Search

AlphaVbeta3 (alphavbeta3) is an important molecule for tumor-induced angiogenesis and is upregulated in metastatic melanoma (MM). We proposed to study the mechanism of action of etaracizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting alphavbeta3, in MM. Patients with MM and biopsiable tumor were treated with etaracizumab in 3 dose cohorts starting from 8 mg/kg. Tumor saturation by etaracizumab using LM609 immunohistochemical staining of tumor sections was the primary endpoint. Subsequent dose cohorts were defined based on the tumor saturation by etaracizumab. Secondary end points were analysis of clinical benefit and changes from baseline of several tumor and peripheral blood biomarkers. Eighteen patients were enrolled at 3 dose levels. Etaracizumab showed better melanoma cell saturation at the 8mg/kg and 1 mg/kg dose compared with the 4 mg/kg dose and better vascular endothelial cell saturation at 8 mg/kg compared with lower dose groups. Etaracizumab demonstrated an acceptable safety profile. The optimal biologic dose out of those selected for investigation was 8 mg/kg. Patients treated at the highest dose may have had better clinical benefit secondary to suppression of the activated immediate downstream effector of alphavbeta3 signaling, FAK, in melanoma cells, but this alone did not ultimately affect melanoma cell proliferation or apoptosis. No apparent antiangiogenic or immunomodulatory effects of etaracizumab were noted.

Purpose: We report an increased incidence of EBV-induced B-cell lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) in patients treated with siplizumab, an anti-CD2 antibody. The development of EBV-LPD has been associated with the use of immunosuppressive agents used in solid organ, bone marrow, and stem cell transplantation and in certain congenital immunodeficiencies., Experimental Design: We conducted a single-institution phase I dose-escalation trial of siplizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody to CD2, in 29 patients with T-cell malignancies., Results: Although initial responses were encouraging, 4 (13.7%) patients developed EBV-LPD and the trial was stopped. Reductions in CD4(+) and CD8(+) cell count numbers in response to therapy were seen in all patients, but in those patients developing EBV-LPD a significantly greater reduction in natural killer (NK) cell number and CD2 expression on T cells was seen. These findings highlight the importance of NK-cell depletion and CD2 expression in addition to T-cell depletion in the etiology of EBV-LPD., Conclusions: The emergence of EBV-LPD may be associated with the ability of siplizumab to deplete both T and NK cells without affecting B cells. Agents that deplete T- and NK-cell populations without affecting B cell number should be screened for this potentially serious adverse event.

This study assessed the safety, immunogenicity, and pharmacokinetics of etaracizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the alphavbeta3 integrin, in patients with advanced malignancies. Four cohorts of four patients received escalating dose of etaracizumab as a 30-min intravenous infusion, first as a single test dose, followed-up 2-5 weeks later by weekly doses. Sixteen patients with advanced solid tumors received a total of 309 cycles of etaracizumab at doses ranging 1-6 mg/kg. The mean number of weekly infusions was 19 (ranging 5-53). Frequently reported adverse events were grades 1-2 asthenia (15 patients) and infusion reactions (9 patients). At 1 mg/kg, one patient experienced grade 3 chills with the first infusion. Other grade 3 toxicities included reversible hyponatremia, hypophosphatemia and hyponatremia in one patient each at 1, 4 and 6 mg/kg, respectively. No patient experienced treatment delay/discontinuation due to an adverse event. The half-life of etaracizumab ranged 49-180 h with a nonlinear increase in terminal half-life with increasing doses. There was no objective response but five patients experienced a stable disease of >6-month duration. Etaracizumab was well-tolerated at doses up to 6 mg/kg with no evidence of immunogenicity. The safety profile of etaracizumab warrants further exploration in ongoing phase I/II trials.

At present, a variety of agents targeting tumor angiogenesis are under clinical investigation as new therapies for patients with cancer. Overexpression of the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin on tumor vasculature has been associated with an aggressive phenotype of several solid tumor types. Murine models have shown that antibodies targeting the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin can affect tumor vasculature and block tumor formation and metastasis. These findings suggest that antibodies directed at alpha(v)beta(3) could be investigated in the treatment of human malignancies. The current phase I dose escalation study evaluated the safety of MEDI-522, a monoclonal antibody specific for the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin, in patients with advanced malignancies. Twenty-five patients with a variety of metastatic solid tumors were treated with MEDI-522 on a weekly basis with doses ranging from 2 to 10 mg/kg/wk. Adverse events were assessed weekly; pharmacokinetic studies were done; and radiographic staging was done every 8 weeks. In addition, dynamic computed tomography imaging was done at baseline and at 8 weeks in patients with suitable target lesions amenable to analysis, to potentially identify the effect of MEDI-522 on tumor perfusion. Treatment was well tolerated, and a maximum tolerated dose was not identified by traditional dose-limiting toxicities. The major adverse events observed were grade 1 and 2 infusion-related reactions (fever, rigors, flushing, injection site reactions, and tachycardia), low-grade constitutional and gastrointestinal symptoms (fatigue, myalgias, and nausea), and asymptomatic hypophosphatemia. Dynamic computed tomography imaging suggested a possible effect on tumor perfusion with an increase in contrast mean transit time from baseline to the 8-week evaluation with increasing doses of MEDI-522. No complete or partial responses were observed. Three patients with metastatic renal cell cancer experienced prolonged stable disease (34 weeks, >1 and >2 years) on treatment. With this weekly schedule of administration, and in the doses studied, MEDI-522 seems to be without significant toxicity, may have effects on tumor perfusion, and may have clinical activity in renal cell cancer. These findings suggest the MEDI-522 could be further investigated as an antiangiogenic agent for the treatment of cancer.

Purpose: To identify predictors of treatment outcome and survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with docetaxel., Experimental Design: The data were collected from 180 NSCLC patients enrolled in six docetaxel Phase II studies at a dose of 100 mg/m(2). Clinical end points for this study were safety reported as the first course adverse events requiring dose reduction, and efficacy was measured by response rate and survival. The independent variables included docetaxel dose, individual estimates of clearance, area under the plasma concentration time curve, extent of previous treatment, and covariables related to the patient's demographics, extent of disease, and performance status. The data were analyzed using a logistic regression model for response and severe adverse events and a Cox multivariate regression model for survival., Results: Docetaxel exposure as measured by the area under the plasma concentration time curve was the only significant predictor (P < 0.0001) of severe toxicity during the first course of therapy. Baseline alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) was the only significant predictor of response with an odds ratio of 0.44 for changes in AAG from 1.11 to 1.85 grams/liter (P = 0.0039). Cumulative dose, AAG, and extent of disease were independent predictors of survival (P < 0.005). The median survival varied from 15.6 months for patients with a low AAG (AAG < or = 1.11 grams/liter) to 5.5 months for patients with a high AAG (AAG >/= 1.85 grams/liter)., Conclusion: AAG appears to be an independent predictor of response and a major objective prognostic factor of survival in patients with NSCLC treated with docetaxel chemotherapy.

Purpose: To confirm the promising phase II results of docetaxel monotherapy, this phase III trial was conducted of chemotherapy for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had previously failed platinum-containing chemotherapy., Patients and Methods: A total of 373 patients were randomized to receive either docetaxel 100 mg/m(2) (D100) or 75 mg/m(2) (D75) versus a control regimen of vinorelbine or ifosfamide (V/I). The three treatment groups were well-balanced for key patient characteristics., Results: Overall response rates were 10.8% with D100 and 6.7% with D75, each significantly higher than the 0.8% response with V/I (P =.001 and P =.036, respectively). Patients who received docetaxel had a longer time to progression (P =.046, by log-rank test) and a greater progression-free survival at 26 weeks (P =.005, by chi(2) test). Although overall survival was not significantly different between the three groups, the 1-year survival was significantly greater with D75 than with the control treatment (32% v 19%; P =.025, by chi(2) test). Prior exposure to paclitaxel did not decrease the likelihood of response to docetaxel, nor did it impact survival. There was a trend toward greater efficacy in patients whose disease was platinum-resistant rather than platinum-refractory and in patients with performance status of 0 or 1 versus 2. Toxicity was greatest with D100, but the D75 arm was well-tolerated., Conclusion: This first randomized trial in this setting demonstrates that D75 every 3 weeks can offer clinically meaningful benefit to patients with advanced NSCLC whose disease has relapsed or progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Objective: The objective was to determine the role of arcitumomab (CEA-Scan; Immunomedics, Morris Plains, NJ), an anticarcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) Fab' labeled with technetium-99m, in the presurgical evaluation of patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal carcinoma., Summary Background Data: Surgical resection is the only method known to cure recurrent or metastatic colorectal carcinoma. The location and extent of disease must be determined before surgery. The role of antibody imaging, a new cancer detection modality, in preoperative evaluation for resection of locally recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer has not been established, either alone or in combination with standard diagnostic modalities., Methods: In a blinded analysis of 209 patients with known or suspected colorectal cancer, the accuracy of arcitumomab, alone and combined with computed tomography (CT), was compared to that of CT for predicting abdominopelvic tumor resectability by correlating the results with surgical and histopathologic findings., Results: Arcitumomab alone or combined with CT was found to be significantly more accurate for predicting surgical outcome than CT alone. When the results of CT and arcitumomab were concordant for abdominopelvic resectability, nonresectability, or absence of disease, the prediction was accurate in 67%, 100%, and 64%, respectively. Thus, the concordance for nonresectability (100% correct) may obviate the need for other diagnostic modalities or exploratory surgery. When the two tests were discordant, arcitumomab was correct substantially more often than CT. Because the liver is the most common site of distant metastasis in colorectal cancer, a subset of patients with hepatic disease was also analyzed; findings were similar to the overall resectability results. The product's safety profile was excellent: the incidence of induction of an immune response against arcitumomab was <1% and that of potentially adverse events was 1.2%., Conclusions: The accuracy of arcitumomab for assessing resectability status is greater than that of CT, both in all patients undergoing evaluation for curative abdominopelvic resection of colorectal cancer and in the subset of patients with suspected or proven liver metastases. The additional use of arcitumomab with CT potentially doubles the number of patients who could be saved the cost, morbidity, and mortality of unnecessary abdominopelvic surgery and increases those who are potentially resectable for cure by 40%.