A Phase II Study of FOLFOXIRI Plus Panitumumab Followed by Evaluation for Resection in Patients With Metastatic KRAS Wild-Type Colorectal Cancer With Liver Metastases Only.

BACKGROUND: Patients with liver-only metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who are not candidates for potentially curative resection may become resectable with more aggressive chemotherapy regimens. In this nonrandomized trial, we evaluated folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin, and irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI) plus the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor panitumumab as first-line treatment for KRAS wild-type mCRC with liver-only metastasis. METHODS: Patients received FOLFOXIRI (5-FU, 3,200 mg/m(2), 48-hour continuous intravenous (i.v.) infusion; leucovorin, 200 mg/m(2) i.v.; irinotecan, 125 mg/m(2); oxaliplatin, 85 mg/m(2) i.v.) and panitumumab (6 mg/kg i.v.) on day 1 of 14-day cycles. Patients were restaged and evaluated for surgery every four cycles. Planned enrollment was originally 49 patients. The primary endpoint was objective response rate. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (median age: 55 years; 87% male) received a median 6 cycles of treatment (range: 1-33 cycles); 10 patients (67%) were surgical candidates at baseline. Twelve patients were evaluable for clinical response; 9 (60%) achieved partial response. Ten patients underwent surgery; all were complete resections and pathologic partial response. Treatment-related grade 3 adverse events included diarrhea (33%) and rash (20%). Enrollment was halted because of emerging data on expanded KRAS/NRAS mutations beyond the region we initially examined, and the potential for negative interaction with oxaliplatin-based therapy. Eight patients underwent expanded KRAS/NRAS analysis outside exon 2; no additional mutations were found. CONCLUSION: KRAS/NRAS mutations outside the region tested in this study were recently shown to be associated with inferior survival on similar treatment regimens. Therefore, this trial was stopped early. This regimen remains a viable option for patients with liver-only mCRC in the KRAS/NRAS wild-type population. Enrollment criteria on future studies should include testing for the newly identified mutations.

A phase II trial of preoperative concurrent chemotherapy/radiation therapy plus bevacizumab/erlotinib in the treatment of localized esophageal cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) and erlotinib (Tarceva, Genentech/Roche) when added to preoperative chemoradiation therapy with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in the treatment of localized cancers of the esophagus or gastroesophageal (GE) junction. The primary endpoint was the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. METHODS: Eligible patients had previously untreated localized squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous carcinoma of the esophagus or GE junction, and were considered surgical candidates at enrollment. Daily erlotinib (100 mg orally) was administered on days 1-42 of preoperative treatment. Patients received paclitaxel (200 mg/m2 intravenously [IV]), carboplatin (area under the curve [AUC] 5.0 IV), and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg IV) on days 1 and 22, and 5-FU by continuous infusion (225 mg/m2/day IV) on days 1-35, with radiation therapy in 1.8-Gy single fractions, Monday-Friday (to a total of 45 Gy). Those who were deemed surgical candidates proceeded to resection during weeks 12-14. RESULTS: Between February 2007 and September 2009, 62 patients (median age, 64 years; 92% male; 94% adenocarcinoma) were enrolled; 44 patients (71%) completed neoadjuvant treatment and proceeded to surgery. Eighteen patients (29%) achieved pCR, with partial pathologic remission in an additional 22 patients (35%). Common grade 3/4 toxicities included leukopenia (64%), neutropenia (44%), mucositis/stomatitis (42%), diarrhea (27%), and esophagitis (27%). There were 40 instances of treatment-related hospitalization, and 2 postoperative deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of bevacizumab and erlotinib to neoadjuvant chemoradiation did not demonstrate survival benefit or improved pCR rate over similar regimens. While the overall rates of toxicity were not increased, targeted agent-specific toxicity was evident. Further study of this specific regimen is not warranted.

Phase II study of capecitabine in combination with thalidomide in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

We examined the toxicity/efficacy of capecitabine with thalidomide, administered over 21-day cycles, in 24 previously treated metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. This regimen was poorly tolerated: grade 3/4 neutropenia (13%); grade 3 nausea (22%), vomiting (17%), and diarrhea (13%); and grade 2/3 hand-foot syndrome (38%). In addition, the response rate was lower than expected: partial response (13%), stable disease (17%), and progressive disease at first evaluation (35%). The median time to progression and overall survival were 2.7 and 11.0 months, respectively. These results do not support further investigation of thalidomide for MBC. The role of angiogenesis inhibition in breast cancer treatment should continue to be defined using more efficacious and specific inhibitors.

Single agent vinflunine in the salvage treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer: a phase II trial of the Sarah Cannon research consortium.

Patients with metastatic prostate cancer resistant to hormones and docetaxel were treated with vinflunine (320 mg/m(2) every 21 days), a new vinca alkaloid with improved preclinical activity. Only 1 of 36 patients (3%) had partial response; the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.1 months. Treatment was well tolerated, with myelosuppression as the only frequent toxicity. Vinflunine has a low level of activity in the treatment of refractory metastatic prostate cancer, and should not be further developed for this indication.

BILATERAL UVEAL METASTASES SECONDARY TO PROSTATE ADENOCARCINOMA.

PURPOSE: To report a patient with bilateral uveal metastases secondary to previously quiescent prostate adenocarcinoma with a 22-month follow-up. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was performed for this patient. RESULTS: Androgen deprivation therapy and external beam radiation therapy were shown to manage ocular symptoms in a sixty-nine-year-old man previously diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the prostate. CONCLUSION: Uveal metastases can be the first site of systemic metastasis even long after initial diagnosis and treatment of prostate adenocarcinoma; the 17 years between this patient's treatment for adenocarcinoma and commencement of his ocular symptoms is the longest interval reported. Hormonal therapy, in conjunction with radiation therapy, can successfully reduce tumor burden in these patients and improve visual symptoms over time.

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor inhibition and chemotherapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer with bone metastases.

PURPOSE: To further assess preclinical and early clinical evidence that imatinib mesylate, a platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) inhibitor, modulates taxane activity in prostate cancer and bone metastases, a randomized study was conducted. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Men with progressive castration-resistant prostate cancer with bone metastases (n = 144) were planned for equal randomization to i.v. 30 mg/m(2) docetaxel on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 every 42 days with 600 mg imatinib daily or placebo, for an improvement in median progression-free survival from 4.5 to 7.5 months (two-sided alpha = 0.05 and beta = 0.20). Secondary end points included differential toxicity and bone turnover markers, tumor phosphorylated PDGFR (p-PDGFR) expression, and modulation of p-PDGFR in peripheral blood leukocytes. RESULTS: Accrual was halted early because of adverse gastrointestinal events. Among 116 evaluable men (57 docetaxel + imatinib; 59 docetaxel + placebo), respective median times to progression were 4.2 months (95% confidence interval, 3.1-7.5) and 4.2 months (95% confidence interval, 3.0-6.8; P = 0.58, log-rank test). Excess grade 3 toxicities (n = 23) in the docetaxel + imatinib group were principally fatigue and gastrointestinal. Tumor p-PDGFR expression was observed in 12 of 14 (86%) evaluable bone specimens. In peripheral blood leukocytes, p-PDGFR reduction was more likely in docetaxel + imatinib-treated patients compared with docetaxel + placebo (P < 0.0001), as were reductions in urine N-telopeptides (P = 0.004) but not serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.099). CONCLUSIONS: These clinical and translational results question the value of PDGFR inhibition with taxane chemotherapy in prostate cancer bone metastases and are at variance with the preclinical studies. This discordance requires explanation.

Weekly docetaxel and bortezomib as first-line treatment for patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer: a Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network phase II trial.

BACKGROUND: Docetaxel is currently the standard first-line treatment in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Bortezomib, the first proteasome inhibitor in clinical use, demonstrated activity against prostate cancer in phase I trials. For this reason, we evaluated the efficacy of docetaxel plus bortezomib in the first-line treatment of patients with HRPC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between February 2004 and May 2005, 63 eligible patients entered this phase II trial. All patients had metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate that had progressed on hormonal therapy. All patients received docetaxel 30 mg/m(2) and bortezomib 1.6 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Patients were reevaluated after 8 weeks of treatment; responding and stable patients continued treatment until tumor progression. RESULTS: Sixty patients (95%) received > or = 2 courses of treatment and were evaluable for response. Fifteen patients (25%; 95% confidence interval, 15%-38%) had a > 50% decrease in serum prostate-specific antigen level with treatment; the median response duration was 8 months. The median progression-free and overall survival times for the entire group were 4.1 months and 13.8 months, respectively; 20% of patients were alive at 2 years. The regimen was well tolerated, with uncommon grade 3/4 toxicity. CONCLUSION: Treatment with this combination of weekly docetaxel and bortezomib showed no suggestion of improved efficacy versus previous results with docetaxel alone. Bortezomib has minimal activity in patients with HRPC and is unlikely to make any impact on treatment efficacy.

Weekly docetaxel/estramustine phosphate in patients with increasing serum prostate- specific antigen levels after primary treatment for prostate cancer: a phase II trial of the Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network.

PURPOSE: Docetaxel alone or in combination with estramustine prolongs survival in patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The role of chemotherapy is undefined in the treatment of patients who develop an increasing serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level after primary therapy but have no detectable metastases. This phase II study was performed as a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility and efficacy of weekly docetaxel/estramustine in patients with prostate cancer and increasing serum PSA levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between March 2001 and September 2003, 34 patients entered this phase II trial. All patients had biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma of the prostate and had increasing PSA levels but no clinically or radiographically detected metastases after primary therapy. All patients received docetaxel 35 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 and estramustine phosphate 140 mg 3 times daily for 7 doses, beginning the evening before each dose of docetaxel. Treatment courses were repeated at 28-day intervals, and responding patients received a total of 6 courses. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (91%) completed 6 courses of treatment. Thirty-two of 33 evaluable patients (97%) had a decrease in serum PSA level of > 50% during treatment, and 27 patients (82%) had normalization of serum PSA level. The median progression-free survival was 28 months, with 33% of patients progression free at 3 years. This treatment regimen was well tolerated with no myelosuppression-related complications or uncommon grade 3 nonhematologic toxicity. CONCLUSION: Treatment with weekly docetaxel and estramustine is feasible and active in patients with prostate cancer and increasing serum PSA levels. However, the benefit of early treatment versus treatment when clinical metastases are detected requires demonstration in a randomized phase III trial.

Combined modality treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bevacizumab, and erlotinib in patients with locally advanced squamous carcinoma of the head and neck: a phase II trial of the Sarah Cannon oncology research consortium.

PURPOSE: : The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of adding bevacizumab and erlotinib to concurrent chemoradiation therapy for first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced squamous carcinoma of the head and neck. METHODS: : Sixty previously untreated patients with squamous carcinoma of the head and neck (36 with oropharyngeal primaries; 83% men; median age, 56 years; 73% stage IV) received induction chemotherapy with 6 weeks of paclitaxel, carboplatin, infusional 5-fluorouracil, and bevacizumab; this treatment was followed by radiation therapy, weekly paclitaxel, bevacizumab, and erlotinib. RESULTS: : After a median follow up of 32 months, the estimated 3-year progression-free and overall survival rates are 71% and 82%, respectively. Sixty-five percent of patients had major responses after induction therapy; after completion of therapy, 95% of patients had either partial or complete response radiographically. As expected, grade 3/4 mucosal toxicity occurred frequently (88%) during combined modality; no unexpected toxicity resulted from the addition of bevacizumab and erlotinib. CONCLUSIONS: : The addition of bevacizumab and erlotinib to first-line combined modality therapy was feasible in a community-based setting, producing toxicity comparable to other effective combined modality regimens for head and neck cancer. The high level of efficacy suggests that incorporation of these targeted agents into first-line therapy should be further explored.

Randomized, open-label phase III trial of docetaxel plus high-dose calcitriol versus docetaxel plus prednisone for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of docetaxel plus high-dose calcitriol (DN-101) to docetaxel plus prednisone in an open-label phase III trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine hundred fifty-three men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) were randomly assigned to Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer Study of Calcitriol Enhancing Taxotere (ASCENT; 45 µg DN-101, 36 mg/m(2) docetaxel, and 24 mg dexamethasone weekly for 3 of every 4 weeks) or control (5 mg prednisone twice daily with 75 mg/m(2) docetaxel and 24 mg dexamethasone every 3 weeks) arms. The primary end point was overall survival (OS), assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: At an interim analysis, more deaths were noted in the ASCENT arm, and the trial was halted. The median-follow-up for patients alive at last assessment was 11.7 months. Median OS was 17.8 months (95% CI, 16.0 to 19.5) in the ASCENT arm and 20.2 months (95% CI, 18.8 to 23.0) in the control arm (log-rank P = .002). Survival remained inferior after adjusting for baseline variables (hazard ratio, 1.33; P = .019). The two arms were similar in rates of total and serious adverse events. The most frequent adverse events were GI (reported in 75% of patients), and blood and lymphatic disorders (48%). Docetaxel toxicity leading to dose modification was more frequent in the ASCENT (31%) than in the control arm (15%). CONCLUSION: ASCENT treatment was associated with shorter survival than the control. This difference might be due to either weekly docetaxel dosing, which, in a prior study, showed a trend toward inferior survival compared with an every-3-weeks regimen, or DN-101 therapy.

Phase I/II trial of preoperative oxaliplatin, docetaxel, and capecitabine with concurrent radiation therapy in localized carcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction.

PURPOSE: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy is a primary treatment option for patients with resectable esophageal cancer. Combination regimens using newer agents may improve patient outcomes. This multicenter community-based phase I/II trial examined a modern triplet regimen comprised of oxaliplatin, docetaxel, and capecitabine (ODC) combined with radiation therapy (RT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The primary end point was the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. Eligibility criteria included resectable stage I to III cancer of the mid-/distal-esophagus or gastroesophageal junction, measurable disease, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 0 or 1. Treatment included oxaliplatin 40 mg/m(2), docetaxel 20 mg/m(2) (intravenous, weekly x 5); capecitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) orally twice daily on days 1 to 7, 15 to 21, and 29 to 35; and concurrent RT (45 Gy). Resection was performed during weeks 9 to 12. ODC and RT safety was determined in a phase I portion (n = 10) preceding phase II. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients were enrolled (September 2005 to February 2008; phase I/cohort 1, 10 patients; phase I/cohort 2/phase II, 49 patients). Baseline characteristics included median age of 63 years; 84% male; ECOG PS 0 and 1, 51% and 49%, respectively; adenocarcinoma and squamous cell, 69% and 18%, respectively; stage I, II, and III, 12%, 41%, and 45%, respectively. Phase I revealed no dose-limiting toxicity. Responses: pCR rate, 49%; objective response rate, 61% (24 complete and six partial responses); stable disease, 6%; and progressive disease, 2%. Sixty-nine percent of patients underwent surgery. Survival: median follow-up, 116 weeks; median disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 16.3 and 24.1 months, respectively. Two-year DFS and OS were 45.1% and 52.2%, respectively. Most common (>or= 5%) grade 3 to 4 nonhematologic toxicities were anorexia (20%), dehydration (16%), diarrhea (8%), dysphagia (10%), esophagitis (20%), fatigue (12%), hyperglycemia (6%), nausea (16%), pulmonary symptoms (14%), sepsis (6%), and vomiting (16%). All other grade 3 to 4 hematologic and nonhematologic toxicities were uncommon (< 5%). CONCLUSION: Preoperative ODC plus RT is active and relatively safe in patients with locoregional esophageal cancer. Importantly, this therapy can be administered within 8 weeks. This regimen warrants additional study in this setting and in combination with newer biologic agents.

Docetaxel and epirubicin as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic breast cancer: a Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network Phase II trial.

BACKGROUND: Taxanes and anthracyclines are the two most active classes of cytotoxic agents in the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Epirubicin, a doxorubicin analog, has shown modest toxicity advantages when compared to the parent compound. In this Phase II trial, we evaluated the activity and toxicity of a docetaxel/epirubicin combination. METHODS: Thirty patients with previously untreated metastatic breast cancer were treated with docetaxel 60 mg/m2 one-hour IV infusion and epirubicin 90 mg/m2 IV bolus; both drugs were repeated at 21-day intervals. Patients were evaluated for response after 2 courses of treatment; responding and stable patients continued treatment for a total of 6 courses. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (50 percent) had objective response to treatment; an additional 20 percent of patients had stable disease of more then 6 months duration. The median and 2-year progression-free survivals were 12 months and 34 percent, respectively. Median and 2-year overall survivals were 18 months and 42 percent, respectively. Myelosuppression was the most common Grade 3/4 toxicity, and 2 patients in this trial (6 percent) had treatment-related mortality associated with severe sepsis. CONCLUSION: The results of this Phase II trial confirm previous observations regarding the efficacy and toxicity profile of the docetaxel/epirubicin combination. This combination has activity similar to other taxane/anthracycline combinations used in the first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Paclitaxel, carboplatin, and gemcitabine in the treatment of patients with advanced transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and gemcitabine in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. METHODS: Patients with metastatic or locally unresectable transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium who had received either no or one previous systemic chemotherapy regimen were eligible. All patients received chemotherapy with intravenous paclitaxel at a dose of 200 mg/m(2) on Day 1, intravenous carboplatin at an area under the serum concentration-time curve of 5.0 on Day 1, and intravenous gemcitabine at a dose of 1000 mg/m(2) on Days 1 and 8. Treatment courses were repeated every 21 days. Patients were evaluated for response after they completed two treatment courses; patients who achieved an objective response and stable disease continued treatment for a total of six courses or until tumor progression. RESULTS: Sixty patients were treated between January 2000 and September 2003. Thirty-five patients (58%) had > or = 1 visceral sites of metastases, and only 4 patients (7%) had received any previous systemic chemotherapy. Twenty-six patients (43%) had achieved objective responses to treatment (12% complete responses). The median actuarial survival was 11 months, and the actuarial 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 46% and 27%, respectively. Myelosuppression was the most frequent toxicity, and Grade 3-4 neutropenia (using the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria [version 2.0]) occurred in 72% of patients (46% of courses). Ten patients were hospitalized for the treatment of neutropenia and fever, and 1 patient died of treatment-related causes. Nonhematologic toxicities were relatively uncommon. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of paclitaxel, carboplatin, and gemcitabine was an active and tolerable regimen for patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. However, the regimen was more toxic and showed no obvious incremental increase in efficacy compared retrospectively with various two-drug regimens.

Weekly paclitaxel, estramustine phosphate, and oral etoposide in the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate carcinoma: results of a Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network phase II trial.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of weekly paclitaxel, oral etoposide, and estramustine phosphate in the treatment of patients with advanced, hormone-refractory prostate carcinoma. METHODS: Patients with hormone-refractory prostate carcinoma who had received no more than one previous chemotherapy regimen were eligible for this trial. Forty-two patients were treated between February 1998 and March 2000. Toxicity was excessive in the first 3 patients treated (Grade 3-4 leukopenia, 3 patients; death due to sepsis, 1 patient); the remaining 39 patients received lower doses of etoposide and estramustine phosphate (paclitaxel 50 mg/m(2) as a 1-hour, intravenous infusion on Days 1, 8, 15; etoposide 50 mg orally twice daily on Days 1-10; and estramustine phosphate 280 mg orally 3 times daily on Days 1-10). Courses were repeated every 28 days. Patients were evaluated for objective and/or serologic response after two courses of treatment; responding patients continued treatment for six courses. RESULTS: Fourteen of 40 evaluable patients (35%) had either an objective response or a serologic response to treatment. The median survival for the entire group was 9.5 months, with 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates of 38%, 12%, and 10%, respectively. Neutropenia was the most common Grade 3-4 toxicity and occurred in 38% of patients (11% of courses). Thirteen patients (33%) had severe fatigue, and 2 patients had treatment-related deaths due to sepsis. CONCLUSIONS: Although the three-drug combination had activity in patients with hormone-refractory prostate carcinoma, the results did not appear any better than the results achieved with less toxic taxane/estramustine phosphate combinations. Further development of this three-drug regimen is not recommended.

Preoperative therapy with concurrent paclitaxel/carboplatin/infusional 5-FU and radiation therapy in locoregional esophageal cancer: final results of a Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network phase II trial.

PURPOSE: This phase II study was designed to determine the feasibility, toxicity, and therapeutic efficacy of a novel outpatient combined-modality preoperative regimen in patients with localized esophageal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty-nine eligible patients with previously untreated, potentially resectable, clinical stage I-III carcinoma of the esophagus were treated between July 1995 and July 1999. Combined-modality treatment included: paclitaxel, 200 mg/m2, 1-hour i.v. infusion, days 1 and 22; carboplatin, an area under the concentration time curve 6.0 i.v., days 1 and 22; 5-fluorouracil, 225 mg/m2/day, continuous i.v. infusion, days 1-42; and radiation therapy, 45 Gy, 1.8-Gy single daily fractions 5 days weekly, beginning day 1. All patients underwent surgical resection 4-8 weeks after completion of the preoperative therapy. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-three patients (95%) completed preoperative therapy, 105 patients (81%) underwent attempted resection, and 96 patients (74%) had definitive resection. A pathological complete response was achieved in 47 of 123 evaluable patients (38%); an additional 30 patients (24%) had only microscopic residual tumor. With a median follow-up of 45 months, the median survival is 22 months (95% CI = 15-32 months), with actuarial 1-, 2-, and 3-year survivals of 71%, 47%, and 41%, respectively. The most frequent grade 3/4 toxicities of the neoadjuvant program were leukopenia (73%) and esophagitis (43%). Although 73 patients (57%) required brief hospitalizations during preoperative therapy, there were no treatment-related deaths, and 94% of patients remained candidates for resection after the completion of treatment. Six patients (6%) died after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This novel combined-modality regimen is highly active in the treatment of locoregional esophageal cancer, producing an actuarial 3-year survival of 41%. Although this preoperative regimen produced moderate acute toxicity, there were no treatment-related deaths and the large majority of patients were able to undergo subsequent esophageal resection. These results, obtained in a community-based setting and involving multiple surgeons, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists, compare favorably with those of previous single-center and multicenter results. Further evaluation of novel combined-modality programs is warranted, as is the incorporation of epidermal growth factor receptor antagonists or other targeted agents.

Induction paclitaxel, carboplatin, and infusional 5-FU followed by concurrent radiation therapy and weekly paclitaxel/carboplatin in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer: a phase II trial of the Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, toxicity, and efficacy of a novel combined-modality treatment for patients with locally advanced squamous carcinoma of the head and neck. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this multicenter, community-based phase 11 study, 123 previously untreated patients with locally advanced squamous carcinoma of the head and neck received 6 weeks of induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent high-dose radiation therapy and weekly chemotherapy. Induction chemotherapy included paclitaxel (200 mg/m2, 1-hour i.v. infusion) on days 1 and 22, carboplatin (AUC 6.0 i.v.) on days 1 and 22, and 5-fluorouracil (225 mg/m2 per day, 24-hour continuous i.v. infusion) on days 1-43. After 1 week without therapy, radiation therapy, 1.8 Gy/day, 5 days weekly, to a total dose of 68.4 Gy, was administered to the primary site and the bilateral cervical lymph nodes. During radiation therapy, patients also received six weekly doses of paclitaxel (50 mg/m2, 1-hour i.v. infusion) and carboplatin (AUC 1.0 i.v). After completion of therapy, patients were restaged with computed tomographic and endoscopic examination; patients in complete remission were followed up without further treatment. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-three patients (74% with stage IV disease) entered this trial, and 111 patients (90%) completed the entire treatment course. Seventy of 116 evaluable patients (60%; 95% Cl, 51%-69%)had a clinical complete response to treatment. After a median follow-up of 24 months, the 2-and 3-year actuarial survivals were 66% and 51%, respectively. Local toxicity was moderately severe during combined-modality therapy; however, xerostomia has been the only frequent chronic toxicity of this program. CONCLUSIONS: This novel combined-modality treatment program, containing paclitaxel and avoiding the use of cisplatin, is feasible, is highly active, and can be administered with acceptable toxicity in a community-based setting. Aggressive nutritional support should be considered in patients receiving this regimen, to improve acute palliation and to maximize the delivery of combined-modality therapy. Further evaluation of this treatment program is warranted. Incorporation of various novel biologic agents, particularly the epidermal growth factor receptor antagonists, may further improve efficacy.