Lance C. Pagliaro

Phase I Trial of the Proteasome Inhibitor Bortezomib in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors With Observations in Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE To determine the dose-limiting toxicity and maximum-tolerated dose of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib administered intravenously weekly for 4 every 5 weeks; to determine the bortezomib pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics using plasma levels and an assay for 20S proteasome inhibition (PI) in whole blood; to correlate toxicity with bortezomib dose and degree of 20S PI; and to conduct a preliminary determination of the antitumor activity of bortezomib in patients with androgen independent prostate cancer (AIPCa). PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-three patients (48 with AIPCa) received 128 cycles of bortezomib in doses ranging from 0.13 to 2.0 mg/m(2)/dose, utilizing a careful escalation scheme with a continuous reassessment method. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies were performed in 24 patients (at 1.45 to 2.0 mg/m(2)). RESULTS A dose-related 20S PI was seen, with dose-limiting toxicity at 2.0 mg/m(2) (diarrhea, hypotension) occurring at an average 1-hour post-dose of >/= 75% 20S PI. Other side effects were fatigue, hypertension, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. No relationship was seen between body-surface area and bortezomib clearance over the narrow dose range tested. There was evidence of biologic activity (decline in serum prostate-specific antigen and interleukin-6 levels) at >/= 50% 20S PI. Two patients with AIPCa had prostate-specific antigen response and two patients had partial response in lymph nodes. CONCLUSION The maximum-tolerated dose and recommended phase II dose of bortezomib in this schedule is 1.6 mg/m(2). Biologic activity (inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B-related markers) and antitumor activity is seen in AIPCa at tolerated doses of bortezomib. This agent should be further explored with chemotherapy agents in advanced prostate cancer.

Bone-targeted therapy for advanced androgen-independent carcinoma of the prostate: a randomised phase II trial

BACKGROUND Prostate carcinoma is linked to osteoblastic metastasis. We therefore investigated the value of bone-targeted consolidation therapy in selected patients with advanced androgen-independent carcinoma of the prostate. METHODS 103 patients received induction chemotherapy, consisting of ketoconazole and doxorubicin alternating with estramustine and vinblastine. After two or three cycles of induction chemotherapy, we randomly assigned 72 patients who were clinically stable or responders to receive doxorubicin with or without strontium-89 (Sr-89) every week for 6 weeks. FINDINGS Overall 62 of the 103 (60%, 95% CI 50-70) patients had a 50% or greater reduction in serum prostate-specific antigen concentration that was maintained for at least 8 weeks, and 43 (42%, 32-52) had an 80% or greater reduction. 49 (52%) patients with bone pain at registration had complete resolution of pain. After follow-up of 67 patients until death, the estimated median survival for all 103 patients was 17.5 months (range 0.5-37.7). For the 36 patients randomly assigned to receive Sr-89 and doxorubicin, the median survival time was 27.7 months (4.9-37.7), and for the 36 who received doxorubicin alone it was 16.8 months (4.4-34.2) (p=0.0014). The hazard ratio was 2.76 (95% CI 1.44-5.29). INTERPRETATION Bone-targeted consolidation therapy consisting of one dose of Sr-89 plus doxorubicin once a week for 6 weeks, when given to patients with stable or responding advanced androgen-independent carcinoma of the prostate after induction chemotherapy, improved overall survival.

Neoadjuvant Paclitaxel, Ifosfamide, and Cisplatin Chemotherapy for Metastatic Penile Cancer: A Phase II Study

PURPOSE Men with penile squamous cell carcinoma and regional lymph node involvement have a low probability of survival with lymphadenectomy alone. A multimodal approach to treatment is desirable for such patients. We performed a phase II study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the objective of determining the response rate, time to progression (TTP), and overall survival (OS) among patients with bulky adenopathy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eligible patients had stage N2 or N3 (stage III or stage IV) penile cancer without distant metastases. Neoadjuvant treatment (four courses every 3-4 weeks) consisted of paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) administered over 3 hours on day 1; ifosfamide 1,200 mg/m(2) on days 1 to 3; and cisplatin 25 mg/m(2) on days 1 to 3. Clinical and pathologic responses were assessed, and patient groups were compared for TTP and OS. RESULTS Thirty men received chemotherapy of whom 15 (50.0%) had an objective response and 22 (73.3%) subsequently underwent surgery. Three patients had no remaining tumor on histopathology. Nine patients (30.0%) remained alive and free of recurrence (median follow-up, 34 months; range, 14-59 months), and two patients died of other causes without recurrence. Improved TTP and OS were significantly associated with a response to chemotherapy (P < .001 and P = .001, respectively), absence of bilateral residual tumor (P = .002 and P = .017, respectively), and absence of extranodal extension (P = .001 and P = .004, respectively) or skin involvement (P = .009 and P = .012, respectively). CONCLUSION The neoadjuvant regimen of paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin induced clinically meaningful responses in patients with bulky regional lymph node metastases from penile cancer.

Platinum-Based Chemotherapy for Variant Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Clinical features characteristic of small-cell prostate carcinoma (SCPC), “anaplastic,” often emerge during the progression of prostate cancer. We sought to determine the efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients meeting at least one of seven prospectively defined “anaplastic” clinical criteria, including exclusive visceral or predominantly lytic bone metastases, bulky tumor masses, low prostate-specific antigen levels relative to tumor burden, or short response to androgen deprivation therapy. Experimental Design: A 120-patient phase II trial of first-line carboplatin and docetaxel (CD) and second-line etoposide and cisplatin (EP) was designed to provide reliable clinical response estimates under a Bayesian probability model with early stopping rules in place for futility and toxicity. Results: Seventy-four of 113 (65.4%) and 24 of 71 (33.8%) were progression free after four cycles of CD and EP, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) was 16 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 13.6–19.0 months]. Of the seven “anaplastic” criteria, bulky tumor mass was significantly associated with poor outcome. Lactic acid dehydrogenase strongly predicted for OS and rapid progression. Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) concentration strongly predicted OS but not rapid progression. Neuroendocrine markers did not predict outcome or response to therapy. Conclusion: Our findings support the hypothesis that patients with “anaplastic” prostate cancer are a recognizable subset characterized by a high response rate of short duration to platinum-containing chemotherapies, similar to SCPC. Our results suggest that CEA is useful for selecting therapy in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer and consolidative therapies to bulky high-grade tumor masses should be considered in this patient population. Clin Cancer Res; 19(13); 3621–30. ©2013 AACR.

Repeated intravesical instillations of an adenoviral vector in patients with locally advanced bladder cancer: A phase I study of p53 gene therapy

PURPOSE We investigated the feasibility, safety, and biologic activity of adenovirus-mediated p53 gene transfer in patients with locally advanced bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with measurable, locally advanced transitional-cell carcinoma of the bladder who were not candidates for cystectomy were eligible. On a 28-day cycle, intravesical instillations of INGN 201 (Ad5CMV-p53) were administered on days 1 and 4 at three dose levels (10(10) particles to 10(12) particles) or on either 4 or 8 consecutive days at a single dose level (10(12) particles). RESULTS Thirteen patients received a total of 22 courses without dose-limiting toxicity. Specific transgene expression was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in bladder biopsy tissue from two of seven assessable patients. There were no changes in p53, p21waf1/cip1, or bax protein levels in bladder epithelium evident from immunohistochemical analysis of 11 assessable patients. Outpatient administration of multiple courses was feasible and well tolerated. A patient with advanced superficial bladder cancer showed evidence of tumor response. CONCLUSION Intravesical instillation of Ad5CMV-p53 is safe, feasible, and biologically active when administered in multiple doses to patients with bladder cancer. Observations from this study indicate that this treatment has an antitumor effect in superficial transitional-cell carcinoma. Improvements in the efficiency of gene transfer and the levels of gene expression are required to develop more effective gene therapy for bladder cancer.

Biodistribution of an adenoviral vector carrying the luciferase reporter gene following intravesical or intravenous administration to a mouse.

The biodistribution and resulting pattern of transgene expression were determined following intravesical administration of an adenoviral vector carrying the luciferase reporter gene (AdLuc). Female BALB/c mice were subjected to intravesical instillation of 1 × 109 or 5 × 109 plaque-forming units of AdLuc. After sacrifice, transgene expression was detected in tissues using luciferase assays; vector DNA was detected by vector-specific polymerase chain reaction. These experiments showed very little vector dissemination outside of the bladder by this route of administration. High-level expression of the vector transgene in the bladder was found to diminish by severalfold after 3 days. In a supporting study, vector dissemination and resulting transgene expression were determined following tail vein injection of 5 × 109 plaque-forming units of AdLuc. Vector was distributed to and expressed in every organ analyzed, with the highest concentration and level of expression observed in the liver.

Upfront, Randomized, Phase 2 Trial of Sorafenib Versus Sorafenib and Low-Dose Interferon Alfa in Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: Clinical and Biomarker Analysis

The objective of this study was to independently evaluate the objective response rate of sorafenib and sorafenib plus low‐dose interferon‐alfa 2b (IFN) as frontline therapy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor Inhibition and Chemotherapy for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer with Bone Metastases

Purpose: To further assess preclinical and early clinical evidence that imatinib mesylate, a platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) inhibitor, modulates taxane activity in prostate cancer and bone metastases, a randomized study was conducted. Experimental Design: Men with progressive castration-resistant prostate cancer with bone metastases (n = 144) were planned for equal randomization to i.v. 30 mg/m2 docetaxel on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 every 42 days with 600 mg imatinib daily or placebo, for an improvement in median progression-free survival from 4.5 to 7.5 months (two-sided α = 0.05 and β = 0.20). Secondary end points included differential toxicity and bone turnover markers, tumor phosphorylated PDGFR (p-PDGFR) expression, and modulation of p-PDGFR in peripheral blood leukocytes. Results: Accrual was halted early because of adverse gastrointestinal events. Among 116 evaluable men (57 docetaxel + imatinib; 59 docetaxel + placebo), respective median times to progression were 4.2 months (95% confidence interval, 3.1-7.5) and 4.2 months (95% confidence interval, 3.0-6.8; P = 0.58, log-rank test). Excess grade 3 toxicities (n = 23) in the docetaxel + imatinib group were principally fatigue and gastrointestinal. Tumor p-PDGFR expression was observed in 12 of 14 (86%) evaluable bone specimens. In peripheral blood leukocytes, p-PDGFR reduction was more likely in docetaxel + imatinib–treated patients compared with docetaxel + placebo (P < 0.0001), as were reductions in urine N-telopeptides (P = 0.004) but not serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.099). Conclusions: These clinical and translational results question the value of PDGFR inhibition with taxane chemotherapy in prostate cancer bone metastases and are at variance with the preclinical studies. This discordance requires explanation.

A phase 2 trial of sunitinib in patients with advanced non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND Sunitinib is a standard-of-care treatment in advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Retrospective and expanded access data suggest sunitinib has activity in advanced non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (nccRCC). OBJECTIVE To prospectively determine the clinical efficacy and safety of sunitinib in patients with advanced nccRCC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This is a single-arm phase 2 trial with a two-stage design. Eligibility criteria included pathologically confirmed nccRCC or ccRCC with ≥ 20% sarcomatoid histology, performance status 0-2, measurable disease, a maximum of two prior systemic therapies, and no prior treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors directed against the vascular endothelial growth factor receptors. INTERVENTION Patients received sunitinib 50mg daily on a 4-wk on, 2-wk off schedule. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Primary end points were objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points were safety and overall survival (OS). RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS Fifty-seven patients were eligible (nccRCC histology: papillary, 27; chromophobe, 5; unclassified, 8; collecting duct or medullary carcinoma, 6; sarcomatoid, 7; and others, 4). Median PFS for 55 evaluable patients was 2.7 mo (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-5.4). Two patients with chromophobe and one patient with unclassified histology had a confirmed partial response (5% ORR). Median PFS for patients with papillary histology was 1.6 mo (95% CI, 1.4-5.4). Median PFS for patients with chromophobe histology was 12.7 mo (95% CI, 8.5-NA). Median OS for all patients was 16.8 mo (95% CI, 10.7-26.3). Treatment-emergent adverse events were consistent with sunitinibs mechanism of action. The nonrandomized design and small number of patients are limitations of this study. CONCLUSIONS The differential response of chromophobe histology to sunitinib suggests a therapeutically relevant biological heterogeneity exists within nccRCC. The low ORR and short PFS with sunitinib in the other nccRCC subtypes underscore the need to enroll patients with these diverse tumors in clinical trials.

A pilot study of thalidomide in patients with progressive metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

The highly vascular nature of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) suggests that angiogenesis inhibition may be therapeutic for patients with this disease. Thalidomide inhibits basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐induced angiogenesis.