Giuseppe Badalamenti

Efficacy and safety of regorafenib for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumours after failure of imatinib and sunitinib (GRID): an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND Until now, only imatinib and sunitinib have proven clinical benefit in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST), but almost all metastatic GIST eventually develop resistance to these agents, resulting in fatal disease progression. We aimed to assess efficacy and safety of regorafenib in patients with metastatic or unresectable GIST progressing after failure of at least imatinib and sunitinib. METHODS We did this phase 3 trial at 57 hospitals in 17 countries. Patients with histologically confirmed, metastatic or unresectable GIST, with failure of at least previous imatinib and sunitinib were randomised in a 2:1 ratio (by computer-generated randomisation list and interactive voice response system; preallocated block design (block size 12); stratified by treatment line and geographical region) to receive either oral regorafenib 160 mg daily or placebo, plus best supportive care in both groups, for the first 3 weeks of each 4 week cycle. The study sponsor, participants, and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). At disease progression, patients assigned placebo could crossover to open-label regorafenib. Analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01271712. RESULTS From Jan 4, to Aug 18, 2011, 240 patients were screened and 199 were randomised to receive regorafenib (n=133) or matching placebo (n=66). Data cutoff was Jan 26, 2012. Median PFS per independent blinded central review was 4·8 months (IQR 1·4-9·2) for regorafenib and 0·9 months (0·9-1·8) for placebo (hazard ratio [HR] 0·27, 95% CI 0·19-0·39; p<0·0001). After progression, 56 patients (85%) assigned placebo crossed over to regorafenib. Drug-related adverse events were reported in 130 (98%) patients assigned regorafenib and 45 (68%) patients assigned placebo. The most common regorafenib-related adverse events of grade 3 or higher were hypertension (31 of 132, 23%), hand-foot skin reaction (26 of 132, 20%), and diarrhoea (seven of 132, 5%). INTERPRETATION The results of this study show that oral regorafenib can provide a significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with placebo in patients with metastatic GIST after progression on standard treatments. As far as we are aware, this is the first clinical trial to show benefit from a kinase inhibitor in this highly refractory population of patients. FUNDING Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.

Gemcitabine plus metronomic 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine as a second-/third-line chemotherapy in advanced adrenocortical carcinoma: a multicenter phase II study

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare neoplasm characterized by poor prognosis. First-line systemic treatments in advanced disease include mitotane, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Studies evaluating second-line therapy options have obtained disappointing results. This trial assessed the activity and toxicity of gemcitabine plus metronomic fluoropyrimidines in heavily pretreated advanced ACC patients. From 1998 to 2008, 28 patients with advanced ACC progressing after mitotane plus one or two systemic chemotherapy lines were enrolled. They received a combination of i.v. gemcitabine (800 mg/m(2), on days 1 and 8, every 21 days) and i.v. 5-fluorouracil protracted infusion (200 mg/m(2)/daily without interruption until progression) in the first six patients, or oral capecitabine (1500 mg/daily) in the subsequent patients. Mitotane administration was maintained in all cases. The rate of non-progressing patients after 4 months of treatment was 46.3%. A complete response was observed in 1 patient (3.5%); 1 patient (3.5%) obtained a partial regression, 11 patients (39.3%) obtained a disease stabilization and 15 patients (53.7%) progressed. Treatment was well tolerated, with grade III and IV toxicities consisting of leukopenia in six patients (21.4%), thrombocytopenia in one patient (3.5%), and mucositis in one patient (3.5%). Median time to progression and overall survival in the patient population were 5.3 (range: 1-43) and 9.8 months (range: 3-73) respectively. Gemcitabine plus metronomic fluoropyrimidines is a well-tolerated and moderately active regimen in heavily pretreated ACC patients.

Natural history of bone metastasis in colorectal cancer: final results of a large Italian bone metastases study

BACKGROUND Data are limited regarding bone metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC). The objective of this study was to survey the natural history of bone metastasis in CRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS This retrospective, multicenter, observational study of 264 patients with CRC involving bone examined cancer treatments, bone metastases characteristics, skeletal-related event (SRE) type and frequency, zoledronic acid therapy, and disease outcomes. RESULTS Most patients with bone metastases had pathologic T3/4 disease at CRC diagnosis. The spine was the most common site involved (65%), followed by hip/pelvis (34%), long bones (26%), and other sites (17%). Median time from CRC diagnosis to bone metastases was 11.00 months; median time to first SRE thereafter was 2.00 months. Radiation and pathologic fractures affected 45% and 10% of patients, respectively; 32% of patients had no reported SREs. Patients survived for a median of 7.00 months after bone metastases diagnosis; SREs did not significantly affect survival. Subgroup analyses revealed that zoledronic acid significantly prolonged median time to first SRE (2.00 months versus 1.00 month, respectively, P=0.009) and produced a trend toward improved overall survival versus no zoledronic acid. CONCLUSION This study illustrates the burden of bone metastases from CRC and supports the use of zoledronic acid in this setting.

The use of zoledronic acid in patients with bone metastases from prostate carcinoma: effect on analgesic response and bone metabolism biomarkers

Abstract Zoledronic acid is a bisphosphonate that is effective in the treatment of complications of metastatic bone disease. We have carried out a perspective study on 24 consecutive patients with prostate cancer metastatic to bone to verify the effect of zoledronic acid on analgesic response and a possible relationship with the levels of bone metabolism biomarkers. Eligibility for this study required prostate cancer patients with metastatic bone disease and pain not controlled by analgesics. Patients were excluded from the study if they were receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy or radiation therapy within three months. Eighteen patients (75%) were considered responder to acid zoledronic, only 6 patients did not respond. Before starting treatment (T0) mean Visual Analogue Scale was 7.8 (SE +/− 0.29), after 1 month therapy (T1) was 3.6 (SE +/− 0.3) and after three months (T2) was 3.1 (SE +/− 0.4) with a significant difference between T0 and T1 (p<0.0005) and between T0 and T2 (p<0.0005). Visual Analogue Scale improvement was positively correlated with decrease of C-telopeptide and bone phosphatase alkaline (p<0.05) serum levels.

Preclinical and clinical evidence of activity of pazopanib in solitary fibrous tumour

BACKGROUND To explore the activity of pazopanib in solitary fibrous tumour (SFT). PATIENTS AND METHODS In a preclinical study, we compared the activity of pazopanib, sorafenib, sunitinib, regorafenib, axitinib and bevacizumab in a dedifferentiated-SFT (DSFT) xenotransplanted into Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. Antiangiogenics were administered at their reported optimal doses when mean tumour volume (TV) was 80 mm(3). Drug activity was assessed as TV inhibition percentage (TVI%). From May 2012, six consecutive patients with advanced SFT received pazopanib, on a national name-based programme. In one case sunitinib was administered after pazopanib failure. RESULTS In the xenograft model, pazopanib showed the lowest antitumour activity (21%TVI), while regorafenib was the most active (95%TVI). Sorafenib, bevacizumab, sunitinib were markedly active (78/70/65%TVI). Axitinib was marginally active (51%TVI). In the retrospective case-series, three patients carried malignant-SFT (MSFT), three DSFT. Best Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumour (RECIST) responses were: three stable disease (SD), all MSFT, three progressive disease (PD), all DSFT, corresponding to one partial response (PR), two SD, three PD by Choi criteria. Median-progression-free survival was 3 months (range 1-15). In one patient, sunitinib was started after pazopanib failure, with a response. CONCLUSIONS In dedifferentiated-SFT xenograft pazopanib induced a marginal antitumour activity, while regorafenib appeared the most active and promising agent. When administered in patients, pazopanib showed a modest activity in terms of tumour growth stabilisation, observed only in non-dedifferentiated cases.

Anticancer therapy-induced vascular toxicity: VEGF inhibition and beyond

Cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapeutic agents and radiotherapy is a growing problem. In recent years, an increasing number of new drugs with targeted action have been designed. These molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, can cause different type of toxicities compared to traditional chemotherapy. However, they can also cause cardiac complications such as heart failure, arterial hypertension, QT interval prolongation and arrhythmias. Currently, a field of intense research is the vascular toxicity induced by new biologic drugs, particularly those which inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor (VEGF-R) and other tyrosine kinases. In this review, we aim at focusing on the problem of vascular toxicity induced by new targeted therapies, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and describe the main mechanisms and emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis of vascular damage, in order to prevent clinical complications.

Natural History of Malignant Bone Disease in Renal Cancer: Final Results of an Italian Bone Metastasis Survey

Background Bone metastasis represents an increasing clinical problem in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as disease-related survival improves. There are few data on the natural history of bone disease in RCC. Patients and methods Data on clinicopathology, survival, skeletal-related events (SREs), and bone-directed therapies for 398 deceased RCC patients (286 male, 112 female) with evidence of bone metastasis were statistically analyzed. Results Median time to bone metastasis was 25 months for patients without bone metastasis at diagnosis. Median time to diagnosis of bone metastasis by MSKCC risk was 24 months for good, 5 months for intermediate, and 0 months for poor risk. Median number of SREs/patient was one, and 71% of patients experienced at least one SRE. Median times to first, second, and third SRE were 2, 5, and 12 months, respectively. Median survival was 12 months after bone metastasis diagnosis and 10 months after first SRE. Among 181 patients who received zoledronic acid (ZOL), median time to first SRE was significantly prolonged versus control (n = 186) (3 months vs 1 month for control; P<0.05). Conclusions RCC patients with bone metastasis are at continuous risk of SREs, and in this survey ZOL effectively reduced this risk.

Randomized phase III trial of regorafenib in patients (pts) with metastatic and/or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) progressing despite prior treatment with at least imatinib (IM) and sunitinib (SU): GRID trial.

LBA10008 Background: Oral multikinase inhibitor regorafenib (REG) demonstrated substantial activity in a phase II trial in pts with GIST after failure of both IM and SU (J Clin Oncol. 2011; 29:606s; abstr 10007). This phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of REG for this unmet clinical need. METHODS Eligible pts had metastatic and/or unresectable GIST, objective failure of both prior IM and SU (progressive disease [PD] on, or intolerance to, IM and PD on SU), ≥1 measurable lesion, ECOG performance status 0 or 1. Pts were randomized 2:1 to receive best supportive care plus either REG 160 mg po once daily (3 wks on/1 wk off) or placebo (PL). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) (modified RECIST 1.1, independent central review). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR, defined as rate of partial response [PR] plus stable disease [SD] lasting for ≥12 wks), response rate and duration, safety and correlative genotype analyses. At time of PD, pts were eligible for unblinding and crossover to open-label REG. RESULTS Between Jan and Aug of 2011, 234 pts were screened; 199 were randomized (REG: 133, PL: 66). Pts were stratified at randomization according to number of prior systemic therapies and geographical region. Baseline characteristics were balanced between the two arms. The primary endpoint was met: median PFS was 4.8 months for REG vs. 0.9 months for PL. Hazard ratio for PFS was 0.27 (95% CI, 0.18-0.39), p<0.0001. PFS rates at 3 and 6 months were 60% and 38% for REG vs. 11% and 0% for PL. DCR was 53% (REG) vs. 9% (PL).The HR for OS was 0.77 (p=0.20) with 85% PL pts having crossed over to REG. The most common > grade 3 treatment-emergent AEs in the REG arm during double-blind study were hypertension (28%), hand-foot skin reaction (21%), and diarrhea (8%). CONCLUSIONS This randomized trial demonstrated that REG significantly improved PFS and DCR in pts with advanced GIST after failure of at least prior IM and SU. REG was well tolerated, with AEs as expected for this class and manageable with dose modifications.

Serum interleukin-6 in patients with metastatic bone disease: correlation with cystatin C

The clinical significance of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and its correlation with cystatin C (Cyst C), an endogenous inhibitor of cysteine proteinase cathepsin K, was investigated by immunoassays in patients with bone metastasis from breast cancer (BCa) or prostate cancer (PCa). Additional studies were also performed in these patients to assess the effects of zoledronic acid (ZA) administration on the circulating levels of these molecules. Mean IL-6 and Cyst C serum concentrations were significantly increased in BCa patients and in patients with primary osteoporosis (PO) compared to healthy subjects (HS). However, Cyst C, but not IL-6, resulted significantly more elevated in BCa patients than in PO patients. Furthermore, in BCa patients no correlation was highlighted between IL-6 and Cyst C or between these molecules and some clinicobiological parameters of malignant progression. Mean IL-6 levels were also higher in PCa patients and in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) than in HS while Cyst C resulted significantly higher in PCa but not in BPH patients as compared to HS. In PCa patients, a positive correlation was highlighted between IL-6 and number of bone metastases or serum prostate-specific antigen but not with the Gleason score. Conversely, Cyst C levels did not correlate with any of the parameters considered above or with IL-6. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed a poor diagnostic accuracy of IL-6 and Cyst C to detect BCa patients with skeletal metastases while, in PCa patients, only IL-6 showed a fair diagnostic performance in this respect. Finally, the administration of ZA to patients with bone metastases induced a statistically significant increase of serum IL-6 and Cyst C only PCa patients with bone metastasis. These data indicate that IL-6 and Cyst C may be regarded as novel targets for cancer treatment and as markers of increased osteoblastic activity associated to bisphosphonate treatments in PCa patients with bone metastases.

Natural History of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer with Bone Metastases

We conducted a large, multicenter, retrospective survey aimed to explore the impact of tumor bone involvement in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.Data on clinical-pathology, skeletal outcomes and bone-directed therapies for 661 deceased patients with evidence of bone metastasis were collected and statistically analyzed. Bone metastases were evident at diagnosis in 57.5% of patients. In the remaining cases median time to bone metastases appearance was 9 months. Biphosphonates were administered in 59.6% of patients. Skeletal-related events were experienced by 57.7% of patients; the most common was the need for radiotherapy. Median time to first skeletal-related event was 6 months. Median survival after bone metastases diagnosis was 9.5 months and after the first skeletal-related event was 7 months. We created a score based on four factors used to predict the overall survival from the diagnosis of bone metastases: age >65 years, non-adenocarcinoma histology, ECOG Performance Status >2, concomitant presence of visceral metastases at the bone metastases diagnosis. The presence of more than two of these factors is associated with a worse prognosis.This study demonstrates that patients affected by Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with bone metastases represent a heterogeneous population in terms of risk of skeletal events and survival.