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Background: Berzosertib (formerly M6620, VX-970) is a highly potent and selective, first-in-class inhibitor of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein kinase (ATR). We assessed multiple ascending doses of berzosertib + gemcitabine ± cisplatin in patients with resistant/refractory advanced solid tumours.Methods: We evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and preliminary efficacy of intravenous berzosertib + gemcitabine ± cisplatin using a standard 3 + 3 dose-escalation design. The starting doses were berzosertib 18 mg/m2, gemcitabine 875 mg/m2 and cisplatin 60 mg/m2.Results: Fifty-two patients received berzosertib + gemcitabine and eight received berzosertib + gemcitabine + cisplatin. Four patients receiving berzosertib + gemcitabine had a total of seven dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and three receiving berzosertib + gemcitabine + cisplatin had a total of three DLTs. Berzosertib 210 mg/m2 (days 2 and 9) + gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 (days 1 and 8) Q3W was established as the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D); no RP2D was determined for berzosertib + gemcitabine + cisplatin. Neither gemcitabine nor cisplatin affected berzosertib PK. Most patients in both arms achieved a best response of either partial response or stable disease.Conclusions: Berzosertib + gemcitabine was well tolerated in patients with advanced solid tumours and showed preliminary efficacy signs.Clinical Trial Identifier: NCT02157792. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Phase 2 SCALOP trial compared gemcitabine with capecitabine-based consolidation chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC).Methods: Thirty-five systematically identified circulating biomarkers were analysed in plasma samples from 60 patients enroled in SCALOP. Each was measured in triplicate at baseline (prior to three cycles of gemcitabine-capecitabine induction chemotherapy) and, for a subset, prior to CRT. Association with overall survival (OS) was determined using univariable Cox regression and optimal thresholds delineating low to high values identified using time-dependent ROC curves. Independence from known prognostic factors was assessed using Spearman correlation and the Wilcoxon rank sum test prior to multivariable Cox regression modelling including independent biomarkers and known prognostic factors.Results: Baseline circulating levels of C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) were significantly associated with OS, independent of other clinicopathological characteristics. Patients with low circulating CCL5 (CCL5low) had a median OS of 18.5 (95% CI 11.76-21.32) months compared to 11.3 (95% CI 9.86-15.51) months in CCL5high; hazard ratio 1.95 (95% CI 1.04-8.65; p = 0.037).Conclusions: CCL5 is an independent prognostic biomarker in LAPC. Given the known role of CCL5 in tumour invasion, metastasis and the induction of an immunosuppressive micro-environment, targeting of CCL5-mediated pathways may offer therapeutic potential in pancreatic cancer.Clinical Trial Registration: The SCALOP trial was registered with ISRCTN, number 96169987 (registered 29 May 2008). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Personalised medicine strategies may improve outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), but validation of predictive biomarkers is required. Having developed a clinical trial to assess the ATR inhibitor, AZD6738, in combination with gemcitabine (ATRi/gem), we investigated ATM loss as a predictive biomarker of response to ATRi/gem in PDAC.Methods: Through kinase inhibition, siRNA depletion and CRISPR knockout of ATM, we assessed how ATM targeting affected the sensitivity of PDAC cells to ATRi/gem. Using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and immunoblotting, we investigated how ATRi/gem synergise in ATM-proficient and ATM-deficient cells, before assessing the impact of ATM loss on ATRi/gem sensitivity in vivo.Results: Complete loss of ATM function (through pharmacological inhibition or CRISPR knockout), but not siRNA depletion, sensitised to ATRi/gem. In ATM-deficient cells, ATRi/gem-induced replication catastrophe was augmented, while phospho-Chk2-T68 and phospho-KAP1-S824 persisted via DNA-PK activity. ATRi/gem caused growth delay in ATM-WT xenografts in NSG mice and induced regression in ATM-KO xenografts.Conclusions: ATM loss augments replication catastrophe-mediated cell death induced by ATRi/gem and may predict clinical responsiveness to this combination. ATM status should be carefully assessed in tumours from patients with PDAC, since distinction between ATM-low and ATM-null could be critical in maximising the success of clinical trials using ATM expression as a predictive biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gram-negative bacteria mediated gemcitabine resistance in pre-clinical models. We determined if intratumoural lipopolysaccharide (LPS) detection by immunohistochemistry is associated with outcome in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treated with gemcitabine and non-gemcitabine containing 1st-line chemotherapy.Methods: We examined LPS on tumour tissue from 130 patients treated within the randomised AIO-PK0104 trial and a validation cohort (n = 113) and analysed the association of LPS detection to patient outcome according to treatment subgroups.Results: In 24% of samples from the AIO-PK0104 study LPS was detected; in LPS-positive patients median OS was 4.4 months, compared to 7.3 months with LPS negative tumours (HR 1.732, p = 0.010). A difference in OS was detected in 1st-line gemcitabine-treated patients (n = 71; HR 2.377, p = 0.002), but not in the non-gemcitabine treatment subgroup (n = 59; HR 1.275, p = 0.478). Within the validation cohort, the LPS positivity rate was 23%, and LPS detection was correlated with impaired OS in the gemcitabine subgroup (n = 94; HR 1.993, p = 0.008) whereas no difference in OS was observed in the non-gemcitabine subgroup (n = 19; HR 2.596, p = 0.219).Conclusions: The detection of intratumoural LPS as surrogate marker for gram-negative bacterial colonisation may serve as a negative predictor for gemcitabine efficacy in advanced PDAC.Clinical Trial Registry: The Clinical trial registry identifier is NCT00440167. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC) have poor prognosis with upfront surgery.Methods: This was a single-arm Phase 2 trial for clinical and biomarker analysis. The primary endpoint is 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate. Patients received 8 cycles of neoadjuvant modified (m) FOLFIRINOX. Up to 6 cycles of gemcitabine were given for patients who underwent surgery. Plasma immune cell subsets were measured for analysing correlations with overall survival (OS).Results: Between May 2016 and March 2018, 44 chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-naïve patients with BRPC were included. With neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX, the objective response rate was 34.1%, and curative-intent surgery was done in 27 (61.4%) patients. With a median follow-up duration of 20.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 19.7-21.6 months), the median PFS and OS were 12.2 months (95% CI, 8.9-15.5 months) and 24.7 months (95% CI, 12.6-36.9), respectively. The 1-year PFS rate was 52.3% (95% CI, 37.6-67.0%). Higher CD14+ monocyte (quartile 4 vs 1-3) and lower CD69+ γδ T cell (γδ TCR+/CD69+) levels (quartiles 1-3 vs 4) were significantly associated with poor OS (p = 0.045 and p = 0.043, respectively).Conclusions: Neoadjuvant mFOLFIRINOX followed by postoperative gemcitabine were feasible and effective in BRPC patients. Monocyte and γδ T cells may have prognostic implications for patients with pancreatic cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02749136. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of platinum plus gemcitabine (P/G) combinations as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapies for non-small cell lung cancer.Methods: Patients with postoperative stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer were randomly assigned to receive either cisplatin plus gemcitabine (GP arm) or carboplatin plus gemcitabine (GC arm) every 3 weeks for four cycles. The primary endpoint was 2-year disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary endpoints were safety, feasibility, overall survival (OS), and biomarker analyses.Results: A total of 102 patients were randomized (stage IB, 22%; II, 36%; IIIA, 42%; histology: 74% adenocarcinoma). Of the 51 patients in each arm, 37 (73%) completed 4 cycles. During follow-up (median 5.8 years; range 0.1-9.7 years), estimated DFS and OS rates at 2 years were 59.6% and 86.3% with GP and 68.0% and 86.3% with GC, respectively. No significant difference in DFS was noted between arms (P = 0.163), although 3-, 4-, and 5-year DFS rates were higher with GC. Hematological toxic effects were comparable and non-hematological toxic effects were infrequent. DFS was significantly higher in the excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1)-low group than in the ERCC1-high group for the GP arm (P = 0.045).Conclusion: Both P/G combination regimens were feasible and well-tolerated, and thus may represent valid options for postoperative adjuvant treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Although no significant differences in DFS were evident between regimens, the present data favor the adoption of GC for further evaluation.Clinical Trial Registration: UMIN-CTR ( https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/ ) identifier: UMIN000000913. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Therapeutic options are limited for advanced, metastatic biliary tract cancer. The pivotal NAPOLI-1 trial demonstrated the superior clinical benefit of nanoliposomal irinotecan (Nal-IRI) in gemcitabine-pretreated patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; however, the antitumor activity of Nal-IRI in biliary tract cancer is unknown. This is the first report describing the efficacy of Nal-IRI in biliary tract cancer.Methods: In this multicenter retrospective cohort analysis, we identified patients with metastatic biliary tract adenocarcinoma who were treated with Nal-IRI in combination with 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid following tumor progression under standard therapy at one of the study centers between May 2016 and January 2019. We assessed disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).Results: There were 14 patients; the median age at the time of diagnosis and the median age at the initiation of Nal-IRI were 59.3 and 60.0 years, respectively. Nal-IRI in combination with 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid was administered as second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-line treatment in 6 (43%), 5 (36%), 2 (14%), and 1 (7%) patient with metastatic disease, respectively. The objective DCR with Nal-IRI was 50% (7/14 patients). Six patients (43%) had partial response, and one patient (7%) had stable disease. Progressive disease was observed in seven patients. The median PFS and median OS following Nal-IRI initiation were 10.6 and 24.1 months, respectively.Conclusions: This retrospective analysis provides the first evidence that Nal-IRI might exhibit a clinical meaningful antitumor activity in metastatic biliary tract cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (nabP+gemcitabine) offers modest survival gains for patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Sequential scheduling of nabP+gemcitabine in a PDAC mouse model improved efficacy; this hypothesis was tested in a clinical trial.Methods: Patients with previously untreated metastatic PDAC were randomised to receive nabP+gemcitabine administered either concomitantly on the same day, or sequentially, with gemcitabine administered 24 h after nabP. The primary outcome measure was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary outcome measures were objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), safety, quality of life (QoL) and predictive biomarkers.Results: In total, 71 patients received sequential (SEQ) and 75 concomitant (CON) treatment. Six-month PFS was 46% with SEQ and 32% with CON scheduling. Median PFS (5.6 versus 4.0 months, hazard ratio [HR] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.47-0.95, p = 0.022) and ORR (52% versus 31%, p = 0.023) favoured the SEQ arm; median OS was 10.2 versus 8.2 months (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.65-1.33, p = 0.70). CTCAE Grade ≥3 neutropaenia incidence doubled with SEQ therapy but was not detrimental to QoL. Strongly positive tumour epithelial cytidine deaminase (CDA) expression favoured benefit from SEQ therapy (PFS HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.70).Conclusions: SEQ delivery of nabP+gemcitabine improved PFS and ORR, with manageable toxicity, but did not significantly improve OS.Clinical Trial Registration: ISRCTN71070888; ClinialTrials.gov (NCT03529175). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This prospective trial was performed to verify whether microwave ablation (MWA) in combination with chemotherapy could provide superior survival benefit compared with chemotherapy alone.Materials and Methods: From March 1, 2015, to June 20, 2017, treatment-naïve patients with pathologically verified advanced or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were randomly assigned to MWA plus chemotherapy group or chemotherapy group. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), while the secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), time to local progression (TTLP), and objective response rate (ORR). The complications and adverse events were also reported.Results: A total of 293 patients were randomly assigned into the two groups. One hundred forty-eight patients with 117 stage IV tumors were included in the MWA plus chemotherapy group. One hundred forty-five patients with 113 stage IV tumors were included in the chemotherapy group. The median follow-up period was 13.1 months and 12.4 months, respectively. Median PFS was 10.3 months (95% CI 8.0-13.0) in the MWA plus chemotherapy group and 4.9 months (95% CI 4.2-5.7) in the chemotherapy group (HR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.53; p < 0.0001). Median OS was not reached in the MWA plus chemotherapy group and 12.6 months (95% CI 10.6-14.6) in the chemotherapy group (HR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.27-0.53; p < 0.0001) using Kaplan-Meier analyses with log-rank test. The median TTLP was 24.5 months, and the ORR was 32% in both groups. The adverse event rate was not significantly different in the two groups.Conclusions: In patients with advanced NSCLC, longer PFS and OS can be achieved with the treatment of combined MWA and chemotherapy than chemotherapy alone.Key Points: • Patients treated with MWA plus chemotherapy had superior PFS and OS over those treated with chemotherapy alone. • The ORR of patients treated with MWA plus chemotherapy was similar to that of those treated with chemotherapy alone. • Complications associated with MWA were common but tolerable and manageable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Following promising responses to the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor 5-fluoro-2'-deoxycytidine (FdCyd) combined with tetrahydrouridine (THU) in phase 1 testing, we initiated a non-randomized phase 2 study to assess response to this combination in patients with advanced solid tumor types for which tumor suppressor gene methylation is potentially prognostic. To obtain pharmacodynamic evidence for DNMT inhibition by FdCyd, we developed a novel method for detecting expression of tumor suppressor protein p16/INK4A in circulating tumor cells (CTCs).Methods: Patients in histology-specific strata (breast, head and neck [H&N], or non-small cell lung cancers [NSCLC] or urothelial transitional cell carcinoma) were administered FdCyd (100 mg/m2) and THU (350 mg/m2) intravenously 5 days/week for 2 weeks, in 28-day cycles, and progression-free survival (PFS) rate and objective response rate (ORR) were evaluated. Blood specimens were collected for CTC analysis.Results: Ninety-three eligible patients were enrolled (29 breast, 21 H&N, 25 NSCLC, and 18 urothelial). There were three partial responses. All strata were terminated early due to insufficient responses (H&N, NSCLC) or slow accrual (breast, urothelial). However, the preliminary 4-month PFS rate (42%) in the urothelial stratum exceeded the predefined goal-though the ORR (5.6%) did not. An increase in the proportion of p16-expressing cytokeratin-positive CTCs was detected in 69% of patients evaluable for clinical and CTC response, but was not significantly associated with clinical response.Conclusion: Further study of FdCyd + THU is potentially warranted in urothelial carcinoma but not NSCLC or breast or H&N cancer. Increase in the proportion of p16-expressing cytokeratin-positive CTCs is a pharmacodynamic marker of FdCyd target engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: TG01 is the first cancer immunotherapy targeting KRAS oncogenic mutations. This study assessed the safety and efficacy of TG01/GM-CSF in patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma.Methods: Patients with stage I or II pancreatic adenocarcinoma who had undergone surgical resection (R0 or R1) received adjuvant gemcitabine with TG01/GM-CSF using two schedules of vaccination. Immune response was defined as a positive delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response and/or positive T-cell proliferation assay.Results: Thirty-two patients were enrolled between February 2013 and May 2016. Nineteen were treated with the high antigen burden, with four serious adverse reactions considered possibly related to TG01 treatment, including three allergic reactions. On this basis, a further 13 patients received a modified vaccination schedule with reduced antigen burden, with no serious adverse events related to TG01. Ninety-five percent patients in the main cohort and 92% in the modified cohort had a positive immune response. Median overall survival (OS) was 33.1 months, and median disease-free survival (DFS) was 13.9 months for the main cohort. For the modified cohort, the median OS was 34.3 months and median DFS was 19.5 months.Conclusions: TG01/GM-CSF with gemcitabine was well tolerated, with high levels of immune activation. OS and DFS compare favourably with published data for adjuvant gemcitabine.Clinical Trial Registration: This clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02261714). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Hedgehog (Hh) signalling pathway is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Preclinical studies have shown that Hh inhibitors reduce pancreatic cancer stem cells (pCSC), stroma and Hh signalling.Methods: Patients with previously untreated metastatic PDA were treated with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. Vismodegib was added starting on the second cycle. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) as compared with historical controls. Tumour biopsies to assess pCSC, stroma and Hh signalling were obtained before treatment and after cycle 1 (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) or after cycle 2 (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel plus vismodegib).Results: Seventy-one patients were enrolled. Median PFS and overall survival (OS) were 5.42 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.37-6.97) and 9.79 months (95% CI: 7.85-10.97), respectively. Of the 67 patients evaluable for response, 27 (40%) had a response: 26 (38.8%) partial responses and 1 complete response. In the tumour samples, there were no significant changes in ALDH + pCSC following treatment.Conclusions: Adding vismodegib to chemotherapy did not improve efficacy as compared with historical rates observed with chemotherapy alone in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic pancreatic cancer. This study does not support the further evaluation of Hh inhibitors in this patient population.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01088815. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Retrospective studies suggest a survival benefit when platinum-based chemotherapy is administered to patients with pancreatic cancer harbouring a germline mutation in BRCA1, BRCA2 or PALB2 (mut-positive PDAC). However, the objective response rate (ORR) and real-world progression free survival (rwPFS) achieved with such treatment remain ill-defined.Methods: Twenty-six patients with advanced-stage mut-positive PDAC who had been treated with platinum-based therapy were matched by age, race and sex to 52 platinum-treated control PDAC patients. Responses to therapy were determined by RECIST v1.1, performed by blinded radiology review. Measured outcomes included ORR and rwPFS.Results: The ORR in mut-positive patients was 58% compared to 21% in the control group (p = 0.0022). There was no significant difference in ORR between platinum regimens in mut-positive patients (p = 0.814), whereas in control patients, the only observed responses were to FOLFIRINOX. rwPFS was 10.1 mo. for mut-positive patients and 6.9 mo. for controls (HR 0.43; 95% CI 0.25-0.74; 0.0068).Conclusion: Mut-positive PDAC has a high ORR and prolonged rwPFS to platinum-based chemotherapy. These findings may have implications particularly in the neoadjuvant setting, and for future clinical trial design, and highlight the importance of early germline testing in patients with PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive, lethal, and heterogeneous subtype of breast cancers, tending to have lower 5-year survival rates than other BC subtypes in response to conventional chemotherapies. This study's aim was to identify advanced regimens to effectively control TNBC tumor development.Methods: We investigated the combination of the DNA synthesis inhibitor gemcitabine, the DNA-damaging agent cisplatin, and the histone deacetylase inhibitor romidepsin to control a variety of breast cells in vitro. We studied the toxicity of drug doses and administration schedules to determine tolerable combination regimens in immune-deficient nude and -competent BALB/c mice. We then studied the efficacy of tolerable regimens in controlling TNBC cell-derived xenograft development in nude mice. By reducing clinically equivalent doses of each agent in combination, we formulated tolerable regimens in animals. We verified that the tolerable triple combination gemcitabine plus romidepsin + cisplatin regimen more efficacious than double combination regimens in controlling xenograft tumor development in nude mice.Results: A triple combination of gemcitabine + romidepsin + cisplatin synergistically induced death of the TNBC M.D. Anderson-Metastatic Breast cancer (MDA-MB) 231 and MDA-MB468, as well as Michigan Cancer Foundation (MCF) 7, MCF10A, and MCF10A-Ras cells. Cell death induced by gemcitabine + romidepsin + cisplatin was in a reactive oxygen species-dependent manner.Conclusion: Considering the high costs for developing a new anticancer agent, we used the FDA-approved drugs gemcitabine, romidepsin (is approved for T-cell lymphoma and is under clinical trial for TNBC), and cisplatin to economically formulate an efficacious and safe combination regimen. The highly efficacious gemcitabine plus romidepsin + cisplatin regimen should be poised for efficient translation into clinical trials, ultimately contributing to reduced mortality and improved quality of life for TNBC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL) have a very poor prognosis. For young and fit patients, intensive chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation could be proposed at relapse. In the other cases (unfit or elderly patients), therapeutic options are limited with no consensual regimen. The poly-chemotherapy by (R)-GEMOX is associated with anti-tumor activity in systemic lymphomas and a favorable toxicity profile. Our objective was to evaluate the activity and tolerance of (R)-GEMOX in PCNSL patients enrolled in the French nation-wide LOC cohort. We retrospectively analyzed all refractory or recurrent patients included in the LOC network who benefited from (R)-GEMOX (rituximab 375 mg/m2, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2, and oxaliplatine 100 mg/m2). Administration, tolerance, and efficacy data were analyzed. Thirteen patients, treated in five different institutions, benefited from the (R)-GEMOX regimen from February 2013 to August 2017. At the initiation of (R)-GEMOX, median age was 71.4 years old (range, 49.5-82.5) and median Karnofsky performance status (KPS) was 60 (range, 40-80). Seven patients were in second line of treatment whereas the six others were in third line or over. All patients had received methotrexate-based polychemotherapy as first-line treatment except one. Overall response rate was 38% with two complete responses and three partial responses. Median progression-free survival was 3.2 months (95%CI: 0.2-6.2), and median overall survival was 8.2 months (95%CI: 0.6-15.8). Toxicity was mainly hematological including grade ¾ neutropenia (38%), lymphopenia (23%), and thrombopenia (23%). Older age (p = 0.046) and low KPS (p = 0.054) tended to be associated with a worse prognosis. (R)-GEMOX is associated with substantial response rate and favorable toxicity profile in unfit patients with recurrent PCNSL. (R)-GEMOX could be considered to be an additional option in patients with recurrent/refractory PCNSL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. Gemcitabine is the standard chemotherapeutic drug used to treat the disease; however, it has a low response rate. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new and safe therapies to enhance sensitivity to gemcitabine in treating pancreatic cancer.Methods: The synergistic effect of gemcitabine combined with specific B cell CLL/lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) inhibitor ABT-199 against pancreatic cancer was tested using cell viability, cell cycle, and apoptosis assays in vitro and in an MIA Paca-2 xenograft model in vivo. Its underlying mechanism was explored using western blotting analysis of Bcl-2 family proteins.Results: ABT-199 not only enhanced the effect of gemcitabine on cell growth inhibition but also promoted gemcitabine-induced apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cell lines. Gemcitabine decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 but increased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. ABT-199 downregulated the gemcitabine-induced production of Bcl-2 and increased the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 interacting protein (BIM). Mouse xenograft experiments also confirmed the synergistic effect of gemcitabine and ABT-199 on tumor growth inhibition and the induction of tumor cell apoptosis.Conclusion: Our results indicated that ABT-199 improved the anti-tumor effect of gemcitabine on pancreatic cancer by downregulating gemcitabine-induced overexpression of Bcl-2. ABT-199 has already been investigated in phase 3 clinical trials for chronic lymphocytic leukemia; therefore, it may serve as a potential drug to improve the sensitivity of pancreatic cancer to gemcitabine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: New chemotherapies have become available for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer and have led to changes in its standard treatments. Since pancreatic cancer is becoming more common as a result of population aging, there is a need for diversification of chemotherapy.Methods: Between March 2014 and April 2017, FOLFIRINOX (FFX) or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (G-nab) was used as first-line therapy to treat 27 patients with locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer at our hospital. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated their clinical characteristics, survival outcomes and adverse events.Results: Twelve of the 27 patients were treated with FFX, and the other 15 patients were treated with G-nab. The disease control rate was 86.7% in the G-nab group and 75% in the FFX group. Median OS time was 8.9 months in the FFX group and 11.8 months in the G-nab group. The 1-year survival rate was 46.6% in the G-nab group and 16.6% in the FFX group. The second-line treatment rate was 40% in the G-nab group and 66.7% in the FFX group. The grade 3-4 neutropenia rate was 20% in the G-nab group and 25% in the FFX group. No patients developed febrile neutropenia, or severe nausea, diarrhea, or anorexia. The peripheral sensory neuropathy rate was 73.3% in the G-nab group and 75% in the FFX group.Conclusions: Although G-nab and FFX are effective treatments for advanced pancreatic cancer, the G-nab group had a higher 1-year survival rate, and G-nab can be more safely administered to older patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare a cohort of patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer (PROC) treated with bevacizumab and gemcitabine (Bev-Gem) to that of patients treated only with gemcitabine (Gem).Methods: Between 2011 and 2017, we identified the Bev-Gem and Gem PROC groups. The regimen included 1000 mg/m2 of Gem on days 1, 8, and 15, and 15 mg/m2 of Bev on day 1, every 4 weeks. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated from the date of the administration of Bev-Gem or Gem until disease progression or death.Results: The Bev-Gem and Gem groups included 18 and 29 patients, respectively. More patients had advanced stage disease in the Bev-Gem group (p = 0.048); no other characteristics differed between the groups. The response rates [ratio of complete remission (CR) to partial remission (PR)] of Bev-Gem and Gem were 38.9 and 3.4%, respectively (p < 0.01). The clinical benefit rates [combined percentages of CR, PR, and stable disease] of the Bev-Gem and Gem groups were 88.9 and 41.4%, respectively (p = 0.04). PFS and OS of the Bev-Gem group were superior (p < 0.01, p = 0.03, respectively). Bev-Gem was the better prognostic factor of both PFS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.17, p < 0.01] and OS (HR 0.31, p = 0.01). The frequency of hematologic and non-hematologic adverse effects was similar in each group.Conclusion: Bev-Gem regimens improved PFS and OS for PROC. Furthermore, the adverse effects of Bev-Gem were tolerable. Thus, Bev-Gem could be a candidate treatment strategy for PROC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many factors, including histopathologic parameters, seem to influence the prognosis of patients undergoing resection of colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM), although their relative weight is unclear. Histopathologic growth patterns (HGPs) of CRCLM may affect sensitivity to antiangiogenics. We aimed at evaluating differences in histopathologic parameters of response according to the use of bevacizumab or cetuximab as first-line targeted agents, and at exploring the prognostic and predictive role of HGPs.Methods: We performed a comprehensive histopathologic characterisation of CRCLM from 159 patients who underwent secondary resection, after receiving triplets FOLFOXIRI (folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) or COI (capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) plus bevacizumab (N = 103) vs cetuximab (N = 56) in five first-line no-profit clinical trials.Results: Both major histopathologic response (tumour regression grade TRG1-2, 32 vs 14%, p = 0.013) and infarct-like necrosis (80 vs 64%, p = 0.035) were significantly higher in the bevacizumab than in the cetuximab group. Achieving major response positively affected relapse-free survival (RFS) (p = 0.012) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.045), also in multivariable models (RFS, p = 0.008; OS, p = 0.033). In the desmoplastic HGP (N = 28), a higher percentage of major response was reported (57 vs 17% in pushing and 22% in replacement HGP, p < 0.001) and an unsignificant advantage from cetuximab vs bevacizumab was evident in RFS (p = 0.116). In the pushing HGP (N = 66), a significant benefit from bevacizumab vs cetuximab (p = 0.017) was observed. No difference was described in the replacement HGP (N = 65, p = 0.615).Conclusions: The histopathologic response is the only independent determinant of survival in patients resected after triplets plus a biologic. When associated with triplet chemotherapy, bevacizumab induces a higher histopathologic response rate than cetuximab. The assessment of HGPs should be further explored as a predictor of benefit from available targeted agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) tumour expression may provide added value to human equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1 (hENT1) tumour expression in predicting survival following pyrimidine-based adjuvant chemotherapy.Methods: DPD and hENT1 immunohistochemistry and scoring was completed on tumour cores from 238 patients with pancreatic cancer in the ESPAC-3(v2) trial, randomised to either postoperative gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid (5FU/FA).Results: DPD tumour expression was associated with reduced overall survival (hazard ratio, HR = 1.73 [95% confidence interval, CI = 1.21-2.49], p = 0.003). This was significant in the 5FU/FA arm (HR = 2.07 [95% CI = 1.22-3.53], p = 0.007), but not in the gemcitabine arm (HR = 1.47 [0.91-3.37], p = 0.119). High hENT1 tumour expression was associated with increased survival in gemcitabine treated (HR = 0.56 [0.38-0.82], p = 0.003) but not in 5FU/FA treated patients (HR = 1.19 [0.80-1.78], p = 0.390). In patients with low hENT1 tumour expression, high DPD tumour expression was associated with a worse median [95% CI] survival in the 5FU/FA arm (9.7 [5.3-30.4] vs 29.2 [19.5-41.9] months, p = 0.002) but not in the gemcitabine arm (14.0 [9.1-15.7] vs. 18.0 [7.6-15.3] months, p = 1.000). The interaction of treatment arm and DPD expression was not significant (p = 0.303), but the interaction of treatment arm and hENT1 expression was (p = 0.009).Conclusion: DPD tumour expression was a negative prognostic biomarker. Together with tumour expression of hENT1, DPD tumour expression defined patient subgroups that might benefit from either postoperative 5FU/FA or gemcitabine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) represents the fourth cause of cancer-related death. We aimed to evaluate whether gemcitabine treatment shapes the gut microbiota in a model of PDAC xenografted mice.Materials and Methods: Pancreatic cancer xenograft mice were subjected to gemcitabine injection once per week for 3 weeks to assess the tumor volume as compared to control mice injected with normal saline solution. The composition of fecal microbiota, the activation of NF-kB pathway in cancer tissues and the serum metabolomics were further analyzed.Results: Gemcitabine considerably decreases the proportion of Gram- positive Firmicutes (from about 39 to 17%) and the Gram- negative Bacteroidetes (from 38 to 17%) which are the two dominant phyla in the gut of tumor-bearing control mice. This downshift was replaced by an increase of Proteobacteria (Escherichia coli and Aeromonas hydrophila) from 15 up to 32% and Verrucomicrobia (Akkermansia muciniphila) from 5 to 33% in the gut of drug-receiving mice. An overall increase in inflammation-associated bacteria was observed upon gemcitabine. Consistently, activation of the NF-kB canonical pathway was found in cancer tissues from gemcitabine-treated mice. Serum metabolomics revealed a significant decrease of the purine compounds inosine and xanthine, and a decreasing trend for their metabolically-related molecule hypoxanthine.Discussion: Understanding chemotherapy side effects may explain the lack of activity or the chemoresistant processes and it may help to set up strategies to improve the effectiveness of therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: 17-oxo-DHA is an electrophilic keto-derivative of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) endogenously generated by cyclooxygenase-2 and a cellular dehydrogenase. 17-oxo-DHA displays anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective actions. DHA, alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy, displays antitumor activity. However, the effects of electrophilic keto-derivatives of DHA on cancer growth have never been evaluated. We investigated whether 17-oxo-DHA, alone or in combination with gemcitabine, displayed antitumor effects. Furthermore, we evaluated whether the enzyme 15-prostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) was required for transducing the antitumor effects of DHA.Methods: A panel of five histologically different human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines was used. Cells were treated with 17-oxo-DHA and gemcitabine, alone or in combination, and apoptosis, proliferation, Fas and FasL expression (mRNA and protein) and active caspase-3/7 and -8 were assessed. Furthermore, an inhibitor of 15-PGDH was used to test the involvement of this enzyme in mediating the antitumor effects of DHA.Results: 17-oxo-DHA (50 µM, 72 h) significantly reduced proliferation, increased cell apoptosis, Fas and FasL expression as well as active caspase-8 and -3/7. When 17-oxo-DHA was given in combination with gemcitabine, stronger effects were observed compared to gemcitabine alone. The enzyme 15-PGDH was required for DHA to promote its full anti-apoptotic effect suggesting that enzymatically generated keto-derivatives of DHA mediate its antitumor actions.Conclusions: Data herein provided, demonstrate that 17-oxo-DHA displays antitumor effects in NSCLC cell lines. Of note, the combination of 17-oxo-DHA plus gemcitabine, resulted in stronger anticancer effects compared to gemcitabine alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the recommended dose (RD) of gemcitabine (GEM) plus S-1 (GS) in curatively resected biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients without major hepatectomy.Methods: A standard 3 + 3 dose-escalation design was used with planned dose levels (mg/m2) of GEM (administered intravenously on days 1 and 8) and S-1 (administered orally twice daily on days 1-14, with a 1-week rest, every 3 weeks for up to 24 weeks) of 1000/80 (Level 2), 1000/65 (Level 1), 800/65 (Level - 1), and 800/50 (Level - 2).Results: Thirty-one patients (17 men and 14 women; median age, 70 years) were enrolled. Level 1 was chosen as the starting dose. Three of seven patients developed dose-limiting toxicities at Level 1 and the dose was de-escalated to Level - 1. Five of 12 patients developed Grade 4 neutropenia at Level - 1 and the dose was de-escalated to Level - 2. One patient developed Grade 4 neutropenia at Level - 2. Another patient was unable to receive the day 8 dose due to Grade 3 neutropenia at Level - 2. Level - 1 was confirmed as the maximum tolerated dose and Level - 2 the RD for this regimen. The 1- and 2-year recurrence-free survival rates were 77.0 and 54.0%, respectively. The recurrence-free survival rate of patients in the GS completion group was significantly higher than that of the GS discontinuation group.Conclusions: Level - 2 was confirmed as the RD (GEM 800 mg/m2 and S-1 50 mg/m2) for GS adjuvant chemotherapy in curatively resected BTC patients without major hepatectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Copanlisib is a pan-class I phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor with predominant PI3K-α/δ activity that has demonstrated clinical activity and manageable safety when administered as monotherapy in a phase II study. Combination therapy may overcome compensatory signalling that could occur with PI3K pathway inhibition, resulting in enhanced inhibitory activity, and preclinical studies of copanlisib with gemcitabine have demonstrated potent anti-tumour activity in vivo.Methods: A phase I, open-label, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of copanlisib with gemcitabine or with cisplatin plus gemcitabine (CisGem) in patients with advanced malignancies, including an expansion cohort in patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) at the RP2D of copanlisib plus CisGem. Copanlisib and gemcitabine were administered on days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle; maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and RP2D of copanlisib were determined. Copanlisib plus CisGem was administered on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle; pharmacokinetics and biomarkers were assessed.Results: Fifty patients received treatment as follows: dose-escalation cohorts, n=16; copanlisib plus CisGem cohort, n=14; and BTC expansion cohort, n=20. Copanlisib 0.8 mg kg-1 plus gemcitabine was the MTD and RP2D for both combinations. Common treatment-emergent adverse events included nausea (86%), hyperglycaemia (80%) and decreased platelet count (80%). Copanlisib exposure displayed a dose-proportional increase. No differences were observed upon co-administration of CisGem. Response rates were as follows: copanlisib plus gemcitabine, 6.3% (one partial response in a patient with peritoneal carcinoma); copanlisib plus CisGem, 12% (one complete response and three partial responses all in patients with BTC (response rate 17.4% in patients with BTC)). Mutations were detected in PIK3CA (1 out of 43), KRAS (10 out of 43) and BRAF (2 out of 22), with phosphate and tensin homologue protein loss in 41% (12 out of 29).Conclusions: Copanlisib plus CisGem demonstrated a manageable safety profile, favourable pharmacokinetics, and potentially promising clinical response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-ICC) is a rare liver tumour for which no data on chemosensitivity exist. The aims of this multicentre study were to evaluate overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and prognostic factors in cHCC-ICC treated by gemcitabine plus platinum as first-line.Methods: Unresectable cHCC-ICC treated by gemcitabine plus platinum-based chemotherapy between 2008 and 2017 were retrospectively analysed. Diagnosis was based on histology or, in case of ICC or HCC histology, on discordant computerised tomography scan enhancement patterns associated with discordant serum tumour marker elevation suggesting the alternative tumour. OS and PFS were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier method and prognostic factors by Log-rank test and Cox model.Results: Among 30 patients included, cHCC-ICC was histologically proven in 22 (73.3%). 18 (60%) received gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin (GEMOX), 9 (30%) GEMOX plus bevacizumab, and 3 (10%) gemcitabine plus cisplatin. RECIST criteria were reported in 28 patients: 8 (28.6%) showed partial response, 14 (50%) stable disease, and 6 (21.4%) tumour progression at first evaluation. Median PFS and OS were 9.0 and 16.2 months, respectively. Serum bilirubin ⩾30 μmol l-1 (P=0.001) and positive serology for HBV and/or HCV (P=0.014) were independent poor prognostic factors for OS.Conclusions: Gemcitabine plus platinum-based chemotherapy is effective as first-line for advanced cHCC-ICC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of mocetinostat (a Class I/IV HDAC inhibitor) in combination with gemcitabine in patients with solid tumors, including pancreatic cancer.Methods: In this open-label, non-randomized Phase I/II study (NCT00372437) sequential cohorts of patients with solid tumors received gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2, day 1 of three consecutive weeks, 4-week cycles) and oral mocetinostat [50-110 mg, three times per week (TIW)]. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) was determined based on dose-limiting toxicities in Cycle 1 (Phase I study). The MTD/RP2D was further evaluated in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (Phase II study) using a two-stage design. The Phase II primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR).Results: Forty-eight patients were enrolled into the Phase I (n = 25) and Phase II (n = 23) studies. In the Phase I study, the MTD/RP2D was mocetinostat 90 mg TIW + gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were reported by 81% of all patients, the most frequent being fatigue (38%) and thrombocytopenia (19%). The ORR was 11% in the Phase I study (n = 2 patients with pancreatic cancer, responses lasting for 16.8 and 4.0 months, respectively). As no responses were seen in the Phase II cohort, the study was terminated.Conclusions: Mocetinostat TIW in combination with gemcitabine was associated with significant toxicities in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The level of clinical activity of this treatment combination was not considered high enough to merit further testing in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although gemcitabine is a mainstay of pancreatic cancer therapy, it is only moderately effective, and it would be desirable to measure drug uptake in patients. 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoroarabinofuranosyl) cytosine (FAC), is an analog of gemcitabine, and when labeled with F-18, it may be a potential surrogate PET tracer for the drug.Procedures: [18F]FAC was synthesized to a radiochemical purity of >96 %. The human tumor lines AsPC1, BxPC3, Capan-1, Panc1, and MiaPaca2 were grown orthotopically in nude mice. KPC mice that conditionally express oncogenic K-ras and p53 mutations in pancreatic tissue were also used. The intra-tumoral distributions of [14C]gemcitabine and [18F]FAC were mapped with autoradiography. The inter-tumor correlation between [14C]gemcitabine and [18F]FAC was established in the orthotopic tumors. Expression of the equilibrative and concentrative nucleoside transporters (ENT, CNT) in vitro was detected by western blotting. Drug uptake was characterized in vitro using [3H]gemcitabine and the effect of transporter inhibition on gemcitabine and FAC uptake was investigated. The relative affinity of cells for gemcitabine and FAC was tested in competition assays. The cell lines differed in sensitivity to transport inhibitors and in competition studies. There was a good in vivo correlation between the total uptake of [18F]FAC and [14C]gemcitabine, measured across all orthotopic tumors. Using the KPC and BxPC3 models, we found that [14C]gemcitabine and [18F]FAC were largely co-localized.Conclusions: In the lines examined here, [18F]FAC uptake correlates well with gemcitabine in vivo, supporting the notion that [18F]FAC can serve as a PET radiotracer surrogate to determine the uptake and distribution of gemcitabine within pancreatic tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Gemcitabine plus platinum is considered standard first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. However, no standard second-line therapy has been established for this disease. According to reports, S-1 exerts anti-tumor effects on advanced biliary tract cancer and gemcitabine is more effective via fixed dose-rate administration. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a combination of fixed dose-rate gemcitabine and S-1 after failure of gemcitabine or gemcitabine plus cisplatin therapy.Methods: This single-arm phase II study (clinical trial number: UMIN000005918) set the response rate as the primary endpoint and used a MiniMax two-stage design with a null hypothesis < 7% and alternative hypothesis ≥ 25%. Thirty-five patients were needed to yield a power of 90% and α value of 0.05. Patients received gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2, div, 100-min period, day 1) and S-1 (40 mg/m2 twice daily, oral, days 1-7), every 2 weeks until disease progression or intolerable adverse events were observed.Results: Forty-one patients were enrolled, and 3 of 23 first-stage patients responded. The overall response rate was 9.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.7-19.2%]. The median overall and progression-free survival were 7.0 [95% CI: 5.3-8.6] and 2.6 months (95% CI: 1.6-3.5), respectively. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were leukopenia (19.5%), neutropenia (19.5%), anemia (14.6%), thrombocytopenia (7.3%), and anorexia (4.8%).Conclusion: Second-line fixed dose-rate gemcitabine plus S-1 was not sufficiently effective and tolerable in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer refractory to gemcitabine or gemcitabine plus cisplatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Following a previously published pre-clinical validation, this phase I study evaluated the safety, maximum tolerated dose, anti-tumour activity and immune status of a gemcitabine-chloroquine combination as a first- or late-line treatment in patients with metastatic or unresectable pancreatic cancer.Methods: In this 3 + 3 dose escalation study, patients received a single weekly standard dose of intravenous gemcitabine, followed by single weekly oral intake of 100, 200 or 300 mg of chloroquine. Tumour response was assessed using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1. Immune status was evaluated by RT-PCR to measure the relative expression of immune-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).Results: Overall, nine patients [median age 72 years; interquartile range (IQR), 68-78 years] were treated. No dose-limiting toxicities as defined in the protocol were observed. Three patients experienced partial response, and two patients had stable disease. The median time to progression was 4 months (95% CI 0.8-7.2), and the median overall survival was 7.6 months (95% CI 5.3-9.9). Among 86 assayed immune genes, three were significantly differentially expressed in PBMCs from responding versus non-responding patients: interferon-gamma receptor-1, toll-like receptor 2, and beta-2 microglobulin.Conclusions: The addition of chloroquine to gemcitabine was well tolerated and showed promising effects on the clinical response to the anti-cancer chemotherapy. Based on these initial results, the efficacy of the gemcitabine-chloroquine combination should be further assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Adjuvant oxaliplatin plus oral capecitabine (XELOX) is recommended for patients with curatively resected colon cancer. However, its safety and tolerability in Asian patients is unclear; therefore, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of adjuvant XELOX in Japanese patients with curatively resected stage III colon cancer (MCSCO-1024) and present the interim safety data.Methods: This prospective, multi-center, open-label, single-arm phase II study recruited patients with curatively resected stage III colon cancer. The protocol was a 120-min intravenous infusion of oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2) on day 1 and oral capecitabine (2000 mg/m2/day) in two divided doses for 14 days of a 3-week cycle, for a total of eight cycles (24 weeks). The primary endpoint was the 3-year disease-free survival, and secondary endpoints were the treatment completion rate, safety profile (rate and severity of adverse events), and correlation of adverse events, such as peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN), with the administration period of oxaliplatin, etc.Results: From November 2011 to August 2014 (34 months), 196 patients were enrolled. Safety was analyzed in 190 patients. The median total doses of capecitabine and oxaliplatin were 215,586.9 and 777.2 mg/m2, respectively, while the median relative dose intensities were 82.5 and 76.0%, respectively. The overall treatment completion rate was 73.7%. The most frequent treatment-related adverse event was PSN (88.4%), while the most frequent grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events were neutropenia (12.6%), PSN (6.3%), diarrhea (4.2%), and thrombocytopenia (4.2%). There were no treatment-related deaths.Conclusions: Adjuvant XELOX is tolerable for Japanese patients with Stage III colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Veliparib (ABT-888) is an oral PARP inhibitor expected to increase gemcitabine activity. This phase I determined the maximal tolerable dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicities (DLT), antitumor activity, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of veliparib combined with gemcitabine.Methods: Patients with advanced solid tumors received veliparib (10-40-mg PO BID) on chemotherapy weeks with gemcitabine 500-750-mg/m2 IV on days 1, 8, and 15 (28-day cycle), or on days 1 and 8 (21-day cycle). The MTD, DLT, adverse events, PK, and PD were evaluated.Results: Eleven patients were enrolled on the 28-day schedule. The 28-day schedule was considered intolerable and amended to a 21-day schedule, with 20 patients enrolled. Grade ≥ 3 adverse events were myelosuppression-related. The MTD was determined to be 750-mg/m2 gemcitabine IV on days 1 and 8- and 20-mg PO veliparib BID days 1-14 on a 21-day schedule. Of 27 patients evaluable for response, 3 had PR and 15 had SD. There was no evidence of any major drug-drug interaction, and PK parameter values for veliparib, gemcitabine, and dFdU were as expected. Analysis of PBMCs showed evidence of PARP inhibition and DNA damage associated with therapy.Conclusions: Gemcitabine at 750-mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 8 combined with veliparib at a dose of 20-mg PO BID days 1-14 on a 21-day schedule is relatively well-tolerated, with manageable, expected toxicities. Clinical responses were observed in a pretreated population of patients, suggesting that this combination should be further evaluated in the phase II setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The renal safety of cisplatin-based chemotherapy has not been investigated in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract (UUT-UC) who retain a solitary kidney after nephroureterectomy. This study aimed to assess and compare the renal safety and efficacy of gemcitabine-cisplatin (GP) and gemcitabine-carboplatin (GC) in these patients.Methods: The medical records of patients diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma at the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center between January 2005 and December 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. The creatinine clearance (CrCl) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were used to assess renal function and were calculated using different formulas.Results: A total of 71 patients were enrolled in this study; 48 patients were on GP, and 23 were on GC. The renal function indicators (CrCl and eGFR) were all significantly lower after GP chemotherapy than at baseline, a phenomenon that was not observed in the GC group. Severe nephrotoxicities (SNTs) were reported in 12 patients on GP (25%) and zero on GC. SNT risk factors included a more than 20% decrease in eGFR after one GP cycle and the presence of diabetes (all p < 0.05). Among patients treated with first-line palliative chemotherapy (n = 32), GC (n = 13) patients had an ORR of 46.2%, which was not significantly different from GP patients (36.8%, n = 19), whereas GC patients tended to have a shorter OS than GP patients (9.2 vs. 29 months, p = 0.200).Conclusions: Our results confirm that GP has an adverse impact on the renal function of patients with UUT-UC who retain a solitary kidney, but it can be safely administered to the majority of these patients without inducing SNT. In specific patients, GC is an alternative to GP that has comparable efficacy and favourable renal toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine plus cisplatin in Japanese patients with unresectable gallbladder cancer (GBC).Methods: Chemo-naïve patients with histologically proven unresectable GBC were enrolled in this study. The patients received gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2) and cisplatin (25 mg/m2) on days 1 and 8, every 21 days. A response assessment was done by CT scan every 4 weeks. The primary end points were to determine the response rates [RR; complete response (CR) + partial response (PR)] and the disease control rate [DCR; CR + PR + stable disease (SD)]. The secondary end points were to evaluate toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).Results: From March 2012 to February 2015, 14 patients from seven different institutions were enrolled in the study, and 13 cases were evaluable for assessment. Eleven cases (84.6%) had distant metastases, and 8 cases (61.5%) had obstructive jaundice. There was no CR, 1 PR (7.7%), 11 SD (84.6%), and 1 progressive disease (PD) (7.7%). The RR was 7.7%, whereas the DCR was 92.3%. The median PFS was 3.1 months, the median OS was 6.2 months, and the one-year survival rate was 0%. Grade 3 hematologic toxicity was observed in three cases (23%), but all of them recovered upon drug withdrawal, and there was no treatment-related death.Conclusion: Although gemcitabine plus cisplatin has a high DCR (92.3%) and relatively low toxicity, the RR is less than 10%, and development of new therapies is desired for the treatment of unresectable GBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: S-1 has systemic activity for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Here, the efficacy and safety of induction gemcitabine (GEM) and S-1 (GS) followed by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and systemic chemotherapy using S-1 for LAPC were assessed.Methods: The treatment consisted of four cycles of induction GS (S-1 60, 80, or 100 mg/day based on body surface area for 14 days every 3 weeks plus GEM 1000 mg/m2 on days 8 and 15), followed by S-1 (80, 100, or 120 mg/day based on body surface area on days 1-14 and 22-35) and concurrent radiotherapy (50.4 Gy in 28 fractions). Maintenance chemotherapy with S-1 was started 1-4 weeks after CRT until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity was observed. The primary endpoint was 1-year survival.Results: A total of 30 patients with LAPC were enrolled. The median survival and progression-free survival were 21.3 and 12.7 months, respectively. Overall survival rates at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years were 73.3, 36.7, 23.3, and 16.7%, respectively. The median survival of 23 patients who received CRT was 22.9 months, with a 3-year survival rate of 30.4%. The two most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events during induction GS were neutropenia (63.3%) and biliary tract infection (20%). Toxicities during CRT or maintenance chemotherapy were generally mild.Conclusions: This regimen was feasible and highly active resulting in encouraging survival in patients with LAPC. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the effectiveness of this treatment strategy in future studies. Clinical trials information: UMIN000006332. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This phase I trial evaluated the safety and tolerability of milciclib, an inhibitor of multiple cyclin-dependent kinases and tropomycin receptor kinase A, in combination with gemcitabine in patients with refractory solid tumors.Design: Sixteen patients were enrolled and treated with milciclib at three dose levels (45 mg/m2/day, n = 3; 60 mg/m2/day, n = 3; and 80 mg/m2/day, n = 10) with a fixed dose of gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2/day). Milciclib was administered orally once daily for 7 days on/7 days off in a 4-week cycle, and gemcitabine was administered intravenously on days 1, 8 and 15 in a 4-week cycle.Results: All 16 enrolled patients were evaluable for safety and toxicity. Dose-limiting toxicities, which occurred in only one out of nine patients treated at the maximum dose tested (milciclib 80 mg/m2/day and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2/day), consisted of Grade 4 thrombocytopenia, Grade 3 ataxia and Grade 2 tremors in the same patient. Most frequent treatment-related AEs were neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Among 14 evaluable patients, one NSCLC patient showed partial response and 4 patients (one each with thyroid, prostatic, pancreatic carcinoma and peritoneal mesothelioma) showed long-term disease stabilization (>6-14 months). Pharmacokinetics of the orally administered milciclib (~t1/2 33 h) was not altered by concomitant treatment with gemcitabine.Conclusion: The combination treatment was well tolerated with manageable toxicities. The recommended phase II dose was 80 mg/m2/day for milciclib and 1000 mg/m2/day for gemcitabine. This combination treatment regimen showed encouraging clinical benefit in ~36% patients, including gemcitabine refractory patients. These results support further development of combination therapies with milciclib in advanced cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Transforming growth factor-beta inhibitors may enhance the antitumor activity of gemcitabine with acceptable safety and tolerability. This open-label, multicenter, non-randomized phase 1b study assessed the safety/tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and tumor response of galunisertib plus gemcitabine in Japanese patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.Methods: During each 28-day cycle, galunisertib 150 mg was administered orally twice daily (300 mg/day) for 14 days, followed by 14 days of rest. Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 was intravenously given on Days 8, 15, and 22. Safety was assessed by the incidence of dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) in the first cycle and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Efficacy was assessed by antitumor activity and changes in carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9).Results: No DLTs were reported. All 7 enrolled patients had ≥1 TEAE, of which the most common included anorexia, decreased neutrophil count, and decreased white blood cell count. Grade ≥3 TEAEs were observed in 6 patients; 4 patients had Grade ≥3 TEAEs (decreased neutrophil, white blood cell, and lymphocyte count; hypophosphatemia) considered possibly related to study drug(s). The pharmacokinetic profile of galunisertib in combination with gemcitabine was similar to that previously observed for galunisertib alone. The clinical response [complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease] rate was 42.9%, and the median progression-free survival was 64 days; no CR/PR were achieved.Conclusion: Galunisertib plus gemcitabine had an acceptable safety/tolerability profile with evidence of efficacy in Japanese patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mutations in the KRAS gene can be detected in about 70-90% of pancreatic cancer (PC) cases. Whether these mutations have a prognostic or predictive value remains elusive. Furthermore, the clinical relevance of the extended RAS (KRAS+NRAS) mutational status is unclear in PC.Methods: We prospectively defined a PC patient population who received erlotinib-free chemotherapy regimens. A statistically significant difference between KRAS wild-type and KRAS mutated tumours in at least 160 patients in this population would support the assumption of a rather prognostic role of KRAS.Results: One hundred and seventy-eight tumour samples were collected from prospective clinical studies and successfully analysed for the extended RAS status: 37 tumours were KRAS wild-type (21%), whereas 141 (79%) carried a KRAS mutation; 132 of these mutations were found in KRAS exon 2 (74%), whereas only 9 mutations (5%) were detected in KRAS exon 3. Within KRAS exon 4 and NRAS exons 2-4, no mutations were apparent. There was no significant difference in overall survival for KRAS wild-type vs mutant patients (9.9 vs 8.3 months, P=0.70).Conclusions: Together with the results of the AIO-PK-0104-trial, the present analysis supports the notion that KRAS mutation status is rather predictive than prognostic in advanced PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: SCALOP, a randomised, phase II trial, tested the activity and safety of gemcitabine (GEM)-based and capecitabine (CAP)-based chemoradiation (CRT) for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Here we present the long-term outcomes.Methods: Eligibility: histologically proven LAPC ⩽7 cm. Following 12 weeks of induction GEMCAP chemotherapy (three cycles: GEM 1000 mg m-2 days 1, 8, 15; CAP 830 mg m-2 days 1-21 q28 days) patients with stable/responding disease, tumour ⩽6 cm, and WHO Performance Status 0-1 were randomised to receive one cycle GEMCAP followed by CAP (830 mg m-2 b.d. on weekdays only) or GEM (300 mg m-2 weekly) with radiation (50.4 Gy per 28 fractions).Results: One-hundred fourteen patients (28 UK centres) were registered between 24 December 2009 and 25 October 2011, and 74 were randomised (CAP-RT=36; GEM-RT=38). At the time of this analysis, 105 of the 114 patients had died and the surviving 9 patients had been followed up for a median of 10.9 months (IQR: 2.9-18.7). Updated median OS was 17.6 months (95% CI: 14.6-22.7) in the CAP-CRT arm and 14.6 months (95% CI: 11.1-16.0) in the GEM-CRT arm (intention-to-treat adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 0.68 (95% CI: 0.38-1.21, P=0.185)); median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12.0 months (95% CI: 10.0-15.2) in the CAP-CRT arm and 10.4 months (95% CI: 8.8-12.7) in the GEM-CRT arm (intention-to-treat adjusted HR: 0.60 (95% CI: 0.32-1.14, P=0.120)). In baseline multivariable model, age ⩾65 years, better performance status, CA19.9<613 IU l-1, and shorter tumour diameter predicted improved OS. CAP-CRT, age ⩾65 years, better performance status, CA19.9 <46 IU ml-1 predicted improved OS and PFS in the pre-radiotherapy model. Nine-month PFS was highly predictive of OS.Conclusions: CAP-CRT remains the superior regimen. SCALOP showed that patients with CA19.9 <46 IU ml-1 after induction chemotherapy are more likely to benefit from CRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to oxaliplatin (L-OHP) therapy are well-documented, few reports have compared different therapies in terms of HSR occurrence. In this study, we compared the frequency and pattern of HSRs to modified FOLFOX6 (mFOLFOX6; 5-fluorouracil, levofolinate calcium and L-OHP infusions) and XELOX (capecitabine and L-OHP) therapies, and sought to identify risk factors associated with HSRs.Methods: Patients who had received mFOLFOX6 or XELOX chemotherapeutic regimens for unresectable colon or rectal cancer or as adjuvant chemotherapy following colon cancer surgery between April 2012 and August 2015 were included. Potential correlation between treatment modalities (regimen, dosage and route of administration of L-OHP, and injection timing for dexamethasone administration) and HSRs was assessed.Results: Among the 240 patients included in the study, 136 had received mFOLFOX6 therapy and 104 had received XELOX therapy. Although the frequency of HSRs did not differ between the two groups, incidence of HSRs in the first cycle was higher in the XELOX therapy group. Treatment method or cumulative dosage was not identified as a risk factor for HSR; however, the incidence of ≥grade-2 HSR was higher in cases where the cumulative L-OHP dosage was ≥600 mg/m2 and in patients in whom dexamethasone was not co-infused with L-OHP.Conclusion: Although HSR rates were comparable among patients treated with mFOLFOX6 and XELOX, HSRs tended to occur more frequently during the first cycle of XELOX therapy as compared to that with mFOLFOX6 therapy. Our findings warrant careful assessment of ≥grade-2 HSRs in patients who are prescribed cumulative L-OHP dosages of ≥600 mg/m2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine a recommended dose for a biweekly combination neoadjuvant chemotherapy including gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel, and S-1 (GAS) for patients with locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (LAPC).Methods: Patients with borderline resectable or unresectable LAPC without distant metastasis were eligible for this study. The planned dosages of gemcitabine (mg/m2, day 1), nab-paclitaxel (mg/m2, day 1), and S-1 (mg/day, days 1-7) were 800/100/60-100 at level 1, and 1000/125/60-100 at level 2. The treatment cycle was repeated every 2 weeks, and patients were assessed for resectability and response to the treatment after 6 cycles. This study was registered with UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN000016630).Results: We enrolled 16 patients with LAPC in this study. At dose level 1, one of 8 patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). One of the next 8 patients also experienced DLT at dose level 2. Based on these results, level 2 was considered the recommended dose for this regimen. Pancreatectomy with curative intent could be performed in 13 of the 16 patients. R0 resection was performed in 12 of 13 patients.Conclusion: In conclusion, recommended doses for a biweekly GAS chemotherapy regimen were determined as nab-paclitaxel: 125 mg/m2, gemcitabine: 1000 mg/m2 on day 1, S-1: <1.25 m2, 60 mg; 1.25-1.5 m2, 80 mg; >1.5 m2, 100 mg twice a day on days 1-7. GAS chemotherapy showed good preliminary efficacy with mild toxicity in this study, and warrants a further phase 2 trial to investigate the efficacy of the GAS regimen for LAPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study was an open-label phase I study to confirm the safety and tolerability of NC-6004 in combination with gemcitabine in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors and to assess the PK effects of NC-6004 monotherapy.Methods: This phase I study used a 3 + 3 design to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose of NC-6004 combined with gemcitabine. Safety and pharmacokinetics were assessed. The administration of NC-6004 alone was started at 60 mg/m2 every treatment cycle (21 days per cycle). From the second through eighth cycles, patients received NC-6004 in combination with 1000 mg/m2 of gemcitabine that was administered on day 1 and day 8 of each cycle, except for the first treatment cycle.Results: Twelve patients with advanced solid tumors received 60 or 90 mg/m2 NC-6004. Both MTD and RD were determined to be 90 mg/m2. The most common drug-related adverse events were neutrophil decrease (66.7%) and white blood cell count decrease (41.7%). Population pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis revealed that NC-6004 PK profile in Japanese study was not significantly different from that in a previous Caucasian study.Conclusions: Both MTD and RD of NC-6004 were determined to be 90 mg/m2. The pharmacodynamic (PD) model well explained the time course of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and amplitude of decrease in eGFR. The decrease in eGFR appeared to reach saturation at >100 mg/m2 with NC-6004. Estimated probability of acute kidney injury on this PK/PD simulation was 30% with NC-6004 and 70% with cisplatin, which may better explain the renal toxicity profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Radionuclide-based reporter gene imaging has the sensitivity to monitor gene- and cell-based therapies in human subjects. Potential immunogenicity of current viral transgenes warrants development of human-based reporter systems. We compared human nucleoside kinase reporters to a panel of nucleoside analogs of FEAU, FMAU, and FIAU, including the first in vivo assessment of L-[18F]FEAU.Procedures: Human isogenic U87 cell lines were transduced to express different human reporter genes including dCK-R104M/D133A (dCKDM), dCK-R104Q/D133N (dCKep16A), dCK-A100V/R104M/D133A (dCK3M), and TK2-N93D/L109F (TK2DM), and wild-type dCK (dCK) and herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSVTK) reporter gene as references. In vitro cell uptake assays were performed with [18F]FEAU, L-[18F]FEAU, [14C]FMAU, L-[18F]FMAU, and [124I]FIAU. Micro-positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography imaging of xenograft-bearing nu/nu mice was conducted with [18F]FEAU, L-[18F]FEAU, L-[18F]FMAU, and [124I]FIAU on consecutive days. A cell viability assay was also performed to assess sensitivities to gemcitabine and bromovinyldeoxyuridine (BVdU).Results: In vitro, dCKep16A and dCKDM with [18F]FEAU exhibited the highest sensitivity and selectivity of the human reporters, second only to HSVTK/[18F]FEAU. L-[18F]FEAU biodistribution in mice was on par with [18F]FEAU and L-[18F]FMAU. L-[18F]FMAU uptake in isogenic xenografts was highest for all human reporter genes. However, [18F]FEAU was the most selective of the short half-life reporter probes due to its minimal recognition by human dCK and relative sensitivity, whereas [124I]FIAU permitted imaging at a later time point, improving signal-to-background ratio. Of the human reporter genes, dCKep16A consistently outperformed the other tested reporters. Reporter genes of interest increased potency to the nucleoside analog prodrugs gemcitabine and BVdU.Conclusions: We demonstrate that human nucleoside kinase reporter systems vary significantly in their sensitivity and selectivity for in vivo imaging. The sufficiently high signal-to-background ratios and enhanced suicide gene potential support clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Activating KRAS mutations are reported in up to 90% of pancreatic cancers. Refametinib potently inhibits MEK1/2, part of the MAPK signaling pathway. This phase I/II study evaluated the safety and efficacy of refametinib plus gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.Methods: Phase I comprised dose escalation, followed by phase II expansion. Refametinib and gemcitabine plasma levels were analyzed for pharmacokinetics. KRAS mutational status was determined from circulating tumor DNA.Results: Ninety patients overall received treatment. The maximum tolerated dose was refametinib 50 mg twice daily plus standard gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 weekly). The combination was well tolerated, with no pharmacokinetic interaction. Treatment-emergent toxicities included thrombocytopenia, fatigue, anemia, and edema. The objective response rate was 23% and the disease control rate was 73%. Overall response rate, disease control rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival were higher in patients without detectable KRAS mutations (48% vs. 28%, 81% vs. 69%, 8.8 vs. 5.3 months, and 18.2 vs. 6.6 months, respectively).Conclusion: Refametinib plus gemcitabine was well tolerated, with a promising objective response rate, and had an acceptable safety profile and no pharmacokinetic interaction. There was a trend towards improved outcomes in patients without detectable KRAS mutations that deserves future investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The phase II TACTIC trial prospectively selected patients with KRAS wild-type advanced biliary tract cancer for first-line treatment with panitumumab and combination chemotherapy.Methods: Of 78 patients screened, 85 % had KRAS wild-type tumours and 48 were enrolled. Participants received cisplatin 25 mg/m(2) and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) on day 1 and day 8 of each 21-day cycle and panitumumab 9 mg/kg on day 1 of each cycle. Treatment was continued until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or request to discontinue. The primary endpoint was the clinical benefit rate (CBR) at 12 weeks (complete response, partial response, or stable disease). CBR of 70 % was considered to be of clinical interest. Secondary outcomes were progression-free survival, time to treatment failure, overall survival, CA19.9 response and safety.Results: Thirty-four patients had a clinical benefit at 12 weeks, an actuarial rate of 80 % (95 % CI 65-89 %). 46 % had a complete or partial response. Median progression-free survival was 8.0 months (95 % CI 5.1-9.9) and median overall survival 11.9 months (95 % CI 7.4-15.8). Infection accounted for 27 % of the grade 3 or 4 toxicity, with rash (13 %), fatigue (13 %), and hypomagnesemia (10 %) among the more common grade 3 or 4 non-haematological toxicities.Conclusion: A marker-driven approach to patient selection was feasible in advanced biliary tract cancer in an Australian population. The combination of panitumumab, gemcitabine, and cisplatin in KRAS wild-type cancers was generally well tolerated and showed promising clinical efficacy. Further exploration of anti-EGFR therapy in a more selected population is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine combination significantly improved overall survival over gemcitabine in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. A phase 1b trial was performed (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01730222) to determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of nab-paclitaxel in combination with cisplatin, capecitabine, and gemcitabine at fixed dose (800, 30, and 1250 mg m(-2) every 2 weeks, respectively; PAXG regimen).Methods: Nab-paclitaxel doses were escalated from 100 (level one) to 125 (level two) and 150 mg m(-2) (level three) every 2 weeks in cohorts of 3-6 patients with pathologically confirmed unresectable or borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.Results: Between Dec 2012 and Apr 2014, 24 patients were enroled (3 at level one, 5 at level two, 16 at level three) and received 117 cycles of PAXG. No dose-limiting toxicity occurred and level three was the RP2D. At this dose, nab-paclitaxel dose-intensity was 91%. Worse per patient grade 3/4 toxicity were neutropenia 25/31%; fatigue 19%; anaemia and hand-foot syndrome 12%, nausea 6%, and febrile neutropenia 6%. A partial response (PR) was observed in 16 (67%) and stable disease (SD) in 8 patients (33%). Among 21 patients with a baseline positive positron emission tomography (PET) scan, a complete metabolic response was observed in 9 (43%), PR in 10 (48%), SD in 2. CA19-9 decreased by ⩾49% in all the 19 patients with elevated basal value. Six patients were resected after chemotherapy. Progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS-6) was 96%.Conclusions: The RP2D of nab-paclitaxel in the PAXG regimen was 150 mg m(-2) every 2 weeks. The preliminary results are promising and warrant further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and toxicity of chronomodulated capecitabine administered in the morning and at noon according to a specific time schedule (Brunch Regimen: Breakfast and Lunch) as a part of first-line XELOX chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.Methods: A total of 30 treatment-naïve colorectal cancer patients with metastatic disease were included. Oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) on day 1 plus chronomodulated oral capecitabine 2000 mg/m(2) per day were administered (50 % dose at 8:00 a.m. and 50 % dose at 12:00 noon on days 1-14, every 21 days). All adverse events, treatment responses and survival were evaluated. In addition, pharmacokinetic profile of capecitabine was examined in a subset of 5 patients.Results: Median age was 57.1 years (range 32-77 years). Median follow-up was 19 months (range 3-36 months). Three patients (10 %) had complete response, 13 patients (43.3 %) had partial response and 4 patients (13.3 %) had stabile disease. Ten patients had progressive disease at their first evaluation (33.3 %). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10 months (range 2-36 months). There were no grade 4 toxicities. One patient (3.3 %) had grade 3 neutropenia. Hand-foot syndrome developed in three patients (10 %): 6.6 %, grade 1 and 3.3 %, grade 2.Conclusions: Chronomodulated XELOX seems to represent a promising therapeutic option in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma due to good tumor control and favorable toxicity profile. Phase III randomized trials are required to assess the actual clinical efficacy and side effect profile of this regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study attempted to compare changes in the Quality-of-Life (QoL) scores after three different first-line anti-cancer treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world clinical setting.Patients and Methods: From May 2011 to December 2013, we prospectively measured the QoL scores of patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC using the World Health Organization Quality-of-Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Each QoL measurement was matched by age and sex with one healthy referent from the National Health Interview Survey. Dynamic changes in patients' QoL scores and major determinants were repeatedly assessed by construction of a mixed-effects model to adjust for possible confounders.Results: A total of 336 patients with 577 QoL measurements related to first-line anti-cancer treatments were enrolled. Performance status was the most important predictor of QoL scores in all domains after controlling for potential confounders. With age- and sex-matched healthy subjects as the reference, patients treated with gemcitabine + platinum showed significantly lower scores in multiple physical and psychological domain items in the WHOQOL-BREF. However, pemetrexed + platinum and gefitinib/erlotinib affected patients' QoL scores in 'energy/fatigue' and 'daily activities' with smaller magnitudes, and the scores appeared to improve after 3-4 months of treatment.Conclusions: Patients receiving gemcitabine + platinum as first-line anti-cancer treatment for advanced NSCLC experienced relatively poor QoL scores throughout treatment course. Studies to develop a real-time computerized system automatically updating the mixed-effects model for QoL to facilitate participatory clinical decision making by physicians, patients, and their families merit further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bortezomib is a selective reversible proteasome inhibitor with proapoptotic effects. Preclinical and phase I clinical data suggest activity of bortezomib in NSCLC, either as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents including gemcitabine and cisplatin.Methods: Chemotherapy-naïve patients with inoperable stage IIIB or IV NSCLC were administered bortezomib 1 mg/m(2) i.v. on days 1 and 8, and starting on day 21 (cycle 2), bortezomib (days 1 and 8) in combination with gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2), (days 1 and 8), and cisplatin 70 mg/m(2) (day 1) in cycles of 21 days. Up to 8 cycles of combination therapy could be administered; single-agent bortezomib was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.Results: Fifty-three patients [median age 66 years; 79.2 % male; 96.2 % stage IV; performance status (ECOG) 0/1 73.6/26.4 %; adenocarcinoma 45.3 %, squamous cell carcinoma 41.5 %] were enrolled. All patients were evaluable for toxicity and 43 for efficacy. Grade 3-4 hematologic toxicity consisted of neutropenia (22.6 %) and thrombocytopenia (17 %). Grade 2-4 non-hematologic adverse events were fever (9.4 %), fatigue (20.8 %), infection (18.9 %), and dyspnea (15.1 %). There was no >grade 2 neurotoxicity. Febrile neutropenia occurred in two (1.9 %) patients, and there were three possibly treatment-related deaths (5.4 %). In the intention-to-treat population, the objective response rate was 17 % (95 % CI 6.9-27.1 %). No difference in response rate was observed for squamous versus other histology (18.2 vs. 16.1 %, p = 0.845). The median progression-free survival was 2.5 months, the median overall survival 10.6 months and the 1-year survival rate 38.1 %.Conclusion: The incorporation of bortezomib into the gemcitabine/cisplatin regimen, in the dose and schedule used in this study, could not improve the efficacy of the chemotherapy regimen and has not to be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The phase III MPACT trial in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC) demonstrated superior efficacy of nab-paclitaxel (nab-P) plus gemcitabine (Gem) compared with Gem monotherapy, including the primary endpoint of overall survival (OS; median 8.7 vs. 6.6 months; hazard ratio [HR] 0.72; P < 0.001). A significant treatment difference favoring nab-P + Gem over Gem was observed for OS in patients treated in North America. The majority of patients were from the US (88%) with only 12% from Canada. Healthcare systems and treatment patterns are different between the 2 countries, and there is limited published information on outcomes of Canadian patients treated with first-line nab-P + Gem. This analysis evaluated efficacy and safety outcomes in Canadian patients in the MPACT trial.Methods: Treatment-naive patients with MPC (N = 861) received either nab-P 125 mg/m(2) + Gem 1000 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks or Gem 1000 mg/m(2) weekly for the first 7 of 8 weeks (cycle 1) and then on days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks (cycle ≥2).Results: The MPACT trial enrolled 63 patients in Canada. Baseline characteristics were well balanced and comparable with those of the intent-to-treat population. Both OS (median 11.9 vs. 7.1 months; HR 0.76; P = 0.373) and progression-free survival (median 7.2 vs. 5.2 months; HR 0.65; P = 0.224) were numerically longer and overall response rate (27% vs. 17%; P = 0.312) was numerically higher with nab-P + Gem vs. Gem. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events with nab-P + Gem vs. Gem were neutropenia (22% vs. 10%), fatigue (34% vs. 33%), and neuropathy (25% vs. 0%).Conclusion: This subanalysis confirmed that nab-P + Gem is an efficacious treatment option and has a manageable safety profile in patients with MPC treated in Canada.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT00844649.Funding: Celgene Corporation, Summit, NJ, USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The need to promote novel drug development for advanced biliary tract cancer (ABTC) has emphasised the importance of determining whether various efficacy end points can act as surrogates for overall survival (OS).Methods: We conducted a literature search of randomised trials of first-line chemotherapy for ABTC and investigated correlations between efficacy end points and OS using weighted linear regression analysis. The ratios of the median OS, median progression-free survival (PFS), response rate, and disease control rate in each trial were used to summarise treatment effects. The surrogate threshold effect (STE), which was the minimum treatment effect on PFS required to predict a non-zero treatment effect on OS, was calculated.Results: Seventeen randomised trials with 36 treatment arms were identified, and a sample size of 2148 patients with 19 paired arms was analysed. The strongest correlation between all evaluated efficacy end points was observed between median OS and median PFS ratios (r(2)=0.66). In trials with gemcitabine-containing therapies and targeted agents, the r(2)-values were 0.78. The STE was estimated at 0.83 for all trials and 0.81 for trials with gemcitabine-containing therapies, and was not calculated for trials with targeted agents.Conclusions: The median PFS ratio correlated well with the median OS ratio, and may be useful for planning a clinical trial for novel drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]