George P. Stathopoulos

A multicenter phase III trial comparing irinotecan-gemcitabine (IG) with gemcitabine (G) monotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer

Our purpose was to determine the response rate and median and overall survival of gemcitabine as monotherapy versus gemcitabine plus irinotecan in advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma who were chemotherapy and radiotherapy naive were enrolled. Patients were centrally randomised at a one-to-one ratio to receive either gemcitabine monotherapy (900 mg m−2 on days 1, 8 and 15 every 4 weeks (arm G), or gemcitabine (days 1 and 8) plus irinotecan (300 mg m−2 on day 8) (arm IG), repeated every 3 weeks. The total number of cycles administered was 255 in the IG arm and 245 in the G arm; the median number of cycles was 3. In all, 145 patients (71 in arm IG and 74 in arm G) were enrolled; 60 and 70 patients from arms IG and G, respectively, were evaluable. A complete clinical response was achieved in three (4.3%) arm G patients; nine (15%) patients in arm IG and four (5.7%) in arm G achieved a partial response. The overall response rate was: arm IG 15% and arm G 10% (95% CI 5.96–24.04 and 95% CI 2.97–17.03, respectively; P=0.387). The median time to tumour progression was 2.8 months and 2.9 months and median survival time was 6.4 and 6.5 months for the IG and G arms, respectively. One-year survival was 24.3% for the IG arm and 21.8% for the G arm. No statistically significant difference was observed comparing gemcitabine monotherapy versus gemcitabine plus irinotecan in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer, with respect to overall and 1-year survival.

Combined role of tumor angiogenesis, bcl‐2, and p53 expression in the prognosis of patients with colorectal carcinoma

The objective of this study was to evaluate intratumoral neoangiogenesis in Dukes Stage B and Stage C (AJCC/UICC Stage I and III) colorectal adenocarcinoma and its correlation with nuclear p53 oncoprotein accumulation and cytoplasmic bcl‐2 expression as well as to assess the prognostic significance of these features in patient outcome.

Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer With Docetaxel and Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor: A Multicenter Phase II Study

PURPOSE To determine the efficacy and tolerance of single-agent docetaxel and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-three chemotherapy-naive patients (median age, 65 years) with histologically confirmed pancreatic cancer were treated, after appropriate premedication, with docetaxel (100 mg/m(2)) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (150 microg/m(2)/d subcutaneously days 2 through 10) every 3 weeks. World Health Organization performance status was 0 to 1 in 28 patients (85%) and 2 in 5 patients (15%). Twenty-nine patients had stage III and IV disease. RESULTS One complete response (3%) and one partial response (3%) were observed for an overall response rate of 6% (95% confidence interval, 2.1% to 14.2%). Nineteen patients (58%) had stable disease and 12 (36%) had progressive disease. The duration of the two objective responses was 10 and 28 weeks, and the median time to tumor progression was 20 weeks. The median overall survival was 36 weeks. The actuarial 1-year survival was 36.4%. The performance status improved in seven of 21 assessable patients (24%) and pain improved in 14 of 21 (67%) assessable patients; five patients (29%) experienced weight gain during treatment. Disease-related asthenia, anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea improved in 29%, 15%, 67%, and 47% of the assessable patients, respectively. Serum concentrations of CA 19-9 were decreased by more than 50% in seven patients (35%). Grade 3 and 4 neutropenia occurred in four patients (12%) and eight patients (24%), respectively, with two episodes of febrile neutropenia. There were no treatment-related deaths. Grade 3/4 asthenia occurred in three patients. CONCLUSION Although docetaxel has a marginal objective activity in pancreatic cancer, it seems to have an important effect on tumor growth control, conferring a clinical benefit.

Treatment of colorectal cancer with and without bevacizumab: a phase III study.

Objective: The objective of this phase III trial was to compare chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab versus chemotherapy alone in the treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Methods: From September 2004 till September 2008, 222 treatment-naive patients were enrolled and divided into 2 arms: 114 arm A patients were treated with leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil plus irinotecan in combination with bevacizumab, and 108 arm B patients were treated as above without bevacizumab. All patients were stage IV with histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma. Results: The median overall survival of arm A patients was 22.0 months (95% CI: 18.1–25.9) and 25.0 months (CI: 18.1–31.9) for arm B patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 arms (p = 0.1391). No statistically significant difference between the 2 arms regarding the response ratewas observed: partial response, 42 patients (36.8%) and 38 patients (35.2%) for arms A and B, respectively. Hematologic toxicity did not differ in the comparison of the 2 arms. Nonhematologic toxicity in arm A involved hypertension in 23 (20.2%) of the patients and proteinuria in 7 (6.1%); 3 patients experienced hemorrhage and 1 patient intestinal perforation. None of these side effects was observed in arm B patients. Conclusion: No statistically significant difference in median overall survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer treated with bevacizumab plus a combination therapy (arm A) and those treated with the combination only, without bevacizumab (arm B), was observed.

Treatment of pancreatic cancer with a combination of docetaxel, gemcitabine and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor: A phase II study of the Greek Cooperative Group for Pancreatic Cancer

PURPOSE To evaluate the tolerance and efficacy of front-line docetaxel plus gemcitabine treatment in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-four patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer were enrolled. Gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2) was administered on days 1 and 8 and docetaxel (100 mg/m2) on day 8, every three weeks; rh-G-CSF (150 ig/m2 s.c.) was given prophylactically on days 9-15. RESULTS Seven (13%) patients achieved partial response and 18 (33%) stable disease (intent-to-treat). The median duration of response was 24 weeks, time to tumour progression 32 weeks, and overall survival 26 weeks. Performance status was improved in 33% of patients, pain in 43%, asthenia in 16%, weight gain in 28% and appetite in 27%. Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 17 (31%) patients and grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia in four (4%). Six (11%) patients developed febrile neutropenia and one of them died from sepsis. CONCLUSIONS This combination is a relatively well-tolerated out-patient regimen for patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer.

Phase II Trial of Biweekly Administration of Vinorelbine and Gemcitabine in Pretreated Advanced Breast Cancer

PURPOSE To determine the efficacy of gemcitabine (GEM) plus vinorelbine (VRL) administered biweekly in pretreated patients with advanced breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Advanced breast cancer patients without response, with stable disease, or with recurrence within 6 months of prior treatment were given GEM 1,000 mg/m(2) and VRL 25 mg/m(2), once every 2 weeks for at least six cycles. RESULTS Of the 51 patients enrolled, 50 (median, age 58 years; range, 34 to 76 years) were assessable. All patients had prior chemotherapy with an anthracycline-related regimen that included taxanes in 50% of the cases. Four patients (8%) had a complete response (CR) and 23 (46%) had a partial response (PR), for an overall response rate of 54%; 16 (32%) had stable disease and 7 (14%) experienced disease progression. Response occurred mainly in patients with soft tissue (83.3%) and lung metastasis (66.7%). Response duration was 4 to 8+, 4 to 9+, and 4 to 9 months for those with CR, PR, and stable disease, respectively. The regimen was well tolerated, with grade 1 to 2 myelotoxicity and asthenia reported. No patient required a dose reduction. Gastrointestinal side effects were negligible. Patients received 99.7% (range, 93.0% to 100.0%) of the planned dose-intensity of each drug. CONCLUSION GEM in combination with VRL is an active regimen for advanced breast cancer patients, and biweekly administration significantly reduces myelotoxicity.

Pregnancy and Offspring after the Appearance of Breast Cancer

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of pregnancy in breast cancer prognosis of women under the age of 35 years. Two hundred and forty-three women with breast cancer, from thre

Liposomal cisplatin: a new cisplatin formulation.

Over the last three decades, cisplatin has been one of the most effective cytotoxic agents, but its administration has been hindered by its nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity and myelo toxicity. Recently, liposomal cisplatin, lipoplatin, has been formulated and tested thoroughly in preclinical (in vitro) and phase I, II and III trials, as documented in the literature. Experiments in animals showed that lipoplatin is less toxic than cisplatin and that it produces tumour reduction. The histological examination of treated tumours from mouse xenografts was consistent with apoptosis in the tumour cells in a mechanism similar to that of cisplatin. Lipoplatin infusion in patients and measurements of platinum levels in tumour specimens showed 10–50 times higher levels in tumours and metastases than in the adjacent normal specimens. A phase I–II study using a combination of lipoplatin and gemcitabine in pretreated patients (with disease progression or stable disease) with advanced pancreatic cancer was conducted. No nephrotoxicity was observed. With lipoplatin monotherapy the dose-limiting toxicity was determined to be 350 mg/m2 and the maximum tolerated dose 300 mg/m2; when used in combination with paclitaxel the dose-limiting toxicity for lipoplatin was 250 mg/m2 and for paclitaxel 175 mg/m2, and the maximum tolerated dose was 200 and 175 mg/m2, respectively. In two phase II randomized studies comparing the lipoplatin combination versus the cisplatin combination, it was found that the former was statistically significantly less toxic than the latter, whereas the response rate and survival were similar. Up to now, the data on lipoplatin treatment in malignant tumours are quite impressive, because of the negligible toxicity and because it is equal if not superior to cisplatin with regard to response rate. This review aims to chronologically document publications relevant to liposomal cisplatin to date.

Paclitaxel by three-hour infusion and carboplatin in advanced carcinoma of nasopharynx and other sites of the head and neck

BACKGROUND Paclitaxel has been demonstrated to have significant activity in recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC). In addition, the combination of paclitaxel and cisplatin is active in untreated patients with inoperable HNC. Substitution of carboplatin for cisplatin allows the treatment to be delivered on an outpatient basis. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY To evaluate the activity and toxicity of the combination of paclitaxel by three-hour infusion and carboplatin as first-line chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic HNC. PATIENTS AND METHODS From March 1994 until August 1996, 49 patients with recurrent or metastatic HNC were treated with paclitaxel (200 mg/m2, by three-hour infusion) followed by carboplatin at an AUC of 7 mg.min/ml, every four weeks. G-CSF was administered prophylactically on days 2 to 12 of each cycle. There were 41 men and 8 women with a median age of 57 years (range 23-73). The majority of the patients were symptomatic and they had recurrent disease locoregionally. Fourteen patients had nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) and 35 had squamous cell cancers of other areas of the head and neck region (non-NPC). RESULTS At the completion of treatment, two patients with NPC demonstrated complete and six partial responses for an overall response rate of 57% (95% CI 29%-82%). Among patients with non-NPC, the response rate was 23% (95% CI 9%-37%). After a median follow up period of 15 months, the median time to progression was 4.3 months in the non-NPC group and 16.5 months in the NPC group. At the time of the analysis, median survival had not been reached in NPC while it was 7.3 months in non-NPC patients. Grade 3-4 toxicities included anemia (2%) and leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, stomatitis, nausea/vomiting and diarrhea (4% each). CONCLUSIONS The combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin appears to be well tolerated but only moderately active in patients with advanced non-NPC of the head and neck region. However, its activity appears promising in NPC and deserves further investigation.

Oxaliplatin for Pretreated Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: A Multicenter Phase II Study

A phase II study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxaliplatin as second-line treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Eighteen patients with advanced pancreatic cancer previously treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy, received oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 i.v. every 21 days. Patients were treated until tumor progression or unacceptable toxicity. No objective response was observed among the 18 treated patients. Three (16.7%) patients had stable disease for > 2 months. A clinical benefit response was observed in five (27.7%) patients. Toxicity was mild. Oxaliplatin as second-line treatment for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer is well tolerated and associated with improvement of tumor-related symptoms despite its failure to induce objective responses. LOHP merits further investigation in combination with other drugs as palliative treatment of pretreated patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.