Evaluation of different protocols for gene transfer into non-obese diabetes/severe combined immunodeficiency disease mouse repopulating cells.

PURPOSE: Although gene transfer with retroviral vectors has shown distinct clinical success in defined settings, efficient genetic manipulation of hematopoietic progenitor cells remains a challenge. To address this issue we have evaluated different transduction protocols and retroviral constructs in the non-obese diabetes (NOD)/severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) xenograft model. METHODS: An extended transduction protocol requiring 144 h of in vitro manipulation was compared to a more conventional protocol requiring 96 h only. RESULT: While pretransplantation analysis of cells transduced with a retroviral vector, expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker gene, demonstrated significantly higher overall transduction rates for the extended protocol (33.6 +/- 2.3 vs. 22.1 +/- 3.8%), EGFP expression in CD34+ cells before transplantation (4.0 +/- 0.9 vs. 11.6 +/- 2.5%), engraftment of human cells in NOD/SCID bone marrow 4 weeks after transplantation (4.5 +/- 1.7 vs. 36.5 +/- 9.4%) and EGFP expression in these cells (0 +/- 0 vs. 11.3 +/- 2.8%) were significantly impaired. When the 96 h protocol was used in combination with the spleen focus forming virus (SFFV)/murine embryonic stem cell (MESV) hybrid vector SFbeta11-EGFP, high transduction rates for CD45+ (41.0 +/- 5.3%) and CD34+ (38.5 +/- 3.7%) cells prior to transplantation, as well as efficient human cell engraftment in NOD/SCID mice 4 weeks after transplantation (32.4 +/- 3.5%), was detected. Transgene expression was observed in B-lymphoid (15.9 +/- 2.0%), myeloid (36.5 +/- 3.5%) and CD34+ cells (10.1 +/- 1.5%). CONCLUSION: Our data show that CD34+ cells maintained in cytokines for multiple days may differentiate and loose their capacity to contribute to the haematological reconstitution of NOD/SCID mice. In addition, the SFFV/MESV hybrid vector SFbeta11-EGFP allows efficient transduction of and gene expression in haematopoietic progenitor cells.

Pooled safety analysis of BAY 43-9006 (sorafenib) monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumours: Is rash associated with treatment outcome?

In this analysis of the safety and efficacy of BAY 43-9006 (sorafenib) -- a novel, oral multi-kinase inhibitor with effects on tumour and its vasculature -- pooled data were obtained from four phase I dose-escalation trials. Time to progression (TTP) was compared in patients with/without grade 2 skin toxicity/diarrhoea. Grade 3 hand-foot skin reactions (HFS; 8%) and diarrhoea (6%) were common. At the recommended 400mg bid dose for phase II/III trials (RDP), 15% of patients experienced grade 2/3 HFS, and 24% experienced grade 2/3 diarrhoea. Sorafenib induced stable disease for 6 months in 12% of patients (6% stabilized for 1 year). Patients receiving sorafenib doses at or close to the RDP, who experienced skin toxicity/diarrhoea, had a significantly increased TTP compared with patients without such toxicity (P < 0.05). Sorafenib was well tolerated at the RDP, and induced sustained disease stabilization, particularly in patients with skin toxicity/diarrhoea.

Resistance to cytarabine and gemcitabine and in vitro selection of transduced cells after retroviral expression of cytidine deaminase in human hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Overexpression of the detoxifying enzyme cytidine deaminase (CDD) renders normal and leukemic hematopoietic cells resistant to cytarabine (1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine), and studies on murine cells have suggested transgenic CDD overexpression as a way to reduce the substantial myelotoxicity induced by the deoxycytidine analogs cytarabine and gemcitabine (2',2'-difluorodeoxycytidine). We now have investigated CDD (over-)expression in the human hematopoietic system. Retroviral gene transfer significantly increased the resistance of CDD-transduced cord blood and peripheral blood-derived progenitor cells for doses ranging from 20-100 nM cytarabine and 8-10 nM gemcitabine. Protection was observed for progenitors of erythroid as well as myeloid differentiation, though the degree of protection varied for individual drugs. In addition, significant selection of CDD-transduced cells was obtained after a 4-day culture in 30-100 nM cytarabine. Thus, our data demonstrate that overexpression of CDD cDNA results in significant protection of human progenitors from cytarabine- as well as gemcitabine-induced toxicity, and allows in vitro selection of transduced cells. This strongly argues for a potential therapeutic role of CDD gene transfer in conjunction with dose-intensive cytarabine- or gemcitabine-containing chemotherapy regimen.

Novel tumor suppressor locus in human chromosome region 3p14.2.

BACKGROUND: Alterations of chromosome region 3p14 are observed in numerous human malignancies. Because the pattern of allelic losses suggests the existence of at least one tumor suppressor gene within this region, we established a library of yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) containing contiguous human 3p14 sequences to permit a search for tumor suppressor loci within the 3p14 region by use of functional complementation. METHODS: YACs specific for human chromosome region 3p14 were transduced by spheroplast fusion into cells of the human nonpapillary renal carcinoma cell line RCC-1, which shows a cytogenetically detectable 3p deletion and is tumorigenic in nude mice. RESULTS: We identified a 3p14.2-specific YAC clone, located in the vicinity of the fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene (but toward the telomere), that is capable of inducing sustained suppression of tumorigenicity in nude mice and of activating cellular senescence in vitro. Among 23 mice given injections of RCC-1 cells containing this YAC, 16 (70%) remained tumor free for at least 6 months, whereas tumor formation occurred after a median of 6 weeks in control mice given injections of either RCC-1 parental cells or a revertant cell line (in which the YAC had lost all human sequences) or RCC-1 parental cells containing other, unrelated YACs. Similar results were obtained following microcell-mediated transfer of the entire human chromosome 3. CONCLUSION: These data provide strong evidence for the existence of a novel tumor suppressor locus adjacent to the previously identified candidate tumor suppressor gene, FHIT, in 3p14.2. Positional cloning of the novel suppressor element within the 3p14.2-specific YAC and the sequence's molecular and functional characterization should add to the understanding of the pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma and other human tumors that exhibit 3p14 aberrations.

[Metastases with CUP syndrome]. / Metastasen mit unbekanntem Primärtumor (CUP).

Carcinoma of unknown primary is common, accounting for 2-6% of all cancer patients. The primary site is found in less than 25% of patients before death and frequently goes undiscovered at postmortem examination. At the time point of first diagnosis of CUP syndrome, usually more than 80% of the patients present a disseminated situation. Prognosis depends on the involved site and is unaffected by whether or not the primary site is ever found. For patients presenting with metastasis to peripheral lymph nodes, node dissection may be curative. In patients with small cell malignancies, peritoneal carcinomatosis (in women), poorly differentiated carcinomas involving external lymph nodes, mediastinum, or retroperitoneum, but without metastases to viscera or bone, objective long-term responses are possible with combination chemotherapy. For all other patients, toxic therapies are recommended only for patients with good functional status, for palliation of symptoms when they develop, and for continuous support of the quality of life.

DNA excision repair profiles of normal and leukemic human lymphocytes: functional analysis at the single-cell level.

Recent evidence has linked cellular DNA repair capacity to the chemosensitivity of cancer cells to alkylating agents. Using single-cell gel electrophoresis ("comet assay"), we have analyzed the induction and differential processing of DNA damage in human lymphocytes derived from healthy donors and from patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL) after exposure to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea in vitro. The extent of comet formation in lymphocytes after N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea exposure appears to depend predominantly on the processing of DNA repair intermediates, because strand breaks in plasmid DNA were not induced by ethylation before the addition of nuclear proteins. Although the initial level of a specific alkylation product (O6-ethylguanine) in nuclear DNA was uniform, different dose-response curves were obtained for the comet size in individual cell samples immediately after exposure, with small intercellular variation. The individual kinetics of DNA repair varied significantly between specimens derived from both healthy individuals and CLL patients; for the DNA repair half-time (t1/2), large difference was found. Pretreatment of cells with methoxyamine as a DNA repair modifier blocking the base excision repair pathway revealed a quite similar extent of base excision repair-independent DNA incision in almost all normal lymphocyte samples. In contrast, this portion varied relatively and absolutely to a great extent among individual samples of CLL lymphocytes, suggesting a loss of stringent control of DNA repair processes in these cells. The comet assay can thus be used to gain information about interindividual variation in the efficiency of different DNA repair processes in small samples of normal cells and their malignant counterparts.

In vivo resistance towards anthracyclines, etoposide, and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II).

From a single wild-type strain of Ehrlich ascites tumor, sublines resistant to daunorubicin, etoposide, and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) have been developed in vivo. Different levels of resistance were achieved after 4 to 8 months for anthracyclines (greater than 32-fold), cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (4-fold), and etoposide (greater than 6-fold). Anthracycline resistance was associated with decreased nuclear steady-state concentration of anthracyclines, increased content of high-molecular-weight membrane glycoproteins, and glucose-dependent drug extrusion after metabolic blockade with sodium azide. A similar "pump" system which was apparently not drug specific was also documented in etoposide resistance. Resistance towards cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) was accompanied by decreased cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II)-induced DNA damage in vitro when proteinase K-resistant interstrand cross-links were measured by alkaline elution. Parallel in vivo studies revealed cross-resistance of various degrees among a number of anthracycline analogs, complete cross-resistance among daunorubicin, doxorubicin, and 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-M-anisidine (amsacrine), and partial cross-resistance between daunorubicin and etoposide. However, cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) was curative in anthracycline- and etoposide-resistant cells, as daunorubicin and etoposide were curative in acquired resistance towards cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II). cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum(II) resistance was also overcome by the derivative 1,2,diaminocyclohexylplatinum malonate. The Vinca alkaloid vindesine, although only marginally active in the control tumor, was highly active in cells selected for cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) resistance. These in vivo patterns of cross-resistance and collateral sensitivity may be related to observations in clinical chemotherapy.

D-24851, a novel synthetic microtubule inhibitor, exerts curative antitumoral activity in vivo, shows efficacy toward multidrug-resistant tumor cells, and lacks neurotoxicity.

N-(pyridin-4-yl)-[1-(4-chlorbenzyl)-indol-3-yl]-glyoxyl-amid (D-24851) is a novel synthetic compound that was identified in a cell-based screening assay to discover cytotoxic drugs. D-24851 destabilizes microtubules and blocks cell cycle transition specifically at G2-M phase. The binding site of D-24851 does not overlap with the tubulin binding sites of known microtubule-destabilizing agents like vincristine or colchicine. In vitro, D-24851 has potent cytotoxic activity toward a panel of established human tumor cell lines including SKOV3 ovarian cancer, U87 glioblastoma, and ASPC-1 pancreatic cancer cells. In vivo, oral D-24851 treatment induced complete tumor regressions (cures) in rats bearing Yoshida AH13 sarcomas. Of importance is that the administration of curative doses of D-24851 to the animals revealed no systemic toxicity in terms of body weight loss and neurotoxicity in contrast to the administration of paclitaxel or vincristine. Interestingly, multidrug-resistant cell lines generated by vincristine-driven selection or transfection with the Mr 170,000 P-glycoprotein encoding cDNA were rendered resistant toward paclitaxel, vincristine, or doxorubicin but not towards D-24851 when compared with the parental cells. Because of its synthetic nature, its oral applicability, its potent in vitro and in vivo antitumoral activity, its efficacy against multidrug-resistant tumors, and the lack of neurotoxicity, D-24851 may have significant potential for the treatment of various malignancies.

Capacity of individual chronic lymphatic leukemia lymphocytes and leukemic blast cells for repair of O6-ethylguanine in DNA: relation to chemosensitivity in vitro and treatment outcome.

The elimination kinetics of the alkylation product O6-ethylguanine (O6eGua) from nuclear DNA were determined in individual lymphocytes or blast cells isolated from 27 patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL) and 26 patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A monoclonal antibody-based immunocytological assay was used for quantification of O6eGua in DNA of individual cells after pulse exposure of cells to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (EtNU). In cell specimens from a given patient, no major subpopulations with significantly different capacities for repair of O6eGua were observed. The time required to remove 50% of induced O6eGua residues varied interindividually between 0.5 and 8.4 h in CLL lymphocytes and between 0.8 and 6.3 h in leukemic blast cells. An inverse relationship was found between the rate of removal of O6eGua from DNA and the chemosensitivity of cells to EtNU, 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea or mafosfamide in vitro. High rates of O6eGua repair and pronounced resistance to mafosfamide, 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, and EtNU in vitro were found in samples from 8 CLL patients nonresponsive to chemotherapy with alkylating agents. In AML patients treated with anthracyclines and 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine, no relation was found between DNA repair capacity and treatment outcome. However, increased P-glycoprotein expression was observed between specimens derived from AML patients who had failed to reach complete remission (n = 12) after chemotherapy versus responsive patients (n = 14). DNA repair rate was not related to chemosensitivity to Adriamycin and 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine in vitro, nor were cellular glutathione content, glutathione S-transferases activity, or P-glycoprotein expression.

Differential susceptibility of renal carcinoma cell lines to tumor suppression by exogenous Fhit expression.

Hemizygous deletions of the fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene at human chromosome band 3p14.2 and down-regulation of its gene product are found in the majority of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Functional tumor suppressive activity of Fhit in renal cancer cells previously was observed in RCC cell line RC48, which lacks endogenous Fhit expression. To further investigate the potential role of FHIT as a tumor suppressor gene in RCC, we transfected FHIT cDNA expression constructs into RCC cell lines RCC-1 and SN12C, which show low-level expression of endogenous Fhit and reveal an intact von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene. Stable transfectants of both cell lines showed no alterations of cell morphology, proliferation kinetics, or cell cycle parameters in vitro. The FHIT gene transfer rate, however, was significantly lower in RCC-1 cells compared with SN12C cells, suggesting a selection against exogenous Fhit expression. In addition, in nude mouse assays, a significant delay of tumor formation was observed for FHIT-transfected RCC-1 cell lines, with outgrowing tumors demonstrating loss of Fhit expression in the majority of cells. In contrast, tumorigenicity of FHIT-transfected SN12C cell clones was not suppressed, despite stable transgene expression. In conclusion, our results demonstrate a selective tumor suppressive activity of Fhit in RCC cells in vivo and suggest that the susceptibility to suppression is not restricted to cancer cells with complete loss of Fhit expression.

Thymidylate synthase inhibitors in cancer therapy: direct and indirect inhibitors.

PURPOSE AND METHODS: Although fluoropyrimidines, in particular, fluorouracil (5-FU) and fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd), are active alone and in combination with other agents in a variety of human malignancies, therapeutic selectivity, resistance, and efficacy have been a major limitation in cancer therapy. Preclinical and clinical results in advanced and adjuvant colorectal cancers confirmed that the therapeutic efficacy of fluoropyrimidines, with thymidylate synthase (TS) as a primary target, can be improved significantly with leucovorin (LV) modulation. With the recognition that TS is an important therapeutic target, direct and specific inhibitors have been developed and are under intensive preclinical and clinical evaluation, primarily in patients with colorectal cancer, with demonstrable activity. The direct TS inhibitors have been shown to be potent, with a high level of specificity under therapeutic conditions for TS. This includes ZD1694, AG337, and LY231514. To date, although the therapeutic activity of both direct and indirect inhibitors of TS is similar, differences in the magnitude and profile of toxicity have been observed. A phase III comparative evaluation of a direct inhibitor of TS (ZD1694) with an indirect inhibitor (5-FU/LV) has been completed and showed similar activity but reduced toxicity in favor of ZD1694. RESULTS: Recognition that greater than 95% of the injected dose of 5-FU is rapidly inactivated by dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) to therapeutically inactive products, but with toxicity to normal tissues, led to the development of inhibitors of this enzyme with the aim to modify the therapeutic index of 5-FU. Several inhibitors in combination with 5-FU are under preclinical and clinical evaluation, including uracil and 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxy pyridine, as modulators of 5-FU derived from its prodrug tegafur and 5-ethynyluracil as a modulator of 5-FU. CONCLUSION: In this review, an update of the present status of direct and indirect inhibitors of TS is discussed, as well as the future prospect for new drugs alone and in combination.

Irinotecan in the treatment of colorectal cancer: clinical overview.

PURPOSE AND METHODS: For more than three decades, the therapeutic options for patients with advanced colorectal cancer have almost exclusively been based on fluoropyrimidines. With the recognition that topoisomerase-I (TOP-I) is an important therapeutic target in cancer therapy, irinotecan, a semisynthetic TOP-I-interactive camptothecin derivative, has been clinically established in the treatment of colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Irinotecan was investigated as second-line chemotherapy after prior treatment with fluorouracil (FU)-based regimens in two large randomized phase III trials comparing irinotecan with either best supportive care or an infusional FU/leucovorin (LV) regimen. The outcomes of these trials established irinotecan as the standard therapy in the second-line treatment of colorectal cancer. The therapeutic value of irinotecan in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer was investigated in two large randomized phase III trials comparing the combination of irinotecan and FU/LV with FU/LV alone. Both trials demonstrated significant superior efficacy for the combination of irinotecan and FU/LV in terms of response rate, median time to disease progression, and median survival time. Consequently, the combination of irinotecan and FU/LV has been approved as first-line chemotherapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and constitutes the reference therapy against which other treatment options must be tested in the future. CONCLUSION: In this review, the clinical rationale and update of the present clinical status of irinotecan in the treatment of colorectal cancer and future prospects of irinotecan-based combinations are discussed.

Low specificity of cytokeratin 19 reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses for detection of hematogenous lung cancer dissemination.

PURPOSE: Sensitive detection of systemic tumor dissemination in lung cancer patients is important for selection of appropriate treatment modalities. Based on recent promising data that showed reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses for cytokeratin 19 (CK-19) expression in peripheral-blood or bone marrow samples to be a rapid and highly sensitive method for detection of hematogenous tumor dissemination in patients with breast and prostate cancer, we evaluated the specificity of this assay system in lung cancer patients and a large number of healthy controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined CK-19 mRNA expression by RT-PCR in 17 lung cancer cell lines and in peripheral-blood samples of 50 lung tumor patients and 65 healthy controls. RESULTS: Expression of CK-19 mRNA was observed in all lung cancer cell lines and in 50% of peripheral-blood samples from lung tumor patients. However, under the experimental conditions analyzed, at least 20% of the control samples were positive for CK-19 mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: Contrary to prior reports, RT-PCR may detect non-tissue-specific constitutive low-level (illegitimate) expression of CK-19 mRNA in peripheral-blood mononuclear (PBMN) cells in a significant number of healthy controls. This finding may not only hamper the use of this assay system in lung cancer patients, but also questions its proposed applicability in patients with other epithelial tumors such as breast and prostate cancer.

Phase I study of a weekly schedule of irinotecan, high-dose leucovorin, and infusional fluorouracil as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of a weekly schedule of irinotecan (CPT-11), leucovorin (LV), and a 24-hour infusion of fluorouracil (5-FU24h) as first-line chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer and to assess preliminary data on the antitumor activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients with measurable metastatic colorectal cancer were entered onto this phase I study. In the first six dose levels, fixed doses of CPT-11 (80 mg/m2) and LV (500 mg/m2) in combination with escalated doses of 5-FU24h ranging from 1.8 to 2.6 g/m2 were administered on a weekly-times-four (dose levels 1 to 4) or weekly-times-six (dose levels 5 to 6) schedule. The dose of CPT-11 was then increased to 100 mg/m2 (dose level 7). RESULTS: Seventy-nine cycles of 5-FU24h/LV with CPT-11 were administered in an outpatient setting. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed during the first cycle at dose levels 1 to 6, but diarrhea of grade 4 (National Cancer Institute common toxicity criteria) was observed in three patients after multiple treatment cycles. Other nonhematologic and hematologic side effects, specifically alopecia and neutropenia, did not exceed grade 2. With the escalation of CPT-11 to 100 mg/m2 (dose level 7), diarrhea of grade 3 or higher was observed in four of six patients during the first cycle; thus, the MTD was achieved. Sixteen of 25 response-assessable patients (64%; 95% confidence interval, 45% to 83%) achieved an objective response. CONCLUSION: The recommended doses for further studies are CPT-11 80 mg/m2, LV 500 mg/m2, and 5-FU24h 2.6 g/m2 given on a weekly-times-six schedule followed by a 1-week rest period. The addition of CPT-11 to 5-FU24h/LV seems to improve the therapeutic efficacy in terms of tumor response with manageable toxicity.

Gemcitabine as a single agent in the treatment of relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE: A multicenter phase II trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine in patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with B-cell intermediate or high-grade NHL (Working Formulation) were enrolled onto the study. The median age was 61 years, with a Karnofsky performance status of

Preoperative chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation therapy based on hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy and definitive surgery in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: mature results of a phase II trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of an intensive multimodality approach with combination chemotherapy, hyperfractionated accelerated chemoradiotherapy, and definitive surgery in prognostically unfavorable subgroups of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer stages IIIA and IIIB (LAD-NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Following staging, including mediastinoscopy, 94 patients with inoperable LAD-NSCLC were treated preoperatively with chemotherapy (three courses of split-dose cisplatin and etoposide [PE]) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (one course of PE combined with 45 Gy hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy). After repeat mediastinoscopy, patients underwent surgery 4 weeks postradiation. RESULTS: Of 94 consecutive patients (52 stage IIIA [> or = two lymph node levels involved] and 42 stage IIIB [no pleural effusion, no supraclavicular nodes]), 62 (66%) completed induction and underwent surgery. Complete resection (R0) was achieved in 50 (53% of all patients) and pathologic complete response (PCR) in 24 (26%). After a median follow-up of 43 months, the median survival time was 20 months for IIIA, 18 months for IIIB, and 42 months for R0 patients. Calculated survival rates at 4 years were 31%, 26%, and 46%. Two patients died of sepsis preoperatively and four died postoperatively of pleural empyema (n = 1), stump insufficiency (n = 2), and cardiac failure (n = 1). Other toxicities were acceptable-mainly hematologic during chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy and esophagitis during chemoradiotherapy. CONCLUSION: This intensive multimodality treatment is feasible and demonstrates high efficacy in prognostically unfavorable LAD-NSCLC subgroups with high R0 rates and improved long-term survival compared with historical controls

Prophylactic cranial irradiation in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer after multimodality treatment: long-term follow-up and investigations of late neuropsychologic effects.

PURPOSE: Relapse pattern and late toxicities in long-term survivors were analyzed after the introduction of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) into a phase II trial on trimodality treatment of locally advanced (LAD) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-five patients with stage IIIA(N2)/IIIB NSCLC were treated with induction chemotherapy, preoperative radiochemotherapy, and surgery. PCI was routinely offered during the second period of study accrual. Patients were given a total radiation dose of 30 Gy (2 Gy per daily fraction) over a 3-week period starting 1 day after the last chemotherapy cycle. RESULTS: Introduction of PCI reduced the rate of brain metastases as first site of relapse from 30% to 8% at 4 years (P =.005) and that of overall brain relapse from 54% to 13% (P <.0001). The effect of PCI was also observed in the good-prognosis subgroup of 47 patients who had a partial response or complete response to induction chemotherapy, with a reduction of brain relapse as first failure from 23% to 0% at 4 years (P =.01). Neuropsychologic testing revealed impairments in attention and visual memory in long-term survivors who received PCI as well as in those who did not receive PCI. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed white matter abnormalities of higher grades in patients who received PCI than in those who did not. CONCLUSION: PCI at a moderate dose reduced brain metastases in LAD-NSCLC to a clinically significant extent, comparable to that in limited-disease small-cell lung cancer. Late toxicity to normal brain was acceptable. This study supports the use of PCI within intense protocols for LAD-NSCLC, particularly in patients with favorable prognostic factors.

Combined preoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Interim analysis of a phase II trial.

PURPOSE: The prognosis of patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer (LAEC) remains poor when treated with local modalities. An intensive preoperative program with chemoradiotherapy was used to evaluate the curative resection rate, pathologic response, and survival of patients with LAEC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety patients with LAEC were treated preoperatively with chemotherapy (three courses of fluorouracil, leucovorin, etoposide, and cisplatin [FLEP]) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (one course of cisplatin plus etoposide in combination with 40 Gy of radiation). Transthoracic esophagectomy was performed 4 weeks after the end of radiation. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were included in this evaluation. Forty-four (61%) underwent a complete tumor resection, and 16 (22%) had no tumor in the resected specimen (pathologic complete response [PCR]). The operative mortality rate was 15%. At a median follow-up time of 22 months (range, 12 to 41), the median survival duration of all 72 patients was 17 months (range, 1 to 41+). The calculated survival rates at 3 years were 33%, 42%, and 68% for all patients, patients after complete resection, and patients with PCR, respectively. CONCLUSION: This combined treatment modality is active in LAEC, with a PCR in 33% of the patients undergoing surgery. The results appear improved compared with those reported with surgery alone, by approximately doubling the 3-year survival rate. The high efficacy of preoperative chemoradiation warrants evaluation of the role of surgery in LAEC.

Comparison of lenograstim and filgrastim: effects on blood cell recovery after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether glycosylated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) (lenograstim) offers a benefit over non-glycosylated G-CSF (filgrastim) in clinically relevant end points after high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 261 patients treated with either lenograstim (n=68) or filgrastim (n=193). Time to blood cell recovery, toxicities, and infectious complications were analyzed in a total of 469 G-CSF treatment cycles. RESULTS: Mean time to leukocyte recovery was 10.7 days (SD+/-0.9) (lenograstim) and 10.8 days (SD+/-0.6) (filgrastim), respectively. Likewise, time to thrombocyte engraftment, febrile days, duration of therapeutic antibiotic treatment, severity of non-hematological toxicities, duration of in-hospital stay, and duration of G-CSF treatment were similar in both groups. Owing to the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of lenograstim, the required dose until leukocyte recovery was significantly smaller as compared to filgrastim (38.5 vs 54.0 microg/kg of body weight). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our data indicate that both G-CSF preparations are equally effective in hastening leukocyte recovery in the setting of high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous PBSCT.

Bolus vincristine and epirubicin with cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (VECD) as induction and salvage treatment in multiple myeloma.

The VAD regimen (infusional vincristine, doxorubicin and intermittent high-dose dexamethasone) is widely considered the standard salvage chemotherapy for multiple myeloma resistant to alkylating agents and is increasingly used for induction in previously untreated patients prior to high-dose chemotherapy. We investigated the VECD protocol, a VAD-based regimen using bolus injections of vincristine 1.5 mg day 1 and epirubicin 20 mg/m2 days 2 and 3 with 1 h infusions of cyclophosphamide 200 mg/m2 days 1-3 and oral dexamethasone 20 mg/m2 days 1-5 as induction and salvage treatment in multiple myeloma. Fifteen previously untreated and 25 patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma were included. Cycles were repeated every 3 weeks. In the group of previously untreated patients the response rate was 53% and the median survival has not been reached at 59 months. For relapsed and refractory patients the response rate was 44% and the median survival 13 months. In the group of patients with truly refractory disease on prior chemotherapy a response rate of 47% was achieved, which appears superior to the results observed for VAD alone. The main toxicities were leukocytopenia WHO grade IV and infections grade III/IV with both toxicities being significantly more pronounced in pretreated patients. VECD appears to be an effective regimen for induction and salvage therapy in multiple myeloma. Based on the limited number of patients treated the results are comparable to those reported for VAD, with the advantage that the infusional application of vincristine and the anthracycline is omitted.