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Background: In the double-blind, phase 3 PALOMA-2 and PALOMA-3 studies, palbociclib plus endocrine therapy (ET) demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival versus placebo plus ET in patients with hormone receptor‒positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2‒negative advanced breast cancer. This analysis assessed subsequent treatment patterns after palbociclib therapy in Japanese patients enrolled in the PALOMA-2 and PALOMA-3 studies., Methods: PALOMA-2 included postmenopausal women who had not received prior systemic therapy for advanced disease. PALOMA-3 included pre- or postmenopausal women who had progressed on previous ET. Types of subsequent therapy were assessed, and treatment durations of subsequent therapy were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method., Results: Japanese patients were enrolled in PALOMA-2 (n = 46) and PALOMA-3 (n = 35). In both studies, the most common first subsequent therapy was ET (PALOMA-2, 77% in the palbociclib group and 75% in the placebo group; PALOMA-3, 55% and 43%, respectively), followed by chemotherapy (PALOMA-2, 18% and 8%; PALOMA-3, 32% and 57%). The median (95% CI) duration of first subsequent therapy was 6.4 (2.3‒13.9) months with palbociclib plus letrozole and 6.7 (2.8‒13.0) months with placebo plus letrozole in PALOMA-2 and 3.8 (2.4‒5.7) months with palbociclib plus fulvestrant and 9.7 (1.0‒not estimable) months with placebo plus fulvestrant in PALOMA-3., Conclusions: The types of first subsequent therapy received by Japanese patients in the palbociclib plus ET and placebo plus ET groups were similar. Further evaluation of subsequent therapy data in the real-world setting is warranted considering the small sample size of this analysis.

Palbociclib is a highly selective, reversible, oral inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 that is approved to treat hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer. An open-label, single-arm, Japanese phase 2 study was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of palbociclib plus letrozole as first-line treatment in 42 postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer. The probability of progression-free survival originally reported at 1 year was 75.0% (90% confidence interval, 61.3-84.4), but median progression-free survival was not attained at the primary analysis. In this report, updated efficacy and safety results with a longer follow-up period are presented. The median duration of treatment in the updated analysis was 33.0 months (range, 1.8-49.2). The probability of progression-free survival at 1 year was 75.6% (90% confidence interval, 62.4-84.7). Median progression-free survival was 35.7 months (95% confidence interval, 21.7-46.7). Objective response rate and disease control rate were 47.6% (95% confidence interval, 32.0-63.6) and 85.7% (95% confidence interval, 71.5-94.6), respectively. Common treatment-related adverse events (all grades; grade 3/4) were neutropenia (100%; 93%), leukopenia (83%; 60%), and stomatitis (76%; 0%). Treatment-related febrile neutropenia was reported in one patient. In general, no clinically meaningful deterioration in health-related quality of life was observed. Palbociclib plus letrozole remained effective and tolerable in Japanese postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer in this updated analysis., (© 2020 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The correct name of the last author should be "Masakazu Toi", and not ''Masakuzu Toi" as given in the original publication of the article.

Background: The cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor palbociclib, in combination with endocrine therapy (ET), significantly prolonged progression-free survival in women with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer (HR+/HER2- ABC) in PALOMA-2 and PALOMA-3. Neutropenia and palbociclib dose reductions/interruptions occurred more frequently in the Japanese versus overall populations. We evaluated neutropenia patterns, palbociclib dose management, and clinical responses after dose reduction in Japanese patients in PALOMA-2 and PALOMA-3 and a single-arm Japanese phase 2 study., Methods: PALOMA-2 and the Japanese phase 2 study enrolled postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2- ABC who had not received prior systemic therapy for advanced disease; PALOMA-3 enrolled women with HR+/HER2- ABC, regardless of menopausal status, whose disease had progressed after prior ET. Palbociclib (125 mg/day) was administered 3 weeks on/1 week off. Dose reduction/interruption, cycle delay, tumor response, and laboratory-assessed neutropenia were analyzed in Japanese patients who received palbociclib., Results: A total of 101 Japanese patients received palbociclib + ET. Among Japanese patients in the 3 studies, the frequency of all-grade/grade 3/grade 4 neutropenia was 94%/53%/34%, 100%/69%/21%, and 100%/67%/26%, respectively. Twenty (63%), 28 (67%), and 15 (56%) patients required palbociclib dose reduction. Dose interruption or reduction did not affect palbociclib treatment duration, and durable tumor response was observed despite dose reduction., Conclusion: Neutropenia was manageable with dose modifications, without affecting palbociclib treatment duration or efficacy., Trial Registration: Pfizer (NCT01740427, NCT01684215, NCT01942135).

Objective: Post-marketing surveillance (PMS) was performed in Japan to obtain information on the safety and efficacy of crizotinib., Methods: Target patients included almost all patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer who were administered crizotinib. The observation period was 52 weeks. In the present study, we focused on the treatment status and safety of crizotinib therapy and analyzed the real-world data obtained by this PMS (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01597258)., Results: The safety analysis set included 2028 Japanese patients, and more than half of the patients (56.4%) were nonsmokers. The incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was 91.6%, and common ADRs (incidence ≥15%) were nausea (32.2%), diarrhea (24.3%), photopsia (18.9%), vomiting (17.5%) and dysgeusia (16.8%). Many patients (623 patients) discontinued treatment of crizotinib because of adverse events within 12 weeks after therapy initiation, which tended to frequently occur in the following cases: (1) elderly, (2) body weight <40 kg, (3) body surface area <1.2 m2 (4) ECOG PS 2-4, (5) higher Brinkman index and (6) history of occupational/environmental exposure such as asbestos/pneumoconiosis. The proportions of patients remaining on crizotinib therapy were 68.2% for 3 months, 55.2% for 6 months and 36.1% for 12 months, with a median duration of 7.9 months. Multivariate analysis with a Cox proportional hazard model identified 10 statistically significant patient background factors influencing the duration of crizotinib therapy., Conclusions: No new safety concerns were observed in this PMS study. Our results provide useful information regarding the status of crizotinib therapy in the clinical setting., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: In an interim analysis of a Phase II trial in Japanese patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (panNETs), sunitinib demonstrated antitumor activity with an objective response rate (ORR) of 50% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21-79) and a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 16.8 months (95% CI, 9.3-26.2). Here, we report the final analyses of efficacy and safety, as well as additional analyses, from this Phase II study., Methods: This was a multicenter, open-label, Phase II trial (NCT01121562) of sunitinib in Japanese patients with panNETs. Patients received oral sunitinib 37.5 mg/day on a continuous daily dosing schedule. Dose modifications were permitted. The primary endpoint was clinical benefit rate (CBR). Secondary endpoints included ORR, PFS, overall survival (OS), safety and pharmacokinetics., Results: Of 12 patients enrolled and treated, all discontinued treatment-the majority (n = 8) owing to disease progression. Most patients were male (n = 8), <65 years of age (n = 11) and had a non-functional tumor (n = 10). The median (range) number of days on drug was 323.5 (22-727). The CBR (95% CI) was 75.0% (42.8-94.5). ORR (95% CI) was 50.0% (21.1-78.9). Median (95% CI) PFS was 16.8 (9.3-26.2) months; however, median (95% CI) OS was not reached (22.0-not estimable). Most common adverse events (AEs; all-causality) were diarrhea (n = 10; 83.3%), hand-foot syndrome (n = 8; 66.7%) and hypertension (n = 8; 66.7%)., Conclusions: These results support the efficacy and safety of sunitinib in Japanese patients with panNETs. Appropriate AE management through dose reduction and interruption may prolong sunitinib treatment and maximize its efficacy., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: In the double-blind, phase 3 PALOMA-3 study, palbociclib-fulvestrant significantly prolonged progression-free survival versus placebo-fulvestrant in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) whose disease had progressed on prior endocrine therapy. The present study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of palbociclib plus fulvestrant in Japanese patients enrolled in PALOMA-3., Methods: Pre/peri/postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- MBC were randomized 2:1 to fulvestrant (500 mg) and either palbociclib (125 mg/day; 3 weeks on/1 week off; n = 347) or placebo (n = 174). Prespecified exploratory analyses compared the efficacy (data cutoff: October 23, 2015), safety, and pharmacokinetics (data cutoff: December 5, 2014) in Japanese women versus the overall population., Results: A total of 35 Japanese women were randomized to palbociclib-fulvestrant (n = 27) or placebo-fulvestrant (n = 8). Median progression-free survival was 13.6 months (95% CI, 7.5-not estimable) in the Japanese palbociclib-fulvestrant group and 11.2 months (95% CI, 5.6-not estimable) in the placebo-fulvestrant group. The most common adverse event (AE) in Japanese patients was neutropenia (all grades, 93%); no discontinuations were due to an AE. Geometric mean trough concentration values (within-subject mean steady state) for palbociclib were similar for Japanese Asian (excluding Japanese), and non-Asian patients (84.4 ng/mL, 86.3 ng/mL, and 74.8 ng/mL, respectively)., Conclusion(s): The results for the overall population and Japanese patients in PALOMA-3 suggest that palbociclib plus fulvestrant was effective and well tolerated in Japanese patients with HR+/HER2‒ MBC whose disease had progressed on prior endocrine therapy (Pfizer; NCT01942135).

Background: In PALOMA-2, palbociclib-letrozole significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) vs placebo-letrozole in women with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ER+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC) in the first-line setting. We evaluated the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of palbociclib in Japanese women in PALOMA-2., Methods: In this phase 3 study, 666 postmenopausal women with ER+/HER2- ABC were randomized 2:1 to palbociclib (125 mg/day [3 weeks on/1 week off]) plus letrozole (2.5 mg daily) or placebo plus letrozole. A prespecified, exploratory, subgroup analysis of Japanese patients (n = 46) was conducted to compare results with those of the overall population., Results: At the February 26, 2016 cutoff, median PFS among the 46 Japanese patients was 22.2 months (95%CI, 13.6‒not estimable) with palbociclib-letrozole vs 13.8 months (5.6‒22.2) with placebo-letrozole (hazard ratio, 0.59 [95%CI, 0.26-1.34]). The most common adverse events (AEs) were hematologic and more frequent among Japanese patients than the overall population (neutropenia: 93.8% [87.5% grade 3/4] vs 79.5% [66.4%]; leukopenia: 62.5% [43.8%] vs 39.0% [24.8%]); no Japanese patients had febrile neutropenia. Palbociclib dose reductions due to toxicity (mainly neutropenia) were more common in Japanese patients (62.5% vs 36.0%); few permanently discontinued due to AEs. Although mean palbociclib trough concentration was higher in Japanese patients vs non-Asians (95.4 vs 61.7 ng/mL), the range of individual values of the Japanese patients was within that of non-Asians., Conclusions: These results from PALOMA-2 suggest that palbociclib-letrozole merits consideration as a first-line treatment option for postmenopausal Japanese patients with ER+/HER2‒ ABC. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01740427.

Purpose: Crizotinib has demonstrated superior progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rates (ORRs) versus chemotherapy in previously treated and untreated patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We report the safety and efficacy of crizotinib in Asian subpopulations of two global phase III trials., Materials and Methods: This analysis evaluated previously treated and untreated patients in two randomized, openlabel phase III trials of crizotinib versus chemotherapy in ALK-positive advanced NSCLC in second-line (PROFILE 1007) and first-line settings (PROFILE 1014). Efficacy and safety were analyzed by race in the intention-to-treat and "as-treated" populations for efficacy and safety endpoints, respectively., Results: In previously treated (n=157) and untreated (n=157) Asian patients, PFS was statistically significantly longer with crizotinib versus chemotherapy (hazard ratio for PFS, 0.526; 95% confidence interval, 0.363 to 0.762; p &lt; 0.001 and hazard ratio, 0.442; 95% confidence interval, 0.302 to 0.648; p &lt; 0.001, respectively). Similar antitumor activity was seen in the non-Asian and overall populations. ORRs were statistically significantly higher with crizotinib versus chemotherapy in both Asian and non-Asian previously treated and untreated patients (p &lt; 0.05). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (any grade)with crizotinib were vision disorder, diarrhea, and nausea, which were observed at a comparable incidence across Asian and non-Asian populations, irrespective of previous treatment status. Most adverse events were mild to moderate in severity., Conclusion: These data, currently the only analysis showing Asian and non-Asian populations in the same study, support the efficacy and safety of crizotinib in Asian patients with previously treated or untreated ALK-positive advanced NSCLC.

This single-arm, open-label, phase II study in 42 Japanese postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ER+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer evaluated the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of first-line palbociclib (125 mg once daily, 3 weeks on/1 week off) coadministered with letrozole (2.5 mg once daily). Primary endpoint of investigator-assessed 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) probability was 75.0% (90% CI, 61.3%-84.4%), far surpassing the 40% lower limit of the 90% CI supporting efficacy. Median duration of treatment was 438 days. Among secondary efficacy measures, median PFS was not reached (95% CI, 16.7: not estimable), 17/42 patients (40.5%) had an objective response, 36/42 (85.7%) maintained disease control, and 27/42 (64.3%) remained in follow-up. Median overall survival was not reached, and 1-year survival probability was 92.9% (95% CI, 79.5%-97.6%). Results of intensive pharmacokinetics in a subset of 6 patients showed palbociclib steady-state mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve over the dosing interval [τ] and mean maximum plasma concentration were 1979 ng·h/mL and 124.7 ng/mL, respectively. For day 15 plasma samples from cycles 1 and 2, geometric mean of the within-patient mean trough concentration was 90.1 ng/mL. The most common treatment-related adverse events were neutropenia (100%) and stomatitis (73.8%). There was 1 case of treatment-related febrile neutropenia. Toxicities were generally tolerated and manageable by dose modifications and/or medical care. Efficacy and safety of first-line palbociclib plus letrozole therapy is supported in Japanese postmenopausal patients with treatment-naive ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer., (© 2018 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

This phase I study in Japanese patients evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of palbociclib, a highly selective and reversible oral cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor, as monotherapy for solid tumors (part 1) and combined with letrozole as first-line treatment of postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer (part 2). Part 1 evaluated palbociclib 100 and 125 mg once daily (3 weeks on/1 week off; n = 6 each group) to determine the maximum tolerated dose. Part 2 evaluated palbociclib maximum tolerated dose (125 mg) plus letrozole 2.5 mg (n = 6). The most common treatment-related adverse event was neutropenia (all grades/grade 3/4): 100 mg, 83%/67%; 125 mg, 67%/33%; and palbociclib plus letrozole, 100%/83%. Heavier pretreatment with chemotherapy may have resulted in higher neutropenia rates observed with the 100-mg dose. Palbociclib exposure was higher with 125 vs 100 mg (mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve over dosing interval [τ]: 1322 vs 547.5 ng·h/mL [single dose], 2838 vs 1276 ng·h/mL [multiple dose]; mean maximum plasma concentration: 104.1 vs 41.4 ng/mL [single dose], 185.5 vs 77.4 ng/mL [multiple dose]). Half-life was 23-26 h. No drug-drug interactions between palbociclib and letrozole occurred. Four patients had stable disease (≥24 weeks in one patient with rectal cancer [100 mg] and one with esophageal cancer [125 mg]) in part 1; two patients had partial response and two had stable disease (both ≥24 weeks) in part 2. Palbociclib at the 125-mg dose (schedule 3/1) was tolerated and is the recommended dose for monotherapy and letrozole combination therapy in Japanese patients. The trials are registered with www.ClinicalTrials.gov: A5481010 and NCT01684215., (© 2016 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Pegvisomant is a GH receptor antagonist and strong inhibitor of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) production. The treatment goal for acromegaly is to normalize serum IGF-I levels and attenuate associated symptoms. The efficacy and safety of pegvisomant as treatment for acromegaly have been reported in Caucasians, but not in Japanese. Here we report the clinical experience of using pegvisomant in Japanese patients with acromegaly. The efficacy and safety data for pegvisomant from two open-labeled clinical studies in Japan, conducted from 2004 to 2007, were re-analyzed using the new Japanese age- and sex-matched normative ranges for IGF-I. Eighteen patients with active acromegaly were enrolled in an initial pivotal study, and 16 of them were moved to a long-term (max 168 weeks) extension study. The dose of pegvisomant in the extension study was adjusted to 10-30 mg per day according to IGF-I levels. IGF-I normalization was observed in 81.3% (13/16 patients) during the extension study. The mean percentage decrease from baseline in serum IGF-I level was 64.7% at the time of last observation. The clinical symptoms and overall health status were improved, and the ring size was reduced over time until Week 12 and maintained. For safety, no clinically significant changes were observed both in the pituitary tumor size and the anti-GH antibody level. Three subjects were withdrawn from the studies due to an abnormal elevation of liver enzymes which resolved after discontinuation. Pegvisomant demonstrated excellent clinical efficacy and was well tolerated in Japanese patients with acromegaly.

This article is based on the consensus of a task force of the Data Science Expert Committee, Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. Common Technical Documents (CTDs) need to be harmonized in all of the ICH regions to enhance the scientific value and efficiency of these documents. Region-specific CTDs often require modifications for submission in different countries-an urgent issue not only for Japan but also for the countries where participation in the ICH framework will expand. CTDs themselves should be globalized, which means they should use not only a common format but also common contents, by incorporation of a 3-layer approach. In layer 1 of this approach, efficacy and safety of a study drug are evaluated through the overall study results; layer 2 entails evaluation of whether there is inconsistency in efficacy and/or safety of the study drug for a specific subgroup with overall results; and in layer 3, the results of layers 1 and 2 are used to evaluate benefits and risks in each applying country. The 3-layer approach can be used to create a globally common model using data collected in all countries in the study. This global evaluation allows benefits and risks to be evaluated in all countries and should allow globalized CTDs to be developed. Alignment between research and development sites by pharmaceutical companies and success of regulatory conventions can reduce the total amount of review time. Ultimately, these changes would lead to faster approval of new drugs.

Background: This phase I, dose-finding study evaluated the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity of sunitinib plus S-1/cisplatin in Japanese patients with advanced/metastatic gastric cancer., Patients and Methods: Patients received oral sunitinib on a continuous daily dosing (CDD) or 2-weeks-on/2-weeks-off schedule (Schedule 2/2; 25 mg/day or 37.5 mg/day), plus S-1 (80-120 mg/day)/cisplatin 60 mg/m(2)., Results: Twenty-seven patients received treatment, including 26 patients treated per protocol (sunitinib 25 mg/day CDD schedule, n = 4; sunitinib 25 mg/day Schedule 2/2, n = 16 [dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) cohort, n = 6 plus expansion cohort, n = 10]; sunitinib 37.5 mg/day Schedule 2/2, n = 6). One patient erroneously self-administered sunitinib 12.5 mg/day and was excluded from the analyses. The MTD was sunitinib 25 mg/day on Schedule 2/2. DLTs were reported for: 2/4 patients given sunitinib 25 mg/day on the CDD schedule; 1/6 patients administered sunitinib 25 mg/day on Schedule 2/2 (grade [G] 3 neutropenic infection, G4 thrombocytopenia, and S-1 dose interruption ≥5 days), and 3/6 patients given sunitinib 37.5 mg/day on Schedule 2/2. Results below are for the overall MTD cohort (n = 16). The most frequently reported G3/4 adverse events were neutropenia (93.8 %) and leukopenia (75.0 %). The objective response rate was 37.5 %; six additional patients experienced no disease progression for ≥24 weeks. Median progression-free survival was 12.5 months. No pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions were observed between sunitinib/S-1/cisplatin and S-1/cisplatin., Conclusions: The MTD of sunitinib was 25 mg/day on Schedule 2/2 combined with cisplatin/S-1 in patients with advanced/metastatic gastric cancer. This regimen had a manageable safety profile and preliminary antitumor activity.

Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare but are frequently diagnosed at advanced stages and require systemic therapy., Patients and Methods: This multicenter, open-label, phase II study evaluated sunitinib in Japanese patients with well-differentiated pancreatic NET. Patients received sunitinib 37.5 mg/day on a continuous daily dosing (CDD) schedule. The primary endpoint was clinical benefit rate (CBR; percentage of complete responses [CRs] plus partial responses [PRs] plus stable disease [SD] ≥ 24 weeks). Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), tumor shrinkage, progression-free survival (PFS) probability, safety, pharmacokinetics, and biomarkers., Results: Twelve patients received treatment. The CBR was 75 % (95 % confidence interval [CI], 43-94) and included 6 patients with a PR and 3 with SD. The ORR was 50 % (95 % CI, 21-79). PFS probability was 91 % (95 % CI, 54-99) at 6 months and 71 % (95 % CI, 34-90) at 12 months. Commonly reported treatment-emergent (all-causality), any-grade adverse events included diarrhea (n=10), hand-foot syndrome and hypertension (both n=8), fatigue and headache (both n=7), and neutropenia (n=6). No deaths on study were reported; one death due to disease progression occurred >28 days after end of treatment. Sunitinib on a CDD schedule resulted in sustained drug concentrations without accumulation across cycles. Tumor responses in all 12 patients did not appear to correlate with decreases in chromogranin A levels., Conclusions: Sunitinib 37.5 mg/day on a CDD schedule demonstrated antitumor activity in Japanese patients with unresectable, well-differentiated pancreatic NET. Commonly reported adverse events were consistent with the known safety profile of sunitinib.

The aromatase inhibitors exemestane and anastrozole are approved in Japan for first-line treatment of postmenopausal patients with advanced, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. This phase 3, randomized, double-blind study directly compared time to progression (TTP) for exemestane and anastrozole therapy in this patient population. Eligible patients were randomized to receive exemestane 25 mg or anastrozole 1 mg, each once daily. The primary endpoint was TTP based on assessment by an expert radiologic images review committee (ERIRC). Secondary endpoints included investigator-assessed TTP, time to treatment failure, overall survival, objective response rate, clinical benefit rate, and safety. A total 298 patients were randomized to receive exemestane (n = 149; mean age 63.4 years) or anastrozole (n = 149; mean age 64.0 years). Median ERIRC-assessed TTP was 13.8 and 11.1 months (hazard ratio = 1.007; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.771, 1.317) and median investigator-assessed TTP was 13.8 and 13.7 months (hazard ratio = 1.059; 95 % CI: 0.816, 1.374) in the exemestane and anastrozole arms, respectively. Median overall survival was 60.1 months in the anastrozole arm and was not reached in the exemestane arm at data cutoff. The objective response rate was 43.9 % (95 % CI: 35.3, 52.8) and 39.1 % (95 % CI: 30.6, 48.1) in the exemestane and anastrozole arms, respectively. Treatment-related adverse events grade ≥3 occurred in 9.4 and 6.0 % of patients, and treatment-related serious adverse events occurred in 4.0 and 3.4 % of patients in the exemestane and anastrozole arms, respectively. In this study, the efficacy and safety profiles of exemestane were similar to those of anastrozole in Japanese patients with advanced, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer; however, TTP non-inferiority of exemestane versus anastrozole was not confirmed.

This phase II, open-label, single-arm study investigated sunitinib + FOLFIRI in Japanese patients with treatment-naïve unresectable/metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients received i.v. FOLFIRI (levo-leucovorin 200 mg/m(2) + irinotecan 180 mg/m(2), followed by 5-fluorouracil 400 mg/m(2) bolus then 2400 mg/m(2) 46-h infusion) every 2 weeks, and oral sunitinib 37.5 mg/day on Schedule 4/2 (4 weeks on, 2 weeks off), until disease progression or treatment withdrawal. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary endpoint, with a target median of 10.8 months (35% improvement over FOLFIRI alone). Seventy-one patients started a median of 3 (range 1-11) sunitinib cycles (median relative dose intensity, <60%). The median PFS was 6.7 months (95% confidence interval, 4.7-9.2) by independent review, 7.2 months (95% confidence interval, 5.4-9.5) by investigator assessment. Objective response rate (complete responses + partial responses) was 36.6% (independent review) and 42.3% (investigator assessment). Clinical benefit rate (complete responses + partial responses + stable disease) was 83.1% (independent review) and 88.7% (investigator assessment). Common all-causality, any-grade, adverse events were: neutropenia and leukopenia (both 97.2%); thrombocytopenia (84.5%); diarrhea and nausea (both 78.9%); decreased appetite (74.6%); and fatigue (66.2%). Neutropenia (96%) was the most frequent grade 3/4 adverse event. This study was closed early due to findings from a concurrent phase III study of sunitinib + FOLFIRI in non-Japanese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. In conclusion, the median PFS for sunitinib + FOLFIRI in Japanese patients was shorter than the 10.8 month target, indicating that sunitinib did not add to the antitumor activity of FOLFIRI. This study was registered with www.ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00668863)., (© 2012 Japanese Cancer Association.)

Aim: This phase I study evaluated sunitinib plus modified FOLFOX6 (mFOLFOX6: 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin) in Japanese patients with treatment-naïve metastatic colorectal cancer., Patients and Methods: Sunitinib was administered orally (37.5 mg/day, 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off [Schedule 4/2; arm A] or 50 mg/day, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off [Schedule 2/2; arm B]) with mFOLFOX6., Results: In arms A/B, respectively (n=6 each): median relative dose intensity was 50.4%/89.1% for sunitinib and 39.2-69.8%/73.0-80.5% for mFOLFOX6 components. Most adverse events were grade 1/2. The most frequent grade 3/4 adverse events were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. No significant drug-drug interactions were detected. Four patients had objective responses in each arm., Conclusion: Sunitinib plus mFOLFOX6 had acceptable tolerability, with the Schedule 2/2 combination being generally more manageable than the Schedule 4/2. Based on two global trials and the present study, sunitinib on Schedule 2/2 combined with chemotherapy may be considered, if further first-line trials are planned.