Phase II Clinical Trial of Ixabepilone in Metastatic Cervical Carcinoma.

LESSONS LEARNED: Accrual to cervical cancer studies remains a puzzling challenge given the lack of options and the dismal prognosis of this disease. The majority of patients referred for a trial such as this have very advanced disease that is difficult to manage.The observation of 4 partial responses among the 41 patients indicates that ixabepilone has some activity but not sufficient for further development without greater understanding of mechanisms of sensitivity and resistance. BACKGROUND: Ixabepilone is a microtubule-stabilizing agent approved for metastatic breast cancer. Preclinical data have shown that ixabepilone is active in taxane-sensitive and -resistant cells. Metastatic cervical carcinoma (mCC) has a poor prognosis and no established second-line therapies. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of ixabepilone in previously treated mCC. METHODS: Patients with histologically confirmed mCC and at least one prior cisplatin-containing regimen were treated with ixabepilone [6 mg/m(2) per day for 5 days] every 21 days. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). Secondary endpoints were response rate, rate of tumor growth, overall survival (OS), and safety. Levels of glu-terminated and acetylated tubulin, markers of microtubule stabilization, and surrogates for target engagement were assessed by Western blot. RESULTS: In total, 41 patients were enrolled; 34 had tumors with primarily squamous histology. The median number of prior therapies was 2 (range 1-6). Four patients (9.7%) had a partial response. Median PFS in months was 2.3 for all, 3.84 for taxane-naïve, and 2.03 for taxane-pretreated patients (p = .13). Consistent with this, we found statistically similar (p = 1) rates of growth in taxane-naive patients (0.0035 per day) and taxane pretreated patients (0.0053 per day). Median OS was 5.84 months. G1/2 toxicities included vomiting (43%), sensory neuropathy (21%), and fatigue (60%). Bowel fistulas were observed in 7% of patients. Glu and acetylated tubulin were assessed in tumor samples from 11 patients during the first cycle of treatment. Although there was clear evidence of "target engagement" and microtubule stabilization in all tumors, a correlation between the extent of tubulin stabilization and response to therapy could not be demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Ixabepilone was well tolerated but showed very modest activity in second- or later-line mCC and cannot be recommended as a therapy. Target engagement was demonstrated but was not correlated with responses, suggesting that other factors mediate drug sensitivity. New strategies are needed for refractory mCC.

A phase II clinical trial of ixabepilone (Ixempra; BMS-247550; NSC 710428), an epothilone B analog, in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Ixabepilone (Ixempra; BMS-247550) is an epothilone B analog and nontaxane microtubule-stabilizing compound with clinical activity in a range of solid tumors. This phase II study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of ixabepilone in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who had measurable disease and had not received previous cytotoxic or targeted therapy were treated with 6 mg/m(2) ixabepilone i.v. daily for 5 days every 3 weeks. Levels of Glu-terminated and acetylated tubulin, markers of microtubule stabilization, were assessed by Western blot. VHL gene mutation status was determined by sequencing. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients received a total of 590 cycles, with a median of 5 cycles (range, 1-29). The overall response rate was 13% (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor). One patient had a complete response, 10 patients had partial responses, and 59 patients had stable disease. The median duration of response was 5.5 months. The median overall survival of renal cell carcinoma Motzer grade 0 and 1 patients with clear cell histology was 19.25 months. Treatment-related adverse events were primarily alopecia, gastrointestinal toxicity, neuropathy, and fatigue. Biopsies were done at baseline and after five doses of ixabepilone. Microtubule target engagement was achieved in 84.6% to 92.3% of patients evaluated. No correlation was identified between the target engagement, VHL gene mutation status, and clinical response. CONCLUSION: Ixabepilone can cause tumor regression in some patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and could be considered in combination regimens with other therapies.

Other paradigms: growth rate constants and tumor burden determined using computed tomography data correlate strongly with the overall survival of patients with renal cell carcinoma.

In solid tumors, where curative therapies still elude oncologists, novel paradigms are needed to assess the efficacy of new therapies and those already approved. We used radiologic measurements obtained in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma enrolled in a phase II study of the epothilone B analog, ixabepilone (Ixempra), to address this issue. Using a novel 2-phase mathematical equation, we used the radiologic measurements to estimate the concomitant rates of tumor regression and growth (regression and growth rate constants). Eighty-one patients were enrolled on the ixabepilone trial at the time of this analysis. Growth rate constants were determined using computed tomography measurements obtained exclusively while a patient was enrolled on study. The growth rate constants of renal cell carcinomas treated with ixabepilone were significantly reduced compared with those of tumors in patients who received placebo in a previous trial. Furthermore, a correlation with overall survival was found for both the growth rate constant and the initial tumor burden; and this correlation was even stronger when both the growth rate constant and the initial tumor burden were combined. The readily amenable mathematical model described herein has potential applications to many tumor types that can be assessed with imaging modalities. Because the growth rate constant seems to be a surrogate for survival, assessment could aid in the evaluation of relative efficacies of different therapies and perhaps in assessing the potential individual benefit of an experimental therapy.

A Phase I clinical trial of ixabepilone (BMS-247550), an epothilone B analog, administered intravenously on a daily schedule for 3 days.

BACKGROUND: The epothilones are a novel class of microtubule-stabilizing agents. Ixabepilone (BMS-247550; NSC 710428) is a semisynthetic analog of the natural product epothilone B. The authors conducted a Phase I study by administering ixabepilone to patients as a 1-hour intravenous infusion daily for 3 consecutive days every 21 days. METHODS: Twenty-six patients were enrolled and received ixabepilone at a starting dose of 8 or 10 mg/m(2) per day for 3 consecutive days. RESULTS: One hundred and nineteen cycles were administered to 26 patients. The maximum-tolerated dose was 8 mg/m(2) per day of ixabepilone administered as a 1-hour intravenous infusion daily for 3 consecutive days every 21 days. The dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was neutropenia. Other nonhematologic Grade 3 toxicities included fatigue (3 cycles), hyponatremia (1 cycle), anorexia (1 cycle), ileus (1 cycle), stomatitis (1 cycle), and emesis (1 cycle). Prolonged disease stabilization was observed in patients with mesothelioma, ovarian carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The recommended Phase II dose of ixabepilone on the daily schedule for 3 days was 8-10 mg/m(2) per day. Neutropenia was the DLT. Peripheral neuropathy was mild, even after multiple cycles of therapy, and was not dose limiting.

Treatment of recurrent cervical adenocarcinoma with BMS-247550, an epothilone B analog.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of recurrent cervical adenocarcinoma is rising relative to the squamous subtype. There are limited therapeutic options for women with advanced cervical adenocarcinoma. Only a few chemotherapy agents have demonstrated activity in this disease. This report describes results with BMS-247550, an epothilone B analog that stabilizes microtubules, with activity in previously treated adenocarcinoma of the cervix. METHOD: We present two women with recurrent cervical adenocarcinoma with metastases to the lung. Both women were treated previously with paclitaxel and were enrolled in a phase I study with BMS-247550. Both women had partial responses to BMS-247550 with a decrease in tumor size and CA-125 levels. CONCLUSIONS: The demonstration of a response to BMS-247550, especially after additional chemotherapy had been administered, is encouraging, albeit preliminary. The ultimate role of BMS-247550 and multiagent chemotherapy in the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the cervix should be further investigated.

Phase I trial and pharmacokinetic study of BMS-247550, an epothilone B analog, administered intravenously on a daily schedule for five days.

PURPOSE: The epothilones are a novel class of nontaxane microtubule-stabilizing agents. BMS-247550 is a semisynthetic analog of the natural product epothilone B. We conducted a phase I study administering BMS-247550 as a 1-hour intravenous infusion daily for 5 consecutive days every 21 days. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients received BMS-247550 without filgrastim in the first cycle. An additional six patients were enrolled at a starting dose of 8 mg/m2/d with filgrastim support. Twenty-one of the 27 patients had received prior paclitaxel, docetaxel, or both. RESULTS: One hundred seven cycles were administered to 27 patients. The maximum-tolerated dose was 6 mg/m2 of BMS-247550 administered as a 1-hour intravenous infusion daily for 5 consecutive days every 21 days. Dose-limiting toxicity at a dose of 8 mg/m2/d was neutropenia with or without filgrastim support. Nonhematologic grade 3 toxicities included fatigue (seven cycles), stomatitis (two cycles), and anorexia (one cycle). The mean terminal half-life of BMS-247550 was 16.8 +/- 6.0 hours, the volume of distribution at steady-state was 798 +/- 375 L, and the clearance was 712 +/- 247 mL/min. Objective responses were observed in patients with breast, cervical, and basal cell cancer. Reductions in CA-125 levels were noted in patients with ovarian cancer. CONCLUSION: The recommended phase II dose of BMS-247550 on the daily schedule for 5 days is 6 mg/m2/d. Neutropenia was dose limiting, but higher doses were tolerated by a large fraction of patients with filgrastim support. Peripheral neuropathy was mild, even after multiple cycles of therapy, and was not dose limiting.