Phase I Trial of Targeted EGFR or ALK Therapy with Ipilimumab in Metastatic NSCLC with Long-Term Follow-Up.

BACKGROUND: The natural histories of, and treatment options for, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) are distinctly different from those of lung cancer that lacks actionable mutations. Ipilimumab is a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitor that has been approved in other malignancies. OBJECTIVE: A phase I trial of ipilimumab plus targeted therapy with either erlotinib or crizotinib was performed to assess the safety of the combination in patients with EGFR-mutated or ALK-rearranged advanced NSCLC. METHODS: Patients with EGFR-mutated or ALK-rearranged NSCLC on a stable dose of erlotinib or crizotinib for > 28 days were eligible for the study. Patients were treated with ipilimumab 3 mg/kg for four cycles plus erlotinib or crizotinib. RESULTS: Treatment of the EGFR cohort resulted in dose-limiting toxicity in three of eight patients, with grade 3 diarrhea. The protocol was amended to reduce the ipilimumab dose to 1 mg/kg. Excessive toxicity resulted in the study being closed after 14 patients. Four of 11 EGFR-mutated patients ultimately developed grade 3 colitis. Of three ALK-rearranged patients, one developed hypophysitis and another grade 2 pneumonitis. For 11 EGFR-mutated patients, progression-free survival (PFS) from the start of ipilimumab was 17.9 months. Erlotinib treatment began a median 7.7 months before ipilimumab; therefore, erlotinib PFS was 27.8 months. Median overall survival (OS) has not been reached but will be > 42.3 months from erlotinib initiation. For three ALK-rearranged patients, ipilimumab PFS was 24.1 months. Median OS has not been reached but will be at least 47.2 months from the initiation of crizotinib. CONCLUSION: Erlotinib plus ipilimumab caused excessive short-term gastrointestinal toxicity leading to early study closure. However, PFS and OS were notable; therefore, targeted therapies with immunotherapy in NSCLC merit further study. Clinicaltrials.gov registration number: NCT01998126.

Evaluation of a new tablet formulation of deferasirox to reduce chronic iron overload after long-term blood transfusions.

Transfusion-dependent anemia is a common feature in a wide array of hematological disorders, including thalassemia, sickle cell disease, aplastic anemia, myelofibrosis, and myelo-dysplastic syndromes. In the absence of a physiological mechanism to excrete excess iron, chronic transfusions ultimately cause iron overload. Without correction, iron overload can lead to end-organ damage, resulting in cardiac, hepatic, and endocrine dysfunction/failure. Iron chelating agents are utilized to reduce iron overload, as they form a complex with iron, leading to its clearance. Iron chelation has been proven to decrease organ dysfunction and improve survival in certain transfusion-dependent anemias, such as ß-thalassemia. Several chelating agents have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of iron overload, including deferoxamine, deferiprone, and deferasirox. A variety of factors have to be considered when choosing an iron chelator, including dosing schedule, route of administration, tolerability, and side effect profile. Deferasirox is an orally administered iron chelator with proven efficacy and safety in multiple hematological disorders. There are two formulations of deferasirox, a tablet for suspension, and a new tablet form. This paper is intended to provide an overview of iron overload, with a focus on deferasirox, and its recently approved formulation Jadenu(®) for the reduction of transfusional iron overload in hematological disorders.