Nadine Crespeigne

Phase I trial with 4'-deoxydoxorubicin (esorubicin)

Summary4′-Deoxydoxorubicin is a new anthracycline derivative. Experimentally, the drug shows efficacy against doxorubicin-resistant malignancies and, as compared to the parent compound, it has reduced potential for heart damage. This Phase I trial was conducted with a single dose intermittent schedule. 4′-Deoxydoxorubicin was given by rapid i.v. administration at doses of 20, 30, 35 and 40 mg/m2. A total of 25 adult patients with a variety of solid tumors received a median of two courses (1–4). Leukopenia was dose-related and dose-limiting. Occasionally severe thrombocytopenia was also encountered. Nonhematological toxic effects were mostly mild to moderate and were qualitatively similar to those commonly reported with doxorubicin. The frequency of local reactions was apparently increased but the incidence of alopecia and gastrointestinal distress was noticeably lower. There were no acute or chronic drug-induced cardiac effects. Antitumor activity was suggested in a patient with a carcinoma of the cardia. For Phase II trials, doses of 35 and 30 mg/m2 every 3–4 weeks may be recommended in good-risk and poor-risk patients, respectively.

Phase I study of Brequinar sodium (NSC 368390) in patients with solid malignancies

SummaryBrequinar sodium (DUP 785, NSC 368390) is a novel quinoline-carboxylic acid derivative that has been selected for clinical evaluation because of its broad spectrum of antitumor activity in animal models and its novel chemical structure. This compound inhibits the mitochondrial enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHO-DH), which catalyzes the conversion of dihydroorotate to orotate, leading to a blockage in the pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis. A total of 43 patients received 110 courses of Brequinar sodium by short-term intravenous (i. v.) infusion, which was repeated every 3 weeks. Dose escalation was initially based on a modified Fibonacci scheme. After pharmacokinetic data from mice and man became available, a pharmacologically guided dose escalation was used; at toxic levels, dose escalation was applied on the basis of clinical judgement. The dose-limiting toxicities were myelosuppression, mucositis, skin rash, nausea and vomiting. The maximum tolerable doses for poor- and good-risk patients were 1,500 and 2,250 mg/m2, respectively. One mixed response was observed in a patient with papilary carcinoma of the thyroid. The recommended doses for phase II studies are 1,200 and 1,800 mg/m2 Brequinar sodium, given by a 1-h i.v. infusion every 3 weeks to poor- and good-risk patients, respectively.

Activity of a new antiemetic agent: alizapride. A randomized double-blind crossover controlled trial.

SummaryAlizapride is a methoxy-2-benzamide derivative three times more potent than its parent compound, metoclopramide, as an antagonist of apomorphine-induced emesis in dogs. The antiemetic activity of alizapride plus dexamethasone (DXM) was compared with that of placebo plus DXM in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study in cancer patients receiving cisplatin (DDP). Alizapride, given at the maximally tolerated dose of 4 mg/kg x 5, or placebo was given in a sequence determined by randomization during two successive, identical courses of antitumor chemotherapy. The antiemetic treatment was given 30 min before and 1.5, 3.5, 5.5, and 7.5 h after starting. DXM, in a dose of 12 mg, was given IV with the first administration of alizapride or placebo. A total of 39 patients completed the two courses of chemotherapy. The severity of gastrointestinal symptoms was influenced by previous treatment but not by the treatment sequence. Although our overall results suggest that alizapride does not add to the activity of DXM against DDP-induced amesis, a statistically significant difference favoring alizapride plus DXM was found among patients with the lowest gastrointestinal tolerance to DDP: women, patients under 50 years of age, and patients pretreated with chemotherapy including DDP and non-DDP agents. Side effects consisted of orthostatic hypotension, which was symptomatic in two patients, and a single occurrence of severe extrapyramidal syndrome. We conclude that alizapride is more active than placebo when combined with DXM for DDP-induced emesis in patients at high risk of severe nausea and vomiting. The severity of the side effects in this study indicates that a dose reduction of alizapride might be appropriate for further studies.

Phase I clinical trial with alpha 1,3,5- triglycidyl-s-triazinetrione (NSC-296934).

Abstract 1,3,5 -Triglycidyl- s -triazinetrione is a triepoxide derivative with attractive antitumor properties in mice. In this phase I trial, the drug was given as an i.v. infusion over 30 + min repeated every 2–3 weeks. The trial was initiated at a starting dose of 33 mg/m 2 and doses were escalated up to 2,000 mg/m 2 . Local thrombophlebitis was dose-limiting and apparently dose-related. Other toxic effects were mild to moderate and consisted of nausea, vomiting, leukopenia and hair loss. More favorable formulations or schedules of administration are needed before testing this new agent in phase II trials.

Clinical phase I trial of marcellomycin with a single-dose schedule

Marcellomycin is a new anthracycline that was proposed for clinical trials on the basis of experimental data suggesting reduced potential for hematologic and cardiac toxicity as compared to conventional anthracyclines. This phase I trial was designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of marcellomycin at a single-dose schedule. The drug was given as a 15-to 30-min i.v. injection. Eighteen patients with a variety of solid tumors received a median of 2 courses (range: 1-5) at doses of 5-60 mg/m2. Myelosuppression was dose-limiting and somewhat unpredictable. It was characterized by early thrombocytopenia and late leukopenia. It occurred at doses greater than or equal to 40 mg/m2 and resulted in a few cases of infection and hemorrhage. Nausea, vomiting and stomatitis were frequent and occasionally severe. Other common non-hematological toxic effects consisted of local phlebitis and fatigue. Electrocardiographic changes were also encountered. Hair loss was rare and negligible. No antitumor activity could be detected. It appears that phase II trials should be preferably restricted to ambulatory patients and that a dose schedule of 50 mg/m2 repeated every 3 weeks may be proposed for this favorable patient population.

Phase I study of oral idarubicin given with a weekly schedule

SummaryThirty one patients with solid tumors were entered into a phase I trial with idarubicin, a new anthracycline antibiotic with oral antitumor activity in animals. The drug was scheduled to be given for 4 consecutive weeks at doses ranging from 10 to 20 mg/m2. Leukopenia was the dose-limiting toxicity. Thrombocytopenia was occasionally seen. Since several patients could not receive the third and fourth administrations of the drug at 17.5 and 20 mg/m2, higher doses were administered only for 2 consecutive weeks. With this schedule, the maximum tolerated dose was 25 mg/m2 and leukopenia was again the dose-limiting toxicity. With both schedules, myelosuppression was highly variable and could not be related to prior therapy, bone or liver metastases, or performance status. Other toxicities were mild to moderate and were dominated by nausea and vomiting which were observed in 29% of the patients. Alopecia and mucositis were unfrequent and cardiac toxicity was not observed. Starting doses of 15 mg/m2 for 4 consecutive weeks or 20 mg/m2 for 2 consecutive weeks could be proposed for oral phase II studies with idarubicin, under careful pharmacokinetic monitoring.

Phase II study of ametantrone in a human tumor cloning assay

The anticancer activity of ametantrone was investigated in a human tumor cloning assay. Tumor samples were freshly obtained from 105 patients. Cells were exposed for 1 hr to drug concentrations of 1 and 10 micrograms/ml. A reduction in the number of tumor colony-forming units by 50% or more was seen in 2/31 breast cancers, 2/25 ovarian cancers, 1/10 primaries of unknown origin, 1/10 melanomas, 2/8 non-small cell lung cancers, 1/5 small cell lung cancers and 1/3 colon cancers. Only three of these in vitro responses were consistently obtained at the probably more relevant concentration of 1 microgram/ml. These findings indicate that low efficacy should be expected in cancer patients with ametantrone. The predictive value of these in vitro phase II data remains to be demonstrated.

Pharmacokinetics of Brequinar sodium (NSC 368390) in patients with solid tumors during a phase I study

The pharmacokinetics of the novel antipyrimidine agent Brequinar sodium (NSC 368390; DUP 785) was studied in 23 patients with solid tumors during the phase I study of this compound. The drug was administered by short-term (10-60 min) intravenous infusion every 3 weeks. The doses ranged from 15 to 2250 mg/m2. At doses higher than 1500 mg/m2 the areas under the plasma concentration vs. time curve (AUC) increased non-proportionally, while the total body clearance (Clt) dropped substantially, indicating non-linear pharmacokinetics of the drug. Brequinar sodium showed a triphasic decay of plasma concentrations with half-life ranges of 11.1-36.6 min, 1.7-6.9 h and 12.5-25.0 h, respectively. The volume of distribution (Vdss) ranged from 4.4 to 10.6 l/m2. The total body clearance (Clt) ranged from 6.9 to 22.1 ml/min with a small contribution of the renal clearance (0.04-0.4 ml/min). Up to 7 days, the cumulative urinary excretion (CUE) and the cumulative fecal excretion (CFE) ranged from 0.4 to 8.3% and from 7.7 to 18.3% of the dose, respectively. There was evidence for the presence of drug metabolites in urine and feces. There was no drug accumulation with repeated administration of Brequinar sodium by the above mentioned drug schedule. The ratio between the plasma AUC at the maximum tolerable dose (MTD) in man and that at the mouse LD10 was 0.8, while the ratio between the respective doses was 5.7. The ratios between the AUC in patients and that at the mouse LD10 were applied to guide dose escalation in the phase I study. The results of the above mentioned pharmacokinetic studies were useful for the choice of an optimal schedule for phase II trials of Brequinar sodium.

Phase I clinical trial with carbetimer

Carbetimer, a low molecular weight polymer derived from ethylene and maleic anhydride, belongs to a class of chemical compounds different from previously available anticancer agents. It has shown moderate antitumor activity against the Madison 109, Lewis lung, colon 26 and M5076 ovarian carcinomas. In the human tumor stem cell assay, antitumor activity was seen against carcinomas of the breast, ovary, lung, colon and kidney. A total of 26 patients with solid tumors were entered into this trial; carbetimer was given on 5 consecutive days as a 1-2-h intravenous infusion. The dose was escalated from 1.08 to 11 g/m2/day. The drug did not induce the usual side-effects of chemotherapy: leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, alopecia and mucositis were minimal or totally absent. Gastrointestinal toxicity was limited to mild to moderate nausea and vomiting; these were observed at all dose levels and required antimetics in only two patients. The major side-effects of carbetimer consisted of hypercalcemia and neurotoxicity. Hypercalcemia was dose- and treatment duration-dependent. The precise mechanism of hypercalcemia is presently under investigation, but remains unclear. Neurotoxicity was observed only after prolonged therapy; two patients, who received cumulative doses higher than 250 g/m2, developed a peripheral neuropathy with paresthesia, decrease in sensory perception and motor weakness. One patient recovered completely; the other patient improved slightly before developing fatal brain metastases. Two patients with malignant melanoma exhibited major antitumor response; both were previously treated; after excellent partial responses to carbetimer, both were operated on and one is presently disease-free 2 1/2 years after completion of therapy with carbetimer. In conclusion, carbetimer is a new compound with an unusual pattern of side-effects and interesting antitumor activity against malignant melanoma. Its antitumor activity is presently being investigated in phase II trials.

Phase II study of carminomycin in a human tumor cloning assay

SummaryThe anticancer activity of carminomycin was investigated in a human tumor cloning assay. No efficacy could be identified in the WiDr and the MCF7 cell lines which were highly responsive to doxorubicin. In addition, drug testing experiments were carried out in samples of various malignancies freshly obtained from 86 patients of whom 54 had not received prior anthracyclines. A reduction in the number of tumor colony forming units by 50% or more was seen in 1/26 breast cancers, 1/22 ovarian cancers and 1/7 melanomas. Cross-resistance studies indicated that eight tumors were responsive to doxorubicin only and one to carminomycin only whereas two were sensitive to both and 73 were resistant to both. This in vitro Phase II study corroborates the disappointing clinical results achieved with carminomycin.