Patricia Creel

Management of adverse events associated with the use of everolimus in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma

PURPOSE In April 2009, an expert group of 11 physicians and clinical nurses met to discuss the management of selected adverse events associated with the use of everolimus for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Everolimus is an orally administered inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin that recently received approval from the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of advanced RCC that has progressed on or after treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy, and from the United States Food and Drug Administration for treatment of advanced RCC after failure of sorafenib or sunitinib. Before the approval of everolimus, no standard therapy existed for the treatment of mRCC after failure of VEGF-targeted therapy. RECORD-1 (Renal Cell cancer treatment with Oral RAD001 given Daily) was the pivotal multicenter, phase III, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of everolimus that led to approval for patients with disease progression on or after treatment with VEGF-targeted agents. Safety data from RECORD-1 were reviewed by these clinicians, all of whom had experience using everolimus in patients with mRCC. Adverse events discussed were non-infectious pneumonitis, infections, stomatitis and metabolic abnormalities. RESULTS The outcome of this discussion is summarised here. Guidance for management of these adverse events is provided. Both clinicians and patients should be aware of the potential side-effects of everolimus and understand that these side-effects are manageable with standard care to optimise patient benefit.

A Phase I-II Study of Docetaxel and Atrasentan in Men with Castration-Resistant Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Purpose: The primary aims of this phase I-II study were to determine the maximum tolerated dose, dose-limiting toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of the combination of docetaxel and the endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan as first-line treatment for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Experimental Design: Patients were treated with docetaxel at doses ranging from 60 to 75 mg/m2 every 21 days, with daily oral atrasentan 10 mg starting on day 3. Patients were treated until evidence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Results: Thirty-one patients were enrolled over three docetaxel dose levels (8 at 60 mg/m2, 19 at 70 mg/m2, and 4 at 75 mg/m2) including dose expansion at 70 mg/m2. The maximum tolerated dose of docetaxel was 70 to 75 mg/m2. Drug-related grade 3-4 toxicities included neutropenia (50-63%) and febrile neutropenia (16-25%); other grade 1-2 toxicities included fatigue, peripheral edema, diarrhea, headache, rhinitis, anorexia, and nausea. Confirmed prostate-specific antigen (PSA) responses were observed in 23% [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 10-41%]; the rate of >30% declines in PSA was 35% (95% CI, 19-55%). Median overall survival was 17.6 months (95% CI, 13.0-23.2) and median progression-free survival was 4.2 months (95% CI, 2.3-5.8). Significant declines in bone alkaline phosphatase and serum N-telopeptides were observed with therapy. Conclusions: The maximum tolerated dose of every-3-week docetaxel with 10 mg atrasentan is 70 to 75 mg/m2. Overall survival and progression-free survival are comparable to that seen with docetaxel and prednisone, whereas the rates of PSA decline are slightly lower than expected. A phase III study of this combination with prednisone has been initiated and is ongoing.

A pharmacodynamic study of rapamycin in men with intermediate to high risk localized prostate cancer

Purpose: Given discrepancies between preclinical and clinical observations of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition in prostate cancer, we sought to determine the pharmacodynamic effects of the mTOR/TORC1 inhibitor rapamycin in men with intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy. Experimental Design: Rapamycin was given at 3 or 6 mg orally for 14 days before radical prostatectomy in men with multifocal Gleason sum ≥7 prostate cancer; 10 untreated control subjects were included. The primary outcome was inhibition of phosphorylation of ribosomal S6 in posttreatment radical prostatectomy versus pretreatment biopsy tumor tissue, evaluated using a Simon two-stage design for pharmacodynamic efficacy. Results: Thirty-two subjects were accrued: 20 at 3 mg, 2 at 6 mg, and 10 controls. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed at 3 mg; however, two of two men enrolled at 6 mg experienced dose-limiting toxicities including thrombocytopenia and fever with grade 3 stomatitis. Adverse events observed at 3 mg included stomatitis, rash, ileus, and neutropenia. Pharmacodynamic studies showed tumor S6 phosphorylation inhibition in 50% of 10 evaluable rapamycin-treated men with sufficient paired tissue [median 58% inhibition (P = 0.049) versus 2% inhibition in controls (P = 0.75)] with no significant effect on AKT activity. We observed no change in Ki-67 or caspase-3 cleavage but noted a reduction in cytoplasmic p27 staining with increased nuclear localization with rapamycin treatment. Prostate tissue rapamycin concentrations were 3- to 4-fold higher than blood. Conclusions: At 3 mg daily, rapamycin successfully and safely inhibited prostate cancer S6 phosphorylation and achieved relatively high prostate tissue concentrations. No effect on AKT phosphorylation, tumor proliferation, or apoptosis was observed. Clin Cancer Res; 16(11); 3057–66. ©2010 AACR.

A phase Ib study of combined VEGFR and mTOR inhibition with vatalanib and everolimus in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Vatalanib is an oral vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), whereas everolimus inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Combination therapy with VEGFR and mTOR inhibitors has not been well tolerated to date but may have efficacy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS A phase Ib study of vatalanib and everolimus was performed in patients with advanced solid tumors to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), safety, and tolerability of the combination. A dose-expansion cohort of 20 patients with metastatic RCC was studied to further define toxicity and preliminary efficacy in patients with RCC. RESULTS We evaluated 32 patients over 3 dose levels and a dose-expansion cohort. The most common toxicities of any grade were proteinuria, fatigue, hypertriglyceridemia, nausea, and vomiting. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) included severe hypertension, diarrhea, neutropenia, mucositis, and fatigue. The MTD for the combination was vatalanib 1000 mg daily and everolimus 5 mg daily. In all patients, median overall survival (OS) was 16.3 months. In patients with RCC, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.8 months, and OS was 16.5 months. OS was significantly better in treatment-naive patients (25.1 months) compared with patients who had received previous vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy (6.3 months). Seven of 24 (29.2%) evaluable patients demonstrated a partial response, and an additional 15 patients exhibited stable disease. Long-term tolerability (> 1 year) was demonstrated in 19% of patients. CONCLUSION Relevant doses of vatalanib and everolimus were achieved in combination, with expected toxicities. A substantial number of patients with RCC achieved an objective response in the treatment-naive setting, with prolonged tolerability and survival. Further comparative phase II/III studies of specifically targeted VEGF and mTOR inhibitor combinations may be warranted in patients with RCC.

A phase 2 multimodality trial of docetaxel/prednisone with sunitinib followed by salvage radiation therapy in men with PSA recurrent prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

Background:In men with high Gleason PC and rapid PSA progression after surgery, failure rates remain unacceptably high despite salvage radiation. We explored a novel multimodality approach of docetaxel with anti-angiogenic therapy before salvage radiotherapy (RT).Methods:This was a phase 2 single-arm prospective open-label trial with historic controls. Eligible men had a rising PSA of 0.1–3.0 ng ml−1 within 4 years of radical prostatectomy, no metastases except resected nodal disease, no prior androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and Gleason 7–10. Men received four cycles of docetaxel 70 mg m−2 every 3 weeks with low dose prednisone and sunitinib 37.5 mg daily for 14/21 days each cycle, with no ADT. Salvage prostate bed RT (66 Gy) started at day 100. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 24 months. Safety data, quality of life (QOL) and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were measured over time.Results:Thirty-four men accrued in this multi-institutional clinical trial: 24% of men were node positive, 47% were Gleason 8–10, median PSA at entry was 0.54. The trial was terminated prematurely owing to excess DLTs (nine) including grade 3 hand–foot syndrome (n=4), neutropenic fever (n=2), AST increase (n=1), fatigue (n=1) and vomiting with diarrhea (n=1). PFS rate at 24 months was 51% (95% CI: 33, 67%) with a median PFS of 26.2 months (95% CI: 12.5, —). Six men (17.6%) had an undetectable PSA at 2 years.Conclusions:Sunitinib and docetaxel/prednisone followed by salvage RT resulted in excess pre-specified DLTs. Although nearly half of the men experienced durable disease control, efficacy was not greater than expected with radiation alone. The use of the intermediate end point of PFS in this salvage setting permitted an early decision on further development of this combination.

Design and Rationale of the Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (MaRCC) Registry: A Prospective Academic and Community-Based Study of Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer

ABSTRACT The Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer Registry, a large, nationally representative, prospective registry of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), aims to understand real-world treatment patterns and outcomes of patients with mRCC in routine clinical practice across the United States. This observational study is designed to enroll 500 patients with previously untreated mRCC from approximately 60 academic and community treatment sites; as of December 7, 2016, 500 patients have enrolled at 54 sites. Key endpoints include real-world data on reasons for treatment initiation and discontinuation; treatment regimens; disease progression; patient-reported outcomes; and healthcare resource utilization in this patient population.

A phase 2 multimodality trial of docetaxel/prednisone with sunitinib followed by salvage radiation therapy (RT) in men with PSA recurrent prostate cancer (PC) after radical prostatectomy (RP).

35 Background: In men with high grade PC and rapid PSA progression after RP, failure rates are unacceptably high despite salvage RT. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is not curative in this setting and we thus evaluated a novel multi-modality approach of systemic chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy prior to prostate bed salvage RT in a multicenter trial. Methods: Eligible men had a rising PSA of 0.1-3.0 ng/ml within 4 years of RP, no metastatic disease except resected positive nodes, no prior ADT, and Gleason 7-10. Men received 4 cycles of docetaxel 70 mg/m2 q3w with prednisone 5 mg bid and sunitinib 37.5 mg qd for 14/21 days each cycle. Salvage RT (66Gy/33fx) to the prostate bed started at day 100. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival at 2 years (PFS2), defined as a confirmed PSA rise above the post-RT nadir or baseline if no nadir occurred, clinical/radiographic progression, or death from date of enrollment. Safety and dose-limiting toxicities were evaluated. This was a single arm p...

Investigator-initiated pilot study of sunitinib malate in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer prior to prostatectomy: A trial of the DoD/PCF Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium.

4664 Background: Sunitinib malate (Sutent, Pfizer) is an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor of VEGF/PDGF receptors that may function in part to inhibit prostate tumor growth via anti-angiogenic mechanisms. METHODS We conducted a multi-site study of sunitinib in patients with newly diagnosed, clinically localized prostate cancer prior to prostatectomy. After meeting eligibility requirements (intermediate to high risk, localized prostate cancer, adequate laboratory parameters, no prior treatment for prostate cancer), subjects received sunitinib 50mg PO for 28 days followed by a 1 week washout period followed by either radical retropubic or robot-assisted prostatectomy. Pathologic specimens (pretreatment biopsies and prostatectomy specimens) were evaluated for apoptotic (TUNEL) and proliferation (Ki-67) indices, microvessel density (MVD) and gene expression patterns. RESULTS 31 subjects were enrolled (median age 60 yrs; ECOG=0, biopsy Gleason 3+4=7). Data analysis is complete for 28 subjects. Most common toxicities (>30%) were diarrhea, fatigue, hypertension, mucositis, neutropenia, taste alterations, and thrombocytopenia. Most common grade 3-4 toxicities (> 5%) were hypertension, increased AST/ALT, and neutropenia. Median PSA decline was 13.6% (range -32% to 80%). Median change in Ki-67 was -34% (lower quartile -64% upper quartile +1.3%); median change in TUNEL was 4.5% (lower quartile -76%, upper quartile +286%); and median change in MVD (CD31) was +22% (lower quartile -23%, upper quartile +110%). Gene expression analysis is ongoing. CONCLUSIONS Sunitinib given in the pre-prostastectomy setting appears safe and tolerable with a similar toxicity profile seen in patients with advanced cancer. Changes in proliferation and apoptosis suggest a treatment effect, while increases in MVD suggest a possible rebound effect off of sunitinib.