Verification of the Usefulness of an Assessment and Risk Control Sheet that Promotes Management of Cancer Drug Therapy.

Background: Proper management of adverse events is crucial for the safe and effective implementation of anticancer drug treatment. Showa University Hospital uses our interview sheet (assessment and risk control [ARC] sheet) for the accurate evaluation of adverse events. On the day of anticancer drug treatment, a nurse conducts a face-to-face interview. As a feature of the ARC sheet, by separately describing the symptoms the day before treatment and the day of treatment and sharing the information on the medical record, it is possible to clearly determine the status of adverse events. In this study, we hypothesized that the usefulness and points for improvement of the ARC sheet would be clarified by using and evaluating a patient questionnaire. Methods: This study included 174 patients (144 at Showa University Hospital (Hatanodai Hospital) and 30 at Showa University Koto Toyosu Hospital (Toyosu Hospital) who underwent pre-examination interviews by nurses and received cancer chemotherapy at the outpatient center of Hatanodai and Toyosu Hospital. In the questionnaire survey, the ARC sheet's content and quality, respondents' satisfaction, structural strengths, and points for improvement were evaluated on a five-point scale. Results: The patient questionnaire received responses from 160 participants, including the ARC sheet use group (132 people) and the non-use group (28 people). Unlike the ARC sheet non-use group, the ARC sheet use group recognized that the sheet was useful to understand the adverse events of aphthous ulcers (p = 0.017) and dysgeusia (p = 0.006). In the satisfaction survey questionnaire, there was a high sense of security in the pre-examination interviews by nurses using the ARC sheet. Conclusions: The ARC sheet is considered an effective tool for comprehensively evaluating adverse events. Pre-examination interviews by nurses using ARC sheets accurately determined the adverse events experienced by patients with anxiety and tension due to confrontation with physicians.

Phase 1 study of lenvatinib combined with carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: This dose-finding study evaluated lenvatinib, an oral multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in combination with carboplatin/paclitaxel in chemotherapy-naïve non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients received lenvatinib twice daily (BID) with carboplatin (area under the curve 6 mg ml(-1) min(-1), day 1)/paclitaxel (200 mg m(-2), day 1) every 3 weeks. The initial dose of lenvatinib was 6 mg BID. The primary end point was maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of lenvatinib. At the MTD, the cohort was expanded by 16 patients. Safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and antitumor effects were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were treated. At 6 mg BID, dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) included febrile neutropenia/gingival infection (n=2). No DLTs occurred with 4 mg BID, the recommended MTD for the expansion. Common grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia, leukopenia, hypertension, and thrombocytopenia. The combination had no significant impact on individual drug pharmacokinetics. Response rate and median progression-free survival were 68% and 9.0 months, respectively, with 4 mg BID. In the plasma biomarker analysis, stromal cell-derived factor 1α, stem cell factor, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor correlated with antitumor activity. CONCLUSION: The MTD for lenvatinib with carboplatin/paclitaxel is 4 mg BID in advanced NSCLC patients. This regimen demonstrated manageable tolerability and encouraging antitumor activity.

Phase I study of irinotecan and gefitinib in patients with gefitinib treatment failure for non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Currently, no effective treatments exist for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failure of gefitinib therapy. Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells are more sensitive to irinotecan than parental cells, and that combined administration of irinotecan and gefitinib has a synergistic additive effect. We conducted a phase I study to evaluate the combination of irinotecan and gefitinib as a therapeutic option for NSCLC patients with progressive disease (PD) after initial gefitinib treatment. METHODS: Eligibility criteria included histologically confirmed NSCLC, age range of 20-74 years, refractory to or relapsed after gefitinib treatment, one or more previous chemotherapy regimens, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2, adequate organ function, and informed consent. Patients were treated with irinotecan on days 1 and 15, and treated daily with gefitinib from day 2 every 4 weeks. The treatment was continued until disease progression. The gefitinib dose was fixed at 250 mg. Irinotecan dosing started at 50 mg m(-2) and was escalated in patients by 25 mg m(-2) increments up to a maximum dose of 150 mg m(-2). RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were enrolled: male/female=14/13; median age=60 (45-75); histology, adenocarcinoma/non-adenocarcinoma=25/2; performance status 0-1/2=19/8; previous response to gefitinib, partial response/stable disease/PD=21/2/4. Dose-limiting toxicities were observed in 2 patients at level 3. Maximum tolerated dose was not determined, and the full dose of irinotecan could be combined with the full dose of gefitinib. The disease control rate (DCR) and response rate (RR) were 69.2 and 26.9%, respectively. For 12 patients at level 5 (the recommended phase II dose), the DCR and RR were 75.0% and 41.7%, respectively. The median treatment cycles were 4; median time to treatment failure, 57 days (95% confidence interval (CI), 32-82 days); median overall survival, 244 days (95% CI, 185-303 days); and 1-year survival rate, 32.6%. CONCLUSION: The combination of irinotecan and gefitinib was well tolerated and potentially beneficial for NSCLC patients failing initial gefitinib monotherapy.

Phase II trial of S-1 and cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: To assess the efficacy and safety of S-1 and cisplatin with concurrent thoracic radiation for unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Eligible patients were 20-74 years old and had histologically or cytologically confirmed NSCLC, a performance status of 0-1, and no prior chemotherapy. Patients were treated with cisplatin (60 mg m(-2) on day 1) and S-1 (orally at 40 mg m(-2) per dose, b.i.d., on days 1-14), with the treatment repeated every 4 weeks for four cycles. Beginning on day 2, a 60-Gy thoracic radiation dose was delivered in 30 fractions. RESULTS: Of 50 patients, 48 were eligible. Partial response was observed in 42 patients (87.5%; 95% CI: 79.1-96.9%). This regimen was well tolerated. Common toxicities included grade 3/4 neutropenia (32%), grade 3/4 leukopenia (32%), grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia (4%), grade 3 febrile neutropenia (6%), grade 3 oesophagitis (10%), and grade 3 pneumonitis (5%). Median progression-free survival was 12.0 months and median overall survival was 33.1 months. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 89.5 and 56%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This chemotherapy regimen with concomitant radiotherapy is a promising treatment for locally advanced NSCLC because of its high response rates, good survival rates, and mild toxicities.

Gefitinib treatment affects androgen levels in non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

Gefitinib, an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR, HER1/ErbB1) tyrosine kinase, has been shown to have clinical activity against non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), especially in women nonsmokers with adenocarcinomas. The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between androgen levels and gefitinib treatment in patients with advanced NSCLCs. Sera from 67 cases (36 men and 31 women) were obtained pretreatment and during treatment with gefitinib monotherapy (days 14-18) for examination of testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels. Testosterone and DHEA during treatment were significantly lower than the pretreatment values in both women and men, and the DHEAS levels during treatment were also significantly lowered in women. Gefitinib treatment significantly suppressed androgen levels, especially in women who had no smoking history. In addition, hormone levels in women responding to gefitinib were significantly lower during the treatment than in women who did not respond. Gefitinib-associated decrease in serum androgen levels may play a role in its clinical efficacy.

Phase I study of cisplatin analogue nedaplatin (254-S) and paclitaxel in patients with unresectable squamous cell carcinoma.

The recommended phase II dose of paclitaxel 180 mg m(-2) given as a 3-h infusion followed by nedaplatin 100 mg m(-2) in a 1-h infusion every 3-4 weeks was determined in 52 chemo-naive patients with unresectable squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), with a promising response rate for lung SCC of 55%.

Churg-Strauss Syndrome with pleural involvement.

A 51-year-old Japanese man with Churg-Strauss Syndrome (CSS) diagnosed by pleural biopsy is described. He was hospitalized because of high fever and bilateral knee, elbow and shoulder joint pain. Chest roentgenogram and chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed bilateral massive pleural effusion. Pleural biopsy revealed eosinophilic infiltration and necrotizing granulomas. He was treated with oral prednisolone and his symptoms improved. This is the first report of CSS diagnosed by pleural biopsy.

Pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis (LAM) developing chylothorax.

We describe a case of pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis (LAM) with chylothorax that developed in a 46-year-old Japanese woman. This patient exhibited clinical symptoms of dyspnea and chest X-ray showed right pleural effusion. Thoracocentesis demonstrated chylous effusion. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed multiple cystic lesions. Subsequent thoracoscopy revealed the chylorrhea from swelled vessels on the diaphragm. The clinical diagnosis, based on histological examinations with biopsy specimens obtained by thoracoscopy, was pulmonary LAM. Although the hormone therapy was not effective, chylous effusion was improved by the pleurodesis. Pulmonary LAM developing chylothorax is rare in Japan.