinoma reported a family history of head and neck carcinoma, more frequently than other participants (P = 0.041 and 0. 001, respectively, by chi-square analysis). CONCLUSIONS: The data from the current study suggest an association between familial factors and histologic type of lung carcinoma. Genetic factors to determine individual susceptibility to lung carcinogenesis should be investigated according to each histologic type.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Effect of a chimeric anti-ganglioside GM2 antibody on ganglioside GM2-expressing human solid tumors in vivo.

Ganglioside GM2 is expressed on the surface of neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cells, and may also be detected on lung cancer cells. We reported previously that anti-ganglioside GM2 antibody exhibited strong in vitro anti-tumor activity against adriamycin-resistant cancer cells, which overexpressed ganglioside GM2. In the present study, we examined the in vivo anti-tumor effect of the chimeric anti-ganglioside GM2 antibody, KM966, against human lung and breast carcinoma cells, SBC-3 and MCF-7, and respective adriamycin-resistant clones, SBC-3/ADM and AdrR MCF-7 in BALB/c nu/nu mice. Ratios of tumor volume (T/C) between KM966-treated group and control group were 0.01 for SBC-3, 0.00 for SBC-3/ADM, 0.85 for MCF-7 and 0.34 for AdrR MCF-7 cells, respectively. Nude mice, which were pretreated with anti-asialo GM1 antibody to remove natural killer cells, were transplanted with 4 x 10(7) of SBC-3 and SBC-3/ADM subcutaneously. Seven days later, when tumors had grown to a diameter of over 8 mm, mice began to receive intravenous treatment of 120 microgram/mouse KM966 daily. Fourteen daily treatments induced regression to less than 4-mm diameter in 4/5 SBC-3 tumors and 5/5 of SBC-3/ADM tumors. All SBC-3/ADM tumors disappeared completely, suggesting that KM966 exerts a strong in vivo anti-tumor effect on ganglioside GM2-expressing cancer cells. In KM966-treated mice, the surface of the tumor cells stained positive with anti-human IgG. In addition, numerous leukocytes had infiltrated into the tumor mass. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) of KM966 against tumor cells was examined in vitro by (51)Cr-release assay and revealed that KM966 induces ADCC activity against ganglioside GM2-expressing tumors. Our results suggest that immunotherapy using KM966 may be useful for the treatment of ganglioside GM2-expressing solid tumors.

Animals↗

Cellular balance of glutathione levels through the expression of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione thiol transferase genes in human hepatic cells resistant to a glutathione poison.

Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) is a synthetic amino acid that irreversibly inhibits glutathione biosynthesis and deranges reduced glutathione (GSH) metabolism in liver cells. We isolated two BSO-resistant lines, HLE/BSO2-1 and HLE/BSO2-2, from human hepatic HLE/WT cells. Cellular levels of the Pi class glutathione thiol transferase (GSTP1) were 3-fold lower in BSO-resistant lines than in HLE/WT cells. By contrast, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS) heavy subunit (GCSh) mRNA levels were markedly decreased in HLE/BSO2-1 and HLE/BSO2-2 as compared with HLE/WT. The expression of a dominant-negative mutant of c-Jun inhibited the GCSh promoter activity in HLE/WT, but not in HLE/BSO2-1. Cellular levels of AP-1, however, were not decreased in either BSO-resistant cell line. Transfection of GCSh promoter of various lengths driven reporter constructs showed no sequence-specific increase in the promoter activities in HLE/BSO2-1. However, transfection of GSTP1 cDNA into HLE/BSO2-1 and HLE/BSO2-2 restored the levels of GCSh mRNA and the GCSh promoter activity to those of HLE/WT. Sequences between -315 and -241 bp of the 5' region contained an AP-1 site responsible for the enhanced GCSh promoter activity in GSTP1 transfectants of HLE/BSO2-1. In vivo footprint analysis showed a specific protection of the AP-1 site on GCSh promoter in GSTP1 transfected HLE/BSO2-1. GSH homeostasis thus appears to be maintained by an interaction between GSTP1 and GCS in human hepatic cells resistant to the GSH poison.

Buthionine Sulfoximine↗

In vitro interactions of a new derivative of spicamycin, KRN5500, and other anticancer drugs using a three-dimensional model.

PURPOSE: KRN5500 is a new derivative of spicamycin produced by Streptomyces alanosinicus and is known to have a wide range of antitumor activities against human cancer cell lines. Because of its unique structure, this compound seems to have a different mode of action from other antitumor drugs and nonoverlapping toxicities. Therefore, KRN5500 is expected to be a suitable candidate for combination chemotherapy. METHODS: We investigated the effects of combinations of KRN5500 and other anticancer drugs on the growth of a human non-small-cell lung cancer cell line, PC14, using a revised three-dimensional model. RESULTS: Synergism was observed when KRN5500 and cisplatin were combined at concentrations in the ranges 0.005 to 0.25 microg/ml and 0.025 to 0.25 microg/ml, respectively. In combination with carboplatin, an analog of cisplatin, and etoposide, a marked synergistic interaction was also found. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the usefulness of combinations of KRN5500 with cisplatin, carboplatin or etoposide for chemotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗

Combination effects of TAS-103, a novel dual topoisomerase I and II inhibitor, with other anticancer agents on human small cell lung cancer cells.

PURPOSE: TAS-103 [6-((2-(dimethylamino) ethyl)amino)-3-hydroxy-7H-iindeno(2,1-c)quinolin-7-one dihydrochloride] is a newly synthesized dual inhibitor of topoisomerase I and II. Since anticancer drugs are used in combination with other drugs for effective chemotherapy, we investigated the cytotoxic effect of TAS-103 in combination with other conventional anticancer agents, such as cisplatin, vindesine, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and the antitopoisomerase inhibitors SN-38 and etoposide in vitro. METHODS: Inhibition of the growth of the human small-cell lung cancer cell line SBC-3 was evaluated using the tetrazolium dye (MTT) assay. Drug interactions were evaluated by isobologram analysis and the determination of combination indices supplemented by a three-dimensional model. RESULTS: Simultaneous use of TAS-103 and cisplatin had a supraadditive effect, but combinations of TAS-103 with other drugs had an additive or marginally subadditive effect. Three-dimensional model analysis added more information about the synergistic concentration ranges of two drugs (cisplatin 200-400 nM and TAS-103 7 10 nM). Sequential use of TAS-103 and cisplatin had only an additive effect. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the concomitant use of TAS-103 and cisplatin has a greater cytotoxic effect on cancer cells than single drug use, and may provide a beneficial effect in the treatment of small-cell lung cancer.

Aminoquinolines↗

Activation-induced apoptosis of peripheral lymphocytes treated with 7-hydroxystaurosporine, UCN-01.

7-hydroxystaurosporine (UCN-01) is a new anticancer agent which exerts an inhibitory effect on cell cycle check points and is currently under phase I clinical trials in US and Japan. Preliminary clinical data indicated that UCN-01 remained in plasma at high concentrations for long periods of time. This unavoidable high plasma drug exposure is likely to lead to hematological toxicities in patients. In the present study, cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were used to evaluate the possible hematological toxicities of UCN-01 treatment. UCN-01 induces apoptosis, and the induction of apoptosis-related surface markers were also examined to investigate the involvement of these molecules in UCN-01-induced apoptosis in PBLs. In vitro viability of PBLs was decreased by high dose of UCN-01 (25 microM, 3-day exposure). This effect of UCN-01 was significantly suppressed by the presence of human serum, suggesting that some specific inhibitory factor(s) in human serum may antagonize the lympholytic effect of UCN-01. The percentage of annexin V-positive PI-negative cells increased with exposure to UCN-01 in a time- and dose-dependent manner; by up to 30.3% after exposure to 25 microM UCN-01 for 3 days. At the same time, the expression of both interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R, CD25) and Fas (CD95), analyzed by flow cytometry, was induced. Con A-stimulated PBLs were more sensitive to UCN-01-induced apoptosis than non-stimulated lymphocytes and UCN-01 increased the sFas-L released into culture medium from con A-stimulated PBLs. Therefore, lymphocyte depletion mediated by activation-induced apoptosis is likely to occur in patients treated with UCN-01 at high doses.

Alkaloids↗

Progressive disease rate as a surrogate endpoint of phase II trials for non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although the potential activity of anticancer agents has been traditionally assessed by the response rate (RR) in phase II trials, there is an increasing need to identify alternative endpoints to evaluate the efficacy of novel types of antineoplastic agents such as cytostatic agents. However, none of the proposed alternatives have been validated. DESIGN: RR, rate of progressive disease (PD), and median survival time (MST) were obtained from 44 treatment arms in 42 single-agent phase II trials for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Correlations between these parameters and their significance in selection of promising drugs were evaluated. RESULTS: The median (range) RR and PD rate per treatment arm were 17% (0%-40%) and 41% (8%-93%), respectively. The PD rate correlated more closely with MST (correlation coefficient (r) = 0.80, P < 0.001) than did the RR (r = 0.62, P < 0.001). The RR of active agents against NSCLC ranged broadly from 7% to 40%, whereas their PD rates were all 50% or less. In addition, all treatment arms with a PD rate over 50% had a poor MST of six months or shorter. CONCLUSIONS: The PD rate was potentially as good an endpoint as RR, and it may be a good candidate for the primary endpoint of phase II trials for novel types of anticancer agents.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung↗