Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · Dec 2013
Preclinical pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic/efficacy relationships for alisertib, an investigational small-molecule inhibitor of Aurora A kinase.
Alisertib (MLN8237) is an investigational inhibitor of Aurora A kinase (AAK). Aurora A plays an essential role in the regulation of spindle assembly and chromosome alignment during mitosis. Inhibition of Aurora A by alisertib in tissue culture has previously been demonstrated to lead to improper chromosomal alignment and disruption of spindle organization, resulting in a transient mitotic delay. The spindle organization defects induced by alisertib have been used to develop a pharmacodynamic (PD) assay for Aurora A inhibition based on the percentage of mitotic cells with proper chromosomal alignment at the metaphase plate (% aligned spindles, abbreviated as AS). The transient mitotic delay that occurs with AAK inhibition permits the use of the mitotic index (the fraction of cells in the population currently undergoing mitosis, abbreviated as MI) as an additional PD assay. When the two PD assays were used in Phase I clinical trials, the reduction in AS was strongly correlated with dose levels and exposures in patients from single time point PD measurements; however, MI failed to show any correlation. To further understand this clinical finding, we constructed PK/PD/efficacy models for AS and MI that can precisely capture the temporal dynamics of the PD markers from in vivo xenograft studies. ⋯ The PK/PD and PK/efficacy models show that both AS and MI are equally relevant as mechanism-based PD markers to capture drug activity. However, of the two PD markers, the fast, sustained response of AS makes it the only clinically viable PD marker for defining a dose-response relationship, as its maximal effect can be captured from a wider time window with a single PD sampling; while the window to capture dose-related MI response is narrower.
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · Dec 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialInvestigation into CYP3A4-mediated drug-drug interactions on midostaurin in healthy volunteers.
Midostaurin (PKC412), a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets FMS-related tyrosine kinase 3 and KIT, is in clinical trials for the treatment for acute myeloid leukemia and advanced systemic mastocytosis. In vitro studies showed that midostaurin is predominantly metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) and that midostaurin inhibits and/or induces the same enzyme. Here, we address the clinical relevance of CYP3A4-related drug-drug interactions with midostaurin as either a "victim" or "perpetrator." ⋯ The pharmacokinetics of midostaurin and its metabolites was affected substantially by ketoconazole and rifampicin, suggesting that midostaurin is a sensitive CYP3A4 substrate. Midostaurin did not appear to inhibit or induce CYP3A4 in vivo.
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · Dec 2013
Safety and efficacy of neratinib in combination with weekly paclitaxel and trastuzumab in women with metastatic HER2‑positive breast cancer: an NSABP Foundation Research Program phase I study.
Neratinib is an oral, small-molecule inhibitor that irreversibly binds to pan-HER (ErbB) receptor tyrosine kinases. Studies suggest that dual anti-HER therapies utilized in breast cancer patients are more efficacious than single agents in both the metastatic and neoadjuvant settings. In this phase I study, neratinib was combined with trastuzumab and paclitaxel in metastatic HER2-positive patients. ⋯ Dual anti-HER blockade with neratinib and trastuzumab resulted in significant clinical benefit despite prior exposure to trastuzumab, lapatinib, T-DM1, a taxane, and multiple lines of chemotherapy. In selected populations, inhibiting multiple ErbB-family receptors may be more advantageous than single-agent inhibition. Based on favorable tolerance and efficacy, this three-drug combination will be further assessed in a randomized phase II neoadjuvant trial (NSABP FB-7:NCT01008150).
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · Dec 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyGoshajinkigan oxaliplatin neurotoxicity evaluation (GONE): a phase 2, multicenter, randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trial of goshajinkigan to prevent oxaliplatin‑induced neuropathy.
Oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (OPN) is frequent and potentially severe, but successful treatment of this condition is still an unmet clinical need. We aimed to determine whether treatment with goshajinkigan (TJ-107), a traditional Japanese medicine, is better than placebo in preventing OPN in patients with advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer patients treated with standard FOLFOX regimens. ⋯ TJ-107 appears to have an acceptable safety margin and a promising effect in delaying the onset of grade 2 or greater OPN without impairing FOLFOX efficacy.
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · Dec 2013
An appraisal of subcutaneous trastuzumab: a new formulation meeting clinical needs.
Trastuzumab has deeply and radically changed the course of HER2-positive breast cancer disease. The recent development of a subcutaneous (SC) formulation of trastuzumab is an important step towards improved patients' care. ⋯ This results in substantial time savings for patients, pharmacists, physicians and nursing staff, with a healthcare professionals' and patients' preference largely going to SC. In addition, the possibility to treat patients with poor venous access or to spare patients' venous capital when necessary may also be of interest.