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Context: Pelabresib (CPI-0610) is a potent, selective BET bromodomain inhibitor under investigation in the ongoing Phase 2 MANIFEST trial, given as monotherapy to ruxolitinib (rux)-intolerant/refractory myelofibrosis (MF) pts in arm 1, as an “add-on” to rux in MF pts who have suboptimal/lost response to rux in arm 2, and as combination therapy with rux in JAKi-naive MF pts in arm 3. Objective: We assessed activity of pelabresib, including changes in inflammatory cytokines (Ck) in blood, improvement of bone marrow (BM) biology, including fibrosis (BMF), erythroid (Ery) progenitor and megakaryocyte (MK) numbers and clustering, and impact of mutational status on clinical response. Results: Rapid PD response was demonstrated by median blood IL8 mRNA level reduced to 55% of baseline (BL) levels 4 hours post-1st dose of pelabresib in 102 pts, with similar reduction across arms. Elevated blood Ck levels were observed at BL across arms. Reduction of NF-κB and non-NF-κB regulated inflammatory Ck was observed on cycle 1 day 14 (C1D14) across arms and maintained through C9D1 (24 weeks). BMF grading was assessed by local pathologists for BL and post-treatment (most at 24 weeks) biopsies from 116 evaluable pts. Relative BMF improvement of ≥1 grade was observed in 33% (38/116) of all pts, with 21% (6/29) in arm 1, 41% (16/39) in arm 2, and 33% (16/48) in arm 3. BMF grade worsening was observed in only 6% (7/116) pts. Exploratory analyses of Ery and MK lineages by immunohistochemical staining for CD71 and CD61, respectively, on BM biopsy pairs (BL and week 24) revealed an increase in Ery progenitors in 59% (22/37) of pts. Tight clusters of MK, characteristic in MF BM, were observed at BL, and improvement in MK numbers and/or clustering was observed in 65% (24/37) pts. Mutation analysis revealed similar profiles at BL across arms. SVR35 at 24 weeks was similar, regardless of mutational status for each of the 14 genes analyzed. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate a robust PD effect of pelabresib in MF pts, indicate broad clinical responses irrespective of mutational status, and suggest the disease-modifying potential of pelabresib by improving BM fibrosis and function.

Context: CPI-0610 is a unique, first-in-class, oral, small-molecule inhibitor of BET proteins, designed to promote disease-modifying activity through selective gene regulation of key oncogenic, fibrotic, and inflammatory factors with potential to transform the standard of care in MF. JAKi are currently approved for treatment of MF, including ruxolitinib (rux) and fedratinib. Approximately one-third of JAKi-naive MF pts treated with rux (35%; 106 of 301) or fedratinib (37%; 35 of 96) achieved a spleen volume reduction ≥35% (SVR35) at 6–12 months. CPI-0610, a potential disease-modifying therapeutic agent with a novel MoA may improve the outcome in MF pts. Clinical activity of CPI-0610 in combination with rux in JAKi-naive MF pts observed in the phase 2 MANIFEST study was higher than with rux alone in historical phase 3 trials. Design: MANIFEST-2 is a global, phase 3, 1:1 randomized, double-blind, active-control study of CPI-0610 + rux vs placebo + rux in JAKi treatment-naive patients with primary MF, post-polycythemia-vera MF, or post-essential-thrombocythemia MF. Patients: Key eligibility criteria: DIPSS score ≥Int-1; platelet ≥ 100 x 109/L; spleen volume ≥ 450 cc by CT/MRI; ≥ 2 symptoms measurable (score ≥3) or a total symptom score (TSS) of ≥ 10 using the MFSAF v4.0; peripheral blast count Interventions: Double-blind treatment (CPI-0610 or matching placebo) will be administered QD for 14 consecutive days followed by a 7-day break, which is considered 1 cycle of treatment. Rux will be administered BID for all 21 days within each cycle. Main Outcomes Measures: Primary endpoint: SVR35 response at wk 24; key secondary endpoint: TSS50 response (≥50% reduction in TSS) at wk 24; other secondary endpoints: safety, PK, PD, bone marrow morphology/fibrosis, duration of SVR35 response, duration of TSS50 response, PFS, OS, conversion from transfusion dependence to independence, rate of RBC transfusion for the first 24 wks, hemoglobin response, and peripheral proinflammatory cytokines.

Myelofibrosis (MF) is characterized by progressive bone marrow (BM) fibrosis resulting from aberrant megakaryopoeisis and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. These two processes, heavily influenced by bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET)-mediated gene regulation, lead to myeloproliferation and cytopenias. CPI-0610 is a potent, selective and unique BET inhibitor under investigation in MF patients as monotherapy or in combination with ruxolitinib in the MANIFEST trial (NCT02158858). In ruxolitinib naïve and experienced MF patients, treatment with CPI-0610 monotherapy or in combination with ruxolitinib not only reduced spleen volume and symptoms, but also improved hemoglobin levels and overcame transfusion dependency in a subset of patients. To evaluate the effects of CPI-0610 on BM biology, correlative analyses were conducted using patient samples collected from the MANIFEST trial. Pre-treatment and post-treatment BM biopsy samples were available from 78 evaluable patients, with reticulin staining conducted and evaluated by local pathologists available for 34 pre-treatment and 24-week post-treatment pairs of BM biopsy samples. Improvement in reticulin staining of at least one grade was observed in 32% (11/34) of patients. Central pathology review of reticulin staining is ongoing and will be presented. Additional bone marrow biopsy pairs collected pre-treatment and 24-week post-treatment for exploratory histopathological assessments were available from a total of 23 unselected MANIFEST patients at the time of the abstract submission. To assess changes in erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages, H&E and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of CD71 and CD61 were conducted centrally. Semi-quantitative analysis revealed an overt increase in erythroid lineage formation in 61% (14/23) of patients. Patients with CD71 improvement in BM IHC generally showed a greater increase in median hemoglobin levels than those without improvement. Tight clusters of megakaryocytes (MK), characteristic in MF BM, were observed at baseline in all cases and were decreased/absent after treatment in 52% (12/23) patients. In addition, decreased MK number to To further dissect the underlying mechanism of these relative improvements in bone marrow composition and histotopography induced by CPI-0610, CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells were isolated from peripheral blood collected from multiple MF patients at baseline to evaluate the impact of CPI-0610 on MK and erythroid differentiation in vitro. When CD34+ cells from MF patients were treated with CPI-0610 in erythroid differentiation conditions in the presence of SCF, IL3 and EPO, a dose-dependent increase in more mature erythroid cell populations was observed. However, under the same conditions, ruxolitinib suppressed erythroid differentiation, which is consistent with ruxolitinib inhibition of EPO signaling and the anemia caused by ruxolitinib treatment in MF patients. Suppressive effects of ruxolitinib on erythroid differentiation were partially rescued by CPI-0610 in a dose-dependent manner. CPI-0610 treatment of CD34+ cells from MF patients in MK differentiating conditions in the presence of SCF, IL6, IL9 and TPO resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in proliferation of CD34+ cells and an increase in the ratio of late MK (CD34-/CD41a+/CD42b+) and early MK (CD34+/CD41a+/CD42b+). This CPI-0610-induced dose-dependent maturation of aberrant immature MK cells may play a role in reducing MF disease manifestations. Molecular studies to further our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of CPI-0610 treatment are ongoing. Taken together, these paired BM biopsy and in vitro myeloid maturation results demonstrated an effect of CPI-0610 in promoting erythroid and MK differentiation. These results may partially explain CPI-0610's clinical effects in MF patients, including rising hemoglobin, reduced transfusion dependency and reduction in spleen volume and symptoms. Disclosures Mertz: Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Keller:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Meyer:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Zavidij:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Cui:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Verstovsek:Roche: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Research Funding; Protagonist Therapeutics: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Blueprint Medicines Corp: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; CTI Biopharma Corp: Research Funding; PharmaEssentia: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; ItalPharma: Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding. Gupta:Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol MyersSquibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Consultancy; Incyte: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Talpaz:IMAGO: Consultancy; Takeda: Research Funding; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Research Funding. Harrison:Promedior: Honoraria; AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Incyte Corporation: Speakers Bureau; Gilead Sciences: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; CTI Biopharma Corp: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sierra Oncology: Honoraria. Mead:CTI: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accommodations, expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accommodations, expenses, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy. Mesa:Novartis: Consultancy; CTI BioPharma: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy; Genentech: Research Funding; Samus Therapeutics: Research Funding; LaJolla Pharmaceutical Company: Consultancy; Incyte: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding. Mascarenhas:Celgene, Prelude, Galecto, Promedior, Geron, Constellation, and Incyte: Consultancy; Incyte, Kartos, Roche, Promedior, Merck, Merus, Arog, CTI Biopharma, Janssen, and PharmaEssentia: Other: Research funding (institution). Senderowicz:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months; Puma Biotechnology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Colak:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Shao:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Luptakova:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Humphrey:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wang:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Trojer:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

The bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) family of proteins bind to chromatin to regulate the transcription of target genes involved in multiple pro-fibrotic pathways and is a novel therapeutic target for reducing fibrosis in myelofibrosis (MF). CPI-0610 is a unique, first-in-class, oral, small-molecule inhibitor of BET (BETi) proteins, designed to promote disease-modifying activity through selective gene regulation of key oncogenic, fibrotic, and inflammatory factors with potential to transform the standard of care in MF. Products with only one mechanism of action are approved currently for treatment of MF, Janus kinase 1/2 inhibitors (JAKi), with ruxolitinib (rux) being the standard of care for treatment-naïve MF patients. A minority of MF patients treated with rux (35%; 106 of 301) or fedratinib (37%; 35 of 96) achieved a spleen volume reduction ≥ 35% (SVR35) at 6-12 months. Disease-modifying therapeutic agents with a novel mechanism of action are needed to improve the outcomes in MF pts. Blocking BET activity with CPI-0610 inhibited aberrant maturation of megakaryocytes and decreased cytokine production in preclinical studies. In addition, synergistic antitumor activity of BETi and JAKi combination was observed in preclinical MF models. Clinical activity of CPI-0610 in combination with rux in JAKi-naïve MF patients observed in the phase 2 MANIFEST study was higher (SVR35 at wk 24: 63%) than that observed with rux alone in historical Phase 3 trials (Mascarenhas, EHA 2020). MANIFEST-2 is a global, phase 3, 1:1 randomized, double-blind, active-control study of CPI-0610 + rux vs. placebo + rux in JAKi treatment-naïve patients with primary MF, post-polycythemia-vera MF, or post-essential-thrombocythemia MF. Key eligibility criteria: DIPSS score ≥Int-1; platelet ≥100 x 109/L; spleen volume ≥ 450 cc by CT/MRI; ≥2 symptoms measurable (score ≥3) or a total symptom score (TSS) of ≥10 using the MFSAF v4.0; peripheral blast count 200 × 109/L vs. 100 - 200 × 109/L), and spleen volume (≥ 1800 cm3 vs. < 1800 cm3). Double-blind treatment (CPI-0610 or matching placebo) will be administered once daily (QD) for 14 consecutive days followed by a 7-day break, which is considered 1 cycle of treatment (1 cycle = 21 days). Rux will be administered twice daily (BID) for all 21 days within each cycle. Primary endpoint: SVR35 response (≥35% reduction in spleen volume) at wk 24; key secondary endpoint: TSS50 response (≥50% reduction in TSS) at wk 24; other secondary endpoints: safety, PK, PD, bone marrow morphology/fibrosis, duration of SVR35 response, duration of TSS50 response, PFS, OS, conversion from transfusion dependence to independence, rate of RBC transfusion for the first 24 wks, hemoglobin response, peripheral proinflammatory cytokines. Figure Disclosures Mascarenhas: Incyte, Kartos, Roche, Promedior, Merck, Merus, Arog, CTI Biopharma, Janssen, and PharmaEssentia: Other: Research funding (institution); Celgene, Prelude, Galecto, Promedior, Geron, Constellation, and Incyte: Consultancy. Harrison:Roche: Honoraria; Sierra Oncology: Honoraria; Promedior: Honoraria; AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte Corporation: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; CTI Biopharma Corp: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Luptakova:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Christo:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wang:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Mertz:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Colak:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Shao:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Bobba:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Trojer:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Senderowicz:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months; Puma Biotechnology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Humphrey:Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Verstovsek:Gilead: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; NS Pharma: Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Consultancy, Research Funding; PharmaEssentia: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; ItalPharma: Research Funding; CTI Biopharma Corp: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Blueprint Medicines Corp: Research Funding; Protagonist Therapeutics: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are rare non-Hodgkin lymphomas with substantial morbidity and mortality in advanced disease stages. We compared the efficacy of mogamulizumab, a novel monoclonal antibody directed against C-C chemokine receptor 4, with vorinostat in patients with previously treated cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.In this open-label, international, phase 3, randomised controlled trial, we recruited patients with relapsed or refractory mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome at 61 medical centres in the USA, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, Japan, and Australia. Eligible patients were aged at least 18 years (in Japan, ≥20 years), had failed (for progression or toxicity as assessed by the principal investigator) at least one previous systemic therapy, and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score of 1 or less and adequate haematological, hepatic, and renal function. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) using an interactive voice web response system to mogamulizumab (1·0 mg/kg intravenously on a weekly basis for the first 28-day cycle, then on days 1 and 15 of subsequent cycles) or vorinostat (400 mg daily). Stratification was by cutaneous T-cell lymphoma subtype (mycosis fungoides vs Sézary syndrome) and disease stage (IB-II vs III-IV). Since this study was open label, patients and investigators were not masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival by investigator assessment in the intention-to-treat population. Patients who received one or more doses of study drug were included in the safety analyses. This study is ongoing, and enrolment is complete. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01728805.Between Dec 12, 2012, and Jan 29, 2016, 372 eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive mogamulizumab (n=186) or vorinostat (n=186), comprising the intention-to-treat population. Two patients randomly assigned to mogamulizumab withdrew consent before receiving study treatment; thus, 370 patients were included in the safety population. Mogamulizumab therapy resulted in superior investigator-assessed progression-free survival compared with vorinostat therapy (median 7·7 months [95% CI 5·7-10·3] in the mogamulizumab group vs 3·1 months [2·9-4·1] in the vorinostat group; hazard ratio 0·53, 95% CI 0·41-0·69; stratified log-rank p0·0001). Grade 3-4 adverse events of any cause were reported in 75 (41%) of 184 patients in the mogamulizumab group and 76 (41%) of 186 patients in the vorinostat group. The most common serious adverse events of any cause were pyrexia in eight (4%) patients and cellulitis in five (3%) patients in the mogamulizumab group; and cellulitis in six (3%) patients, pulmonary embolism in six (3%) patients, and sepsis in five (3%) patients in the vorinostat group. Two (67%) of three on-treatment deaths with mogamulizumab (due to sepsis and polymyositis) and three (33%) of nine on-treatment deaths with vorinostat (two due to pulmonary embolism and one due to bronchopneumonia) were considered treatment-related.Mogamulizumab significantly prolonged progression-free survival compared with vorinostat, and could provide a new, effective treatment for patients with mycosis fungoides and, importantly, for Sézary syndrome, a subtype that represents a major therapeutic challenge in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.Kyowa Kirin.

Purpose To determine whether BMS-275291, a broad-spectrum matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor (MMPI), added to systemic chemotherapy improved survival in advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In early phase studies, BMS- 275291 was not associated with dose-limiting joint toxicity seen with other MMPIs. Patients and Methods Chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC, performance status (PS) 0 to 2, and adequate organ function were eligible. All patients received paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 plus carboplatin (area under the curve, 6 mg/mL-min) intravenously every 21 days for up to 8 cycles, and were randomly assigned to receive BMS-275291, 1,200 mg orally daily, or placebo until disease progression. The primary study end point was survival (OS); secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), response rates (RR), toxicity, and quality of life. Results From 2000 to 2002, 774 patients were randomly assigned. Pretreatment characteristics were well balanced between arms: median age, 61 years; male sex, 73%; stage IV, 79%; PS 0 to 1, 88%. Interim safety analysis revealed no survival advantage and increased toxicity in the experimental arm, and study treatment was stopped. Median OS, PFS and RR in the final analysis in the BMS-275291 arm were 8.6 months, 4.9 months, and 25.8% respectively, and in the control arm 9.2 months, 5.3 months, 33.7%. Toxicity was significantly higher in the BMS-275291 arm, including flu-like symptoms, rash, hypersensitivity reactions (8.6% v 2.4%), and febrile neutropenia (9.7% v 5.5%). Conclusion BMS-275291 added to chemotherapy increases toxicity and does not improve survival in advanced NSCLC.

Purpose: BMS-275291 is a novel broad-spectrum inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) rationally designed to spare a class of closely related metalloproteinases known as sheddases. Inadvertent sheddase inhibition is hypothesized to play a role in the dose-limiting joint toxicities occurring with hydroxamate-based MMP inhibitors. This trial was conducted to establish the recommended phase II dose; determine safety, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics of BMS-275291; and to assess potential markers of sheddase activity [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) release and TNFα-RII shedding]. Experimental Design: This was an open label, single arm, phase I study conducted at two centers. Patients with advanced or metastatic cancer were treated with once-daily oral BMS-275291 at doses escalating from 600 to 2400 mg/day. Six to eight patients/dose level were to be studied with the recommended phase II dose level expanded to a total of 15 patients. Pharmacokinetic sampling was performed on days 1, 15, and 29 at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 h after dosing. Radiological tumor assessment was performed every 8 weeks. Results: Forty-four evaluable patients were enrolled in this study with the most frequent tumor types being colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Dose limiting toxicities were observed at 600 mg/day (one of eight patients with grade 3 transaminitis) and at 1200 mg/day (1 of 15 patients with grade 3 rash and grade 4 shortness of breath), both in the context of predisposing conditions. No dose-limiting toxicities occurred at 900, 1800, or 2400 mg/day. The most frequent adverse events considered possibly, probably, or definitely drug-related were joint toxicity (myalgia/arthralgia), rash, fatigue, headache, nausea, and taste change, all of which were mild, grade 1, grade 2, and not dose-limiting. No objective tumor responses were observed. Twelve of forty-four patients received treatment for 4+ months, six for 8+ months, three for >1 year. Desired trough levels of parent BMS-275291 were maintained with once daily dosing. The mean plasma concentration of parent BMS-275291 at trough exceeded the calculated in vitro IC80 value for MMP-2 and IC90 value for MMP-9 at the recommended phase II dose of 1200 mg/day. No major changes in serum concentrations of sheddase enzymatic products, TNFα or TNFα-RII, were observed. Conclusions: BMS-275291 is a nonhydroxamate MMP inhibitor with a novel mercaptoacyl zinc-binding group. In this study, plasma concentrations of BMS-275291 continuously exceeded in vitro MMP IC50 values without dose-limiting joint toxicity. In this refractory patient population, a suggestion of disease stabilization was observed in 12 patients. On the basis of preclinical, clinical, and pharmacokinetic data, the recommended phase II dose for future study is 1200 mg/day.

von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is an inherited neoplastic disorder characterized by the development of tumors in the eyes, brain, spinal cord, inner ear, adrenal gland, pancreas, kidney, and epididymis. The VHL tumor suppressor gene was identified in 1993. Initial studies reported the detection of germline mutations in the VHL gene in 39–75% of VHL families. We used tests that detect different types of mutations to improve the frequency of detection of germline mutations in VHL families. The methods included quantitative Southern blotting to detect deletions of the entire VHL gene, Southern blotting to detect gene rearrangements, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to confirm deletions, and complete sequencing of the gene. Here we report that we have detected germline mutations in the VHL gene in 100% (93/93) of VHL families tested. In addition, we describe 13 novel intragenic VHL germline mutations. With the methodology described in this article, it is now possible to identify germline mutations in virtually all families with VHL. Hum Mutat 12:417–423, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The product of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene, the gene inactivated in VHL disease and in sporadic clear-cell renal carcinomas, has recently been shown to have as a functional target the transcription elongation complex, elongin (also called SIII). Here it is shown that there is a tightly regulated, cell-density-dependent transport of VHL into and/or out of the nucleus. In densely grown cells, the VHL protein is predominantly in the cytoplasm, whereas in sparse cultures, most of the protein can be detected in the nucleus. We have identified a putative nuclear localization signal in the first 60 and first 28 amino acids of the human and rat VHL protein, respectively. Sequences in the C-terminal region of the VHL protein may also be required for localization to the cytosol. These findings provide the initial indication of a novel cell density-dependent pathway that is responsible for the regulation of VHL cellular localization.

The human VHL tumor suppressor gene has been implicated in the inherited disorder von Hippel-Lindau disease and in sporadic renal carcinoma. The homologous rat gene encodes a 185-amino acid protein that is 88% sequence identical to the aligned 213-amino acid human VHL gene product. When expressed in COS-7 cells, both the human and the rat VHL proteins showed predominant nuclear, nuclear and cytosolic, or predominant cytosolic VHL staining by immunofluorescence. A complicated pattern of cellular proteins was seen that could be specifically coimmunoprecipitated with the introduced VHL protein. A complex containing VHL and proteins of apparent molecular masses 16 and 9 kDa was the most consistently observed. Certain naturally occurring VHL missense mutations demonstrated either complete or partial loss of the p16-p9 complex. Thus, the VHL tumor suppressor gene product is a nuclear protein, perhaps capable of specifically translocating between the nucleus and the cytosol. It is likely that VHL executes its functions via formation of specific multiprotein complexes. Identification of these VHL-associated proteins will likely clarify the physiology of this tumor suppressor gene.

The optimal design of phase II studies continues to be the subject of vigorous debate, especially studies of newer molecularly targeted agents. The observations that many new therapeutics “fail” in definitive phase III studies, coupled with the numbers of new agents to be tested as well as the increasing costs and complexity of clinical trials, further emphasize the critical importance of robust and efficient phase II design. The Clinical Trial Design Task Force (CTD-TF) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Investigational Drug Steering Committee (IDSC) has published a series of discussion papers on phase II trial design in Clinical Cancer Research. The IDSC has developed formal recommendations about aspects of phase II trial design that are the subject of frequent debate, such as endpoints (response versus progression-free survival), randomization (single-arm designs versus randomization), inclusion of biomarkers, biomarker-based patient enrichment strategies, and statistical design (e.g., two-stage designs versus multiple-group adaptive designs). Although these recommendations in general encourage the use of progression-free survival as the primary endpoint, randomization, inclusion of biomarkers, and incorporation of newer designs, we acknowledge that objective response as an endpoint and single-arm designs remain relevant in certain situations. The design of any clinical trial should always be carefully evaluated and justified based on characteristic specific to the situation. Clin Cancer Res; 16(6); 1764–9

Germ-line mutations in BRCA1 account for the majority of families with breast and ovarian cancer predisposition. BRCA1 encodes a 1,863 amino acid protein with no ascribed function. Due to its size and the fact that mutations are evenly scattered along the sequence, screening for mutations is particularly challenging. Here we review recently published yeast-based assays that may form the basis of an alternative diagnostic test for BRCA1. Although individually limited, these assays may, when combined, become a useful method to screen for cancer predisposing mutations. In any event, the yeast-based assays could complement results from direct sequencing providing functional information about unique mutations.

Background: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to assess whether the addition of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor BMS-275291 to combined paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy had an adverse impact on expected tumor response or had significant toxicity, especially arthrotoxicity, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and methods: Seventy-five chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IIIB–IV NSCLC were randomly assigned to BMS-275291 or placebo. All patients received paclitaxel 200 mg/m 2 as a continuous 3-hour infusion followed by carboplatin calculated using the Calvert formula for a target AUC of 6 mg/(ml min), every 21 days for a maximum of eight cycles. BMS-275291 or placebo was administered on an outpatient basis at a daily oral dosage of 1200 mg. Results: All 75 patients were evaluable for toxicity and 65 (86.7%) for response. Drug-related arthrotoxicity ≥grade 2 occurred in 12 patients (31.6%) in the BMS-275291 group (lower limit of one-sided 95% CI: 19.3) and in 11 patients (29.7%) in the placebo treatment arm. The incidence of rash was higher in patients receiving BMS-275291 (28.9% versus 18.9%). An objective response rate of 21.9% was observed in the BMS-275291 treatment arm and 36.4% in the placebo arm. Conclusion: BMS-275291 plus paclitaxel/carboplatin was well tolerated and active in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Treatment with BMS-275291 was not limited by drug-related arthrotoxicity and tumor response was as expected. As planned, patient accrual continued to further investigate the effect of BMS-275291 on overall and progression-free survival in a phase III setting.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating a novel wound angiogenesis assay into a Phase I study of BMS-275291, a broad-spectrum matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, and to determine whether the wound angiogenesis assay was able to detect the inhibition of angiogenesis in patients treated with BMS-275291.Before treatment began, a 4-mm skin biopsy was performed. The wound was imaged for 14 days. Treatment was started on day 0, and a separate 4-mm biopsy was performed 14 days later. The second wound was also imaged for 14 days. Wound angiogenesis was scored by two independent observers who were blinded to treatment status.The median times in days (95% confidence interval) to reach the target average vascular score (AVS) of 1.5 and 2.0 based on the data of Observer 1 were 3.7 (2.2-6.9) and 8.0 (5.0-10.0) pretreatment whereas on-treatment the values were 4.9 (3.7-8.0) and 9.3 (7.0-11.5), respectively. The delay in the median time to reach an AVS of 1.5 was 1.2 days or a 32% reduction when comparing pretreatment with on-treatment (P = 0.06). For the target AVS of 2.0 the delay in the median time pretreatment versus on-treatment was 1.3 days or a 16% reduction (P = 0.04).The wound angiogenesis assay used in this study was practical, well tolerated, and reproducible. Delays in wound angiogenesis because of BMS-275291 were detectable with this assay. This technique warrants additional investigation in clinical trials of other antiangiogenic agents.

The use of suramin, a polysulfonated naphthylurea, in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer currently is being investigated. A 52-year-old man developed acute renal dysfunction after receiving nine doses of suramin. His suramin therapy was discontinued, but his serum creatinine level continued to rise to 10.8 mg/dl during the next 6 days. The patient was not rechallenged with suramin, and his renal function returned to baseline within the next 3 weeks. Future investigators of this drug should be aware of the possibility of such a reaction with parenteral administration.

Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL) is an autosomal-dominant, multiple-tumor syndrome in which affected individuals are predisposed, over the course of their lifetime, to the formation of tumors or cysts in specific target organs such as the kidney, central nervous system (CNS), retina, adrenal gland, and pancreas. VHL is the most common syndrome of hereditary kidney cancer [1,2]. Metastatic clear cell kidney cancer and the neurologic sequelae of tumor growth in the CNS are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality of VHL patients. The VHL disease gene functions as a tumor suppressor gene (see below) [3] and places the VHL syndrome into a select group with diseases such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, retinoblastomatosis, and familial breast-ovarian cancer, which are caused by mutations of the tumor suppressor genes p53, Rb, and BRCA1, respectively. An advance in the understanding of VHL and of sporadic clear cell kidney cancer occurred in 1993 when the gene responsible for the VHL syndrome was cloned [4].

405 Background: Traditional CE approaches often produce results that appear to be at odds with patients' (pts) behavior. Patients with terminal disease often value gains in survival much more highly than is suggested by standard CE estimates. In the context of metastatic cancer, CE classifies as cost-ineffective many therapies that pts appear to value highly. This study assesses whether CE analyses conflict with estimates of pt value for mCRC therapy. We infer pt value from the willingness to pay (WTP) of cancer pts for therapy out-of-pocket (OOP), and compare these estimates to the value implied by traditional CE. In contrast to traditional CE approaches, this study uses real-world data on pts' own WTP for therapy OOP. Methods: Revealed preference analysis is performed on retrospective claims data, including the pt OOP spending component, to infer the value metastatic cancer pts (N=13,938) place on 29 different therapies for CRC, breast, lung or head and neck cancer. The primary outcome measure is the average value placed by pts on therapy. Secondary outcomes are: utilization of therapy, total expenditures on cancer drugs, and the price elasticity of demand for therapy. Results: Utilization of therapy displays a negative but inelastic relationship with OOP spending on drugs (the estimated price elasticity is -0.007, with p Conclusions: Traditional economic valuations of medical treatment perform poorly in the terminal care setting, because they fail to recognize that pts place higher value on care provided at the end of life. As a result, these methods vastly understate the CE of treatment for mCRC and other terminal diseases. Use of pts' own OOP spending behavior appears to produce different conclusions for the value of therapy. [Table: see text]

Abstract 4736 Background: Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) are the first line therapies for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The value of survival gains to patients associated with TKI treatment—in aggregate or relative to the cost of treatment—is unknown. Methods: Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models are used to construct real-world, community-based estimates of survival improvements in CML associated with the introduction of first-line TKI therapy, controlling for characteristics of patients which may independently affect survival. We then employ an economic framework following Becker, Philipson and Soares (2005) to calculate social value of infra-marginal improvements in survival gains due to treatment with TKIs. Finally, the value of community-based improvements in CML survival from treatment by newer TKIs used in second line is estimated by combining community-based survival data for first-line TKIs, along with clinical data on health improvements for CML patients receiving a TKI in second line. Results: Introduction of first-line TKIs in 2001 is associated with a real-world decrease in the all-cause mortality hazard rate of 0.183 (p < 0.01) for CML patients. A decrease of this magnitude is associated with an increase in life expectancy from 60 to 110 months for treated CML patients with median survival length in 2001. We estimate that patients place an annual value of $110,000 on first-line treatment with TKIs. This implies that for all patients in present and future CML cohorts, the present social value of first-line TKI therapy is $88bn. The present value of costs is estimated to be $8bn, suggesting that more than 90% of social value of TKIs in first line therapy is retained by patients. In second-line CML therapy, use of newer TKI agents is estimated to have created $47bn in social value, of which roughly 88% is retained by patients. This estimated value of the newer TKIs does not incorporate possible benefits in first-line therapy. Conclusions: In total, the TKI class in first and second-line theray has created over $135bn in social value. Approximately 90% of this value is retained by patients; approximately 10% is recouped by manufacturers. These estimates suggest that at current price levels, the vast majority of value created by new therapies in CML is appropriated by patients. In addition, since our estimates of survival community-based improvements are somewhat smaller than those contained in clinical trial estimates, this suggests the potential value of addressing real-world obstacles to efficacy, such as poor adherence. Disclosures: Yin: Precision Health Economics: Consultancy. Penrod:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Employment. Maclean:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Employment. Humphrey:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Employment. Bahceci:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Employment. Lakdawalla:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Precision Health Economics: Equity Ownership.