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Biomedical subjects

E Claire Dees

Publications and source records attributed to E Claire Dees.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Extended follow-up of outcome measures in multiple myeloma patients treated on a phase I study with bortezomib and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin.

A phase I study of a combination of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin showed significant anti-tumor activity against advanced multiple myeloma, with 36% of patients achieving a complete or near-complete response and 73% having a partial response or better. Given this encouraging efficacy, it was therefore of interest to update the prior experience and define parameters such as time to progression, time to retreatment, and overall survival. Additional follow-up was collected on all evaluable multiple myeloma patients and revealed a median time to progression of 9.3 months versus 3.8 months on whatever had been the patient's prior therapy. Time to retreatment was prolonged from 5.9 months after the patient's prior therapy to 24.2 months after bortezomib with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. The median overall survival after therapy with bortezomib and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin was 38.3 months. These findings compare favorably with results reported for bortezomib alone and support the possibility that the bortezomib/pegylated liposomal doxorubicin regimen may provide superior efficacy against relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

A Phase I study of bortezomib plus irinotecan in patients with advanced solid tumors.

BACKGROUND: The authors conducted a Phase I dose-finding trial to study the use of combined bortezomib plus irinotecan in patients with advanced solid tumors. METHODS: Patients who had received >/=1 prior chemotherapy regimen were eligible. Patients received bortezomib (1.0 mg/m(2), 1.3 mg/m(2), or 1.5 mg/m(2)) on Days 1, 4, 8, and 11 and received irinotecan (from 50 mg/m(2) to 125 mg/m(2)) on Days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle for a maximum of 8 cycles. Bortezomib followed irinotecan on coadministration days in Cycle 1 and Cycles 3 through 8 but preceded irinotecan in Cycle 2 to assess the effect of administration sequence on bortezomib pharmacodynamics. RESULTS: Fifty-one enrolled patients with malignancies, including colorectal cancer (n = 23 patients), lung cancer (n = 6 patients), gastroesophageal cancer (n = 6 patients), and pancreatic cancer (n = 3 patients), received >/=1 dose of study drug. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were the principal dose-limiting toxicities and led to the maximum tolerated doses of 1.3 mg/m(2) bortezomib and 125 mg/m(2) irinotecan. The most common grade >/=3 bortezomib-related nonhematologic adverse events were fatigue (n = 5 episodes), diarrhea (n = 4 episodes), and nausea (n = 4 episodes). grade >/=3 bortezomib-related hematologic adverse events included neutropenia (n = 6 episodes) and thrombocytopenia (n = 4 episodes) and rarely were dose limiting. Of 34 evaluable patients, no objective responses according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors were seen; 10 patients achieved stable disease. The degree of proteasome inhibition in whole blood indicated that the biologic activity of bortezomib was unaffected by irinotecan coadministration. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this Phase I study in patients with solid tumors indicated that bortezomib at a dose of 1.3 mg/m(2) on Days 1, 4, 8, and 11 plus irinotecan at a dose of 125 mg/m(2) on Days 1 and 8 every 21 days were the recommended Phase II doses.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Phase II trial of capecitabine and weekly paclitaxel as first-line therapy for metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The taxanes and capecitabine have synergistic antitumor activity in preclinical models. This trial was designed to determine the efficacy and tolerability of weekly paclitaxel plus capecitabine as first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer (MBC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants had histologically proven breast cancer, with measurable metastatic disease by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Group. Exclusion criteria included prior taxane therapy or any prior capecitabine or infusional fluorouracil. Participants received capecitabine 825 mg/m2/dose orally bid (1,650 mg/m2/d) for days 1 to 14. Paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 was administered intravenously weekly on days 1 and 8. Cycles were repeated every 3 weeks. Responders (complete or partial) or those with stable disease were treated until progression of disease or intolerable toxicity. RESULTS: Fifty-five women were enrolled; 94% received study therapy as first-line treatment for MBC. In the intent-to-treat population, objective responses (partial) were achieved in 30 patients (55%; 95% CI, 40% to 69%), and six additional patients had stable disease for 6 months or longer (clinical benefit rate of 65%). The median duration of response was 10 months (range, 2.5 to 18.7 months). Dose modifications and reductions were common, particularly for capecitabine, leading to a delivered dose-intensity of 75% for capecitabine and 91% for paclitaxel. The most frequent grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse events were hand-foot skin reaction (n = 10); neutropenia (n = 7); fatigue (n = 4); and leukopenia, diarrhea, and pain (n = 3 each). CONCLUSION: Capecitabine in combination with weekly paclitaxel is an active and tolerable regimen as first-line therapy for women with MBC.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

Size of residual lymph node metastasis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer patients is prognostic.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of micrometastasis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer is unknown. We examined the residual lymph node metastasis size in patients after treatment with neoadjuvant chemotherapy to determine the relevance of metastasis size on outcome. METHODS: Stage II/III breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy at our institution from 1991 to 2002 were included. We examined the relationship of postneoadjuvant chemotherapy lymph node metastasis size and number with distant disease-free survival (DDFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: In 122 patients with a median follow-up of 5.4 years, we found not only that patients with an increasing number of residual positive nodes had progressively worse DDFS and OS (P < .0001 for both) compared with patients with negative nodes, but also that the size of the largest lymph node metastasis was associated with worse DDFS and OS (P < .0001 for both) in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Compared with negative nodes, even lymph node micrometastasis (<2 mm) was associated with worsened DDFS and OS (adjusted P = .02 and P = .005, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Residual micrometastatic disease in the axillary lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is predictive of worse prognosis than negative nodes. In this study, the lymph node metastasis size and the number of involved lymph nodes were independent powerful predictors of DDFS and OS.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Axillary lymph node count is lower after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Retrieval of fewer than 10 lymph nodes at axillary dissection (ALND) for breast cancer can represent anatomic variation or inadequate dissection. We postulated that despite aggressive ALND, a lower lymph node count is more frequent after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: Patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by ALND were compared with patients who received surgery first. All patients received a level I and II ALND at a single institution by one of the breast surgeons. The number of nodes retrieved at ALND was dichotomized into categories (< 10 and > or = 10), and compared using Fisher exact test. RESULTS: A total of 143 neoadjuvant and 170 surgery-first patients were studied. Patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy were significantly more likely to have fewer than 10 lymph nodes retrieved at ALND than were the surgery-first patients (19/143 or 13% vs. 6/170 or 4%, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: A low lymph node count is more common in patients after treatment with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and should not be assumed to represent an incomplete ALND.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in breast cancer therapy.

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) is the major eukaryotic mechanism for regulated intracellular proteolysis. Targeting this pathway with proteasome inhibitors has been validated as a rational strategy against hematologic malignancies, but for most solid tumor populations, including breast cancer, such agents have not shown encouraging activity. However, there is an increasing body of evidence showing that UPP dysregulation plays an important role in mammary tumorigenesis. Moreover, modulation of ubiquitin-proteasome function is emerging as a rational strategy to enhance chemosensitivity and overcome chemoresistance. Taken together, these facts suggest that we are only beginning to appreciate the relevance of this pathway for the current and future therapy of patients with breast cancer. This review provides an overview of the biology of the UPP, its role in the malignant process, the current state of knowledge regarding clinical heat shock protein and proteasome inhibition, and some likely future directions that may enhance our ability to exploit this pathway therapeutically.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2006

Response and cardiac toxicity of trastuzumab given in conjunction with weekly paclitaxel after doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide.

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant trastuzumab improves relapse-free survival in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer but is associated with cardiac toxicity. This phase II study was undertaken to determine the neoadjuvant clinical and pathologic response rate and the acute and chronic cardiac toxicity of trastuzumab given with weekly paclitaxel after AC (doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-two women with newly diagnosed, stage II-IV, HER2-overexpressing breast cancer received AC for 4 cycles, followed by weekly TP (paclitaxel/trastuzumab) for 12 weeks, neoadjuvantly or adjuvantly, followed by 40 weeks of adjuvant trastuzumab. RESULTS: Congestive heart failure occurred in 4% of patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5%-13.2%). Asymptomatic left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreases to < 50% occurred in 21% of patients (95% CI, 11.1%-34.7%); all but 1 recovered by 1.5 years. Median LVEF decreased progressively during therapy from 65% before therapy (95% CI, 63%-66%) to 62% after AC (95% CI, 59%-64%) and 58% after AC-TP (95% CI, 56%-64%; P < 0.01 for each decrease). The decrease in LVEF persisted 1.5 years after study entry at 57% (95% CI, 54%-60%), although all but 1 of the most severe decreases to < 50% recovered to normal. Clinical response rate among 37 patients treated neoadjuvantly was 86%, and the pathologic complete response rate was 19% (95% CI, 8%-35.2%). Because of withdrawals for toxicity, refractory disease, and patient preference, only 35% of patients completed the entire regimen. CONCLUSION: In this study, the AC-TP regimen resulted in a high clinical but moderate pathologic response rate, and although asymptomatic cardiac systolic dysfunction was common, most of the severe decreases recovered over time.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Delivery of a healthy baby after first-trimester maternal exposure to lapatinib.

We report the case of a woman who conceived while being treated on a phase I clinical trial with lapatinib, a dual inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER2/neu, for metastatic breast cancer. Despite approximately 11 weeks of exposure to lapatinib in the first and second trimesters, the pregnancy was uncomplicated and resulted in the delivery of a healthy baby. Although concomitant cancer and pregnancy is relatively rare, the increasing use of biologic agents among fertile women, sometimes for as long as a year in the adjuvant setting increases the probability that some women will conceive while taking a growth factor pathway inhibitor. As with systemic chemotherapy given during pregnancy, there exists the potential for teratogenicity or fetal demise from exposure of the developing embryo to inhibitors of EGFR and HER2/neu. Despite the positive outcome of this case, continued caution is warranted with the use of EGFR and HER2/neu inhibitors in pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor-node-metastasis stage after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and breast cancer outcome.

BACKGROUND: Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is used as an intermediate endpoint for breast cancer relapse and survival. Most breast cancer response classification systems use pathologic complete response, either alone or in conjunction with clinical assessments, to categorize response. We examined the ability of the revised 2003 American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system, which considers both the number of involved axillary lymph nodes and the extent of tumor in the breast to predict patient survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. METHODS: We assessed the pathologic stage of residual tumor in 132 patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer after they had undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy and examined the association between AJCC TNM stage and subsequent distant disease-free survival and overall survival. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 5 years, pathologic stage in the surgical specimens after neoadjuvant chemotherapy using the revised AJCC system was strongly associated with both distant disease-free survival and overall survival. A higher pathologic stage of residual tumor after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a statistically significant lower rate of distant disease-free survival (stage 0: 95%, stage I: 84%, stage II: 72%, and stage III: 47%; Ptrend < .001). The 5-year distant disease-free survival for patients with residual stage IIIC tumors was only 18% (95% CI = 0% to 36%). CONCLUSION: Classification of residual tumor in the breast and axillary surgical specimens after neoadjuvant chemotherapy using the revised AJCC TNM system is useful for predicting distant relapse and survival.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Phase I safety, pharmacokinetics, and clinical activity study of lapatinib (GW572016), a reversible dual inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic carcinomas.

PURPOSE: This study (EGF10004) assessed the safety/tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and clinical activity of daily oral dosing with lapatinib (GW572016) in patients with ErbB1-expressing and/or ErbB2-overexpressing advanced-stage refractory solid tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Heavily pretreated patients with ErbB1-expressing and/or ErbB2-overexpressing metastatic cancers were randomly assigned to one of five dose cohorts of lapatinib administered once daily. Pharmacokinetic samples were obtained on days 1 and 20. Clinical response was assessed every 8 weeks. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients with metastatic solid tumors were treated with lapatinib. The most frequently reported drug-related adverse events were diarrhea (42%) and rash (31%). No grade 4 drug-related adverse events were reported. Five grade 3 drug-related toxicities (gastrointestinal events and rash) were experienced by four patients. Drug-related interstitial pneumonitis or cardiac dysfunction associated with other ErbB-targeted therapies was not reported. Four patients with trastuzumab-resistant metastatic breast cancer-two of whom were classified as having inflammatory breast cancer-had partial responses (PRs). Twenty-four patients with various other carcinomas experienced stable disease, of whom 10 received lapatinib for > or = 6 months. The relationships between lapatinib dose or serum concentration and clinical response could not be adequately characterized due to the limited response data. The incidence of diarrhea increased with increasing dose, whereas the incidence of rash was not related to dose. CONCLUSION: Lapatinib was well tolerated at doses ranging from 500 to 1,600 mg once daily. Clinical activity was observed in heavily pretreated patients with ErbB1-expressing and/or ErbB2-overexpressing metastatic cancers, including four PRs in patients with trastuzumab-resistant breast cancers and prolonged stable disease in 10 patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Study of the biologic effects of lapatinib, a reversible inhibitor of ErbB1 and ErbB2 tyrosine kinases, on tumor growth and survival pathways in patients with advanced malignancies.

PURPOSE: This was a pilot study to assess the biologic effects of lapatinib on various tumor growth/survival pathways in patients with advanced ErbB1 and/or ErbB2-overexpressing solid malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Heavily pretreated patients with metastatic cancers overexpressing ErbB2 and/or expressing ErbB1 were randomly assigned to one of five dose cohorts of lapatinib (GW572016) administered orally once daily continuously. The biologic effects of lapatinib on tumor growth and survival pathways were assessed in tumor biopsies obtained before and after 21 days of therapy. Clinical response was determined at 8 weeks. RESULTS: Sequential tumor biopsies from 33 patients were examined. Partial responses occurred in four patients with breast cancer, and disease stabilization occurred in 11 others with various malignancies. Responders exhibited variable levels of inhibition of p-ErbB1, p-ErbB2, p-Erk1/2, p-Akt, cyclin D1, and transforming growth factor alpha. Even some nonresponders demonstrated varying degrees of biomarker inhibition. Increased tumor cell apoptosis (TUNEL) occurred in patients with evidence of tumor regression but not in nonresponders (progressive disease). Clinical response was associated with a pretreatment TUNEL score > 0 and increased pretreatment expression of ErbB2, p-ErbB2, Erk1/2, p-Erk1/2, insulin-like growth factor receptor-1, p70 S6 kinase, and transforming growth factor alpha compared with nonresponders. CONCLUSION: Lapatinib exhibited preliminary evidence of biologic and clinical activity in ErbB1 and/or ErbB2-overexpressing tumors. However, the limited sample size of this study and the variability of the biologic endpoints suggest that further work is needed to prioritize biomarkers for disease-directed studies, and underscores the need for improved trial design strategies in early clinical studies of targeted agents.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Phase 1 trial of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies.

Proteasome inhibitors, a novel class of chemotherapeutic agents, enhance the antitumor efficacy of anthracyclines in vitro and in vivo. We therefore sought to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and dose-limiting toxicities of bortezomib and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PegLD). Bortezomib was given on days 1, 4, 8, and 11 from 0.90 to 1.50 mg/m2 and PegLD on day 4 at 30 mg/m2 to 42 patients with advanced hematologic malignancies. Grade 3 or 4 toxicities in at least 10% of patients included thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, neutropenia, fatigue, pneumonia, peripheral neuropathy, febrile neutropenia, and diarrhea. The MTD based on cycle 1 was 1.50 and 30 mg/m2 of bortezomib and PegLD, respectively. However, due to frequent dose reductions and delays at this level, 1.30 and 30 mg/m2 are recommended for further study. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies did not find significant drug interactions between these agents. Antitumor activity was seen against multiple myeloma, with 8 of 22 evaluable patients having a complete response (CR) or near-CR, including several with anthracycline-refractory disease, and another 8 having partial responses (PRs). One patient with relapsed/refractory T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) achieved a CR, whereas 2 patients each with acute myeloid leukemia and B-cell NHL had PRs. Bortezomib/PegLD was safely administered in this study with promising antitumor activity, supporting further testing of this regimen.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Dendritic cells can be rapidly expanded ex vivo and safely administered in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Immunotherapy using either dendritic cells (DCs) or expanded cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) has received increased interest in the treatment of specific malignancies including metastatic breast cancer (MBC). DCs can be generated ex vivo from monocytes or CD34+ precursors. The ability to expand and safely administer CD34-derived DCs in patients with MBC that have received prior cytotoxic chemotherapy has not been evaluated. METHODS: We enrolled ten patients with MBC that had received prior chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic disease on a phase I/II trial designed to test the safety and feasibility of administering ex vivo expanded DCs from CD34+ progenitor cells. RESULTS: Using a cocktail of multiple different cytokines, we could expand DCs 19-fold compared to the initial CD34-selected product, which allowed the administration of as many as six vaccine treatments per patient. Patients received three to six injections i.v. of DCs pulsed with either the wild type GP2 epitope from the HER-2/neu protein or an altered peptide ligand, isoleucine to leucine (I2L). Toxicity was mild, with no patients demonstrating grade III toxicity during the treatment. Two patients with subcutaneous disease had a partial response to therapy, while IFN-gamma-producing CD8+ T cells could be found in two other patients during treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This approach is safe and effective in generating a significant quantity of DCs from CD34-precursors.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Central nervous system metastases in women after multimodality therapy for high risk breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) relapse is increasing in breast cancer. This increase may reflect altered failure patterns from adjuvant therapy, more effective systemic therapy with improved control in non-CNS sites, or a resistant breast cancer subtype. METHODS: To determine the factors associated with clinical CNS relapse, we examined response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemosensitivity), time to relapse and sites of relapse in a cohort of 140 patients without evidence of metastasis at presentation. RESULTS: At 5 years (interquartile range 3-6 years), 44 (31%) patients developed distant metastases, including 13 with CNS metastases. CNS relapse was early (median 24 months after diagnosis) and associated with relapse in bone and liver, suggesting hematogenous dissemination. Those with CNS relapse were younger at diagnosis (40 versus 49 years) and more likely to have lymphovascular invasion in the primary tumor compared with non-CNS metastases. Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was not different (69% versus 73% response rate) between the two groups. Extent of residual disease after chemotherapy was strongly associated with relapse outside the CNS but not CNS relapses. The CNS was an isolated or dominant site of metastasis in 8 of 13. Despite treatment, most patients with CNS involvement died of neurologic causes a median of 6 months later. CONCLUSION: Breast cancers that develop CNS metastases differ from those that develop metastases elsewhere. Both tumor behavior and reduced chemotherapy accessibility to the CNS may contribute to increased CNS involvement in breast cancer patients treated with multimodality therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The proteasome as a target for cancer therapy.

The proteasome is a multicatalytic proteinase complex responsible for the degradation of most intracellular proteins, including proteins crucial to cell cycle regulation and programmed cell death, or apoptosis. In preclinical cancer models, proteasome inhibitors induce apoptosis, have in vivo antitumor efficacy, and sensitize malignant cells and tumors to the proapoptotic effects of conventional chemotherapeutics and radiation therapy. Interestingly, transformed cells display greater susceptibility to proteasome inhibition than nonmalignant cells. Therefore, proteasome inhibition holds promise as a novel approach to the treatment of cancer. Inhibitors of the proteasome impact on cells in part through down-regulation of nuclear factor kappaB, but also through modulation of cell cycle proteins and other pro- and antiapoptotic pathways. Bortezomib (VELCADE; formerly PS-341), the first such inhibitor to undergo clinical testing, has demonstrated impressive antitumor activity and manageable toxicities in Phase I and II trials both as a single agent, and in combination with other drugs. It has been approved recently by the Food and Drug Administration for therapy of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior regimens and progressed on the last of these. Ongoing preclinical evaluations of the mechanisms that underlie the antitumor effects of proteasome inhibitors, and clinical trials in a variety of tumor types, will allow additional refinement of the role these agents will play in cancer therapy. Below we discuss the rationale behind targeting the proteasome for cancer therapy, and review the preclinical and clinical data on proteasome inhibitors alone, and in combination with conventional chemotherapeutics.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

A phase I and pharmacologic study of pyrazoloacridine and cisplatin in patients with advanced cancer.

Pyrazoloacridine (PZA, NSC366140, PD115934) is an acridine derivative currently undergoing clinical evaluation. In preclinical testing, PZA has shown selectivity for solid tumor cell lines, activity in hypoxic, noncycling, and multidrug-resistant cell lines, and synergy with cisplatin in a variety of lung cancer cell lines. In early phase I clinical studies PZA has shown modest activity in ovarian, cervical, and colon cancer. The purpose of the present study was threefold: to determine the maximally tolerated doses of the combination of PZA (3-h infusion) and cisplatin administered with and without Filgrastim (G-CSF) (Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA) every 3 weeks in untreated or minimally pretreated patients, to describe and quantify the clinical toxicities of combination chemotherapy with PZA and cisplatin, and to evaluate the effects of drug sequencing on the toxicity profile and pharmacologic behavior of PZA. The starting doses in this dose-escalation trial were PZA 400 mg/m2 as a 3-h intravenous infusion and cisplatin 50 mg/m2 as a 1 mg/min intravenous infusion. The sequence of drugs was alternated with each successive course in each patient treated. Twenty-one patients with refractory solid tumors received 43 courses of therapy through four dose levels. Neutropenia was dose-limiting and defined the maximum tolerated dose of PZA 400 mg/m2 and cisplatin 50 mg/m2 without G-CSF support. With G-CSF support, nausea and vomiting were dose-limiting. The maximum tolerated and recommended doses for further study of this combination are PZA 600 mg/m2 over 3 h and cisplatin 50 mg/m2 followed by G-CSF support. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed that sequence does not impact on the pharmacokinetics of PZA when given in combination with cisplatin.

Acridines↗