Phase 1, open-label, dose escalation, safety, and pharmacokinetics study of ME-344 as a single agent in patients with refractory solid tumors.

BACKGROUND: The current phase 1, open-label, dose escalation study was conducted to establish the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic profile, and preliminary antitumor activity of the novel mitochondrial inhibitor ME-344 in patients with refractory solid tumors. METHODS: Patients with refractory solid tumors were treated in a 3 + 3 dose escalation design. ME-344 was administered via intravenous infusion on days 1, 8, and 15 of the first 28-day cycle and weekly thereafter. Pharmacokinetics was assessed on days 1 and 15 of the first cycle. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients (median age, 65 years; 67% of whom were female) received ME-344. There were 5 dose-limiting toxicities reported. Four patients developed grade 3 neuropathy (2 patients each at doses of 15 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) and 1 patient treated at a dose of 10 mg/kg developed a grade 3 acute myocardial infarction (toxicity was graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [version 4.03]). The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was defined as 10 mg/kg weekly. The most common adverse events were nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. At the MTD of 10 mg/kg, the maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) was 25.8 µg/mL and the area under the concentration curve from time zero to infinity was 25.9 hour*µg/mL. One patient with small cell lung cancer achieved a partial response for ≥ 52 weeks. Four patients had prolonged stable disease (1 patient each with urothelial carcinoma [47 weeks], carcinoid tumor [≥ 40 weeks], cervical leiomyosarcoma [39 weeks], and cervical cancer [≥ 31 weeks]). CONCLUSIONS: The once-weekly administration of ME-344 was generally well tolerated in the current study, a first-in-human study; dose-limiting neuropathy was noted, but not at the MTD. Exposures at the 10-mg/kg dose level suggest a sufficient therapeutic index. The preliminary clinical activity as a monotherapy supports the further clinical development of ME-344 in combination with chemotherapy.

Impact of Health Care Insurance Status on Treatment Outcomes of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

INTRODUCTION: Insurance status has been found to influence treatment outcomes in various solid tumors. Limited data with conflicting results are available in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We examined the impact of health insurance at diagnosis on AML treatment outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All consecutive adult patients (≥ 18 years of age) diagnosed with AML between 2002 and 2011 and followed through August 2013 were included. Survival estimates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Logistic regression and multivariate Cox proportional hazards methods were used to explore the influence of multiple baseline covariates on treatment outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 217 patients with complete medical records were identified. Of these, 161 patients had complete cytogenetic/molecular data for risk stratification and were included in the final efficacy analyses. Most patients (45.8%) were publicly insured, 36.3% were privately insured, and 17.3% were uninsured. No significant association was found between insurance source and cytogenetic/molecular risk status. Transplantation information was available for 157 patients, with no significant association found between transplant receipt and insurance source. After adjustment for age, cytogenetic/molecular risk, and transplant receipt, we found no statistically significant association between the insurance source and either event-free or overall survival. CONCLUSION: Insurance source at diagnosis has no impact on AML treatment outcomes. The consistency of our results with some, but not all, studies is probably driven primarily by access-to-care eligibility requirements among different states. Further efforts to better understand such disparities are warranted.

A first-in-human phase I study of the oral Notch inhibitor, LY900009, in patients with advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND: Notch signalling regulates stem cell development and survival and is deregulated in multiple malignancies. LY900009 is a small molecule inhibitor of Notch signalling via selective inhibition of the γ-secretase protein. We report the first-in-human phase I trial of LY900009. METHODS: Dose escalation (Part A) was performed in cohorts of three advanced cancer patients using a modified continual reassessment method and dose confirmation (Part B) was performed in ovarian cancer patients. LY900009 was taken orally thrice weekly (every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) during a 28-d cycle. The primary objective determined the maximum tolerated dose (MTD); secondary end-points included toxicity, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and antitumour activity. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients received LY900009 at dose levels ranging from 2-60 mg. Study drug-related adverse events were diarrhoea (46%), vomiting (34%), anorexia (31%), nausea (31%), and fatigue (23%). At 30 mg, a dose-limiting toxicity (grade III mucosal inflammation) was observed. LY900009 absorption was rapid, with median tmax at 1-4 h post-dose. LY900009 inhibited plasma levels of amyloid-ß peptide in a dose-dependent manner with 80-90% inhibition observed in the 30- to 60-mg cohorts. No responses were seen, but five patients had stable disease. Two patients (5.7%) with leiomyosarcoma and ovarian cancer received four cycles of therapy. One patient (15 mg) showed markedly increased glandular mucin consistent with pharmacologic inhibition of the Notch pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The recommended MTD schedule for future studies was 30 mg thrice weekly, which exceeds the target inhibition level observed in preclinical models to promote tumour regression in humans.

Mitosis-targeting natural products for cancer prevention and therapy.

Mitosis is a complex process resulting in division of a cell into two daughter cells, and its failure often results in the death of the daughter cells (via apoptotic, necrotic, or proliferative/senescent death). Many chemicals that inhibit the mitotic process (anti-mitotic drugs) have proven effective for killing cancer cells in vitro and in clinical settings. Among the most studied anti-mitotic drugs are plant-origin natural products including taxanes (e.g. paclitaxel, docetaxel) and vinca alkaloids (e.g. vincristine, vinblastine), whose validated target is the spindle microtubules. With the success of these agents, efforts have been made to develop other spindle poisons as well as to improve efficacy of existing spindle poisons with structural modifications. Novel drugs and natural products that inhibit other proteins involved in mitosis (nonmicrotubule targets) have been sought in hopes of expanding available cancer-directed therapies. Recently, significant advances have been made in the understanding of mitotic mechanisms in tumor cells as well as in normal epithelial cells. These advances help us to identify and develop potential natural agents for the prevention and treatment of cancer. This review will focus on natural products that target mitotic process and/or proteins involved in mitotic progression.