Seminars in oncology
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Seminars in oncology · Oct 1996
Doxorubicin and paclitaxel, a highly active combination in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
Paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) is active against advanced breast cancer and anthracycline-resistant breast cancer. We assessed the efficacy and toxicity of doxorubicin followed by a 3-hour infusion of paclitaxel in women with advanced breast cancer. Participants could have received at most one prior adjuvant chemotherapy regimen, but no previous exposure to anthracyclines or taxanes was permitted. ⋯ Main toxicities were neutropenia, paresthesia, nausea/vomiting, alopecia, myalgia, and cardiotoxicity. In 15 patients (50%), the left ventricular ejection fraction decreased to below normal levels; six patients (20%) developed congestive heart failure. In conclusion, the combination of doxorubicin and paclitaxel is highly active; dose-limiting toxicities are neutropenia, neuropathy, and cumulative cardiotoxicity.
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Seminars in oncology · Oct 1996
Clinical TrialPreliminary results of a phase I/II clinical trial of paclitaxel and carboplatin in non-small cell lung cancer.
A phase I/II study was carried out to determine the maximum tolerated dose of paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) in combination with a fixed dose of carboplatin (area under the concentration-time curve = 6 by Calvert method) given on an every-3-week schedule to patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Cohorts of patients were entered at increasing dose levels of paclitaxel: six at dose level I (paclitaxel 150 mg/m2), six at dose level 2 (paclitaxel 175 mg/m2), 11 at dose level 3 (paclitaxel 200 mg/ m2), 21 at dose level 4 (paclitaxel 225 mg/m2), and five at dose level 5 (paclitaxel 250 mg/m2). The patients comprised 31 men and 18 women with a median age of 62 years (age range, 46 to 81 years) and a median Southwest Oncology Group performance status of I (range, 0 to 2). ⋯ At this time, 42 patients with objectively measurable disease are evaluable for responses: two complete responses and 24 partial responses (62% objective response rate) have been observed. These data imply that the maximum tolerated dose of paclitaxel is 250 mg/m2 with dose-limiting toxicity consisting primarily of grade 3 osteo/arthralgias-myalgias or cumulative sensory neuropathy; paclitaxel at a dose of 225 mg/m2 given by 3-hour infusion combined with carboplatin at a calculated target area under the concentration-time curve of 6 is a well-tolerated outpatient treatment regimen and highly active in NSCLC; myelosuppression is mild and rarely dose limiting. Most notably, paclitaxel appears to decrease carboplatin's pharmacodynamic effects on thrombopoiesis.
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Seminars in oncology · Oct 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialCyclophosphamide and cisplatin versus paclitaxel and cisplatin: a phase III randomized trial in patients with suboptimal stage III/IV ovarian cancer (from the Gynecologic Oncology Group).
Administration of an alkylating agent plus a platinum coordination complex is standard therapy for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer in the United States. The most commonly used combination is cyclophosphamide/ cisplatin; however, the benefit of this combination in overall survival has not been compelling. We report a prospective comparison of this regimen versus a combination of cisplatin with paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ), a new and well-tolerated agent with documented activity in cisplatin-refractory ovarian cancer. ⋯ Progression-free survival was significantly longer (P < .001) with cisplatin/paclitaxel (median, 12.9 v 17.9 months). Overall survival was also significantly longer (P < .001) with cisplatin/paclitaxel (median, 37.5 v 24.4 months). Incorporating paclitaxel into first-line therapy for patients with suboptimally debulked stage III and stage IV ovarian cancer can increase the duration of the progression-free interval and extend overall survival while maintaining an acceptable toxicity profile.
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Seminars in oncology · Oct 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialAn ongoing European organization for research and treatment of cancer crossover trial comparing single-agent paclitaxel and doxorubicin as first- and second-line treatment of advanced breast cancer.
The activity of paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) in advanced breast cancer patients who have failed doxorubicin treatment is well established, but the optimal sequence between these two important agents remains to be determined. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer therefore designed a prospective randomized clinical trial in which patients not exposed to anthracyclines in the adjuvant setting received either first-line paclitaxel, given as a 3-hour infusion at a dose of 200 mg/m2 followed at the time of disease progression by second-line doxorubicin, given as a bolus injection at a dose of 75 mg/m2 or the reverse sequence. The target accrual is 330 patients. Interim results on 207 evaluable patients of 289 randomized are presented.
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Seminars in oncology · Oct 1996
ReviewPaclitaxel combination therapy in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer: a review.
Combinations of active antineoplastic agents have been the most effective treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Criteria for an effective combination include use of drugs with different mechanisms of action, nonoverlapping toxic effects, and synergistic, or at least additive, antitumor activity. Paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ), with its unique mechanism of action, offers an excellent opportunity for development of effective combination therapy against breast cancer. ⋯ Combination therapy offers exciting possibilities of enhanced antitumor efficacy. However, given the unexpected and serious toxic effects observed, only proven combinations should be used outside the context of a clinical trial. Additionally, the burden of proof will be to show that these combinations have increased antitumor activity, decreased toxicity, or both compared with single-agent paclitaxel.