Italian survey on cetuximab-based therapy of elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer Abstract Purpose There is no consensus on the use of cetuximab in elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. To this end, a survey was carried in 17 Italian oncology centers. Methods The centers answered a 29-item questionnaire structured as follows: (i) demographic characteristics; (ii) medical history; (iii) assessment of RAS/BRAF mutations and DPD/UGT polymorphism before treatment; (iv) treatment schemes and side effects; (v) geriatric assessment and customization of treatment. Results One-third of patients are over 80 years old. The RAS/BRAF mutational status is not primarily evaluated by 17.6% of the centers, while DPD and UGT polymorphism is not evaluated by 82.4% and 76.5% of the centers. The most common therapeutic scheme is cetuximab/FOLFIRI and diarrhea is the main cause of suspension/reduction of treatment. The 70% of centers use systemic tetracyclines for skin toxicity. The 23.5% of the centers do not carry out any geriatric evaluation before the start of the therapy and those who perform it prefer the G8 (70.6%) and VES-13 (29.4%) scales. Conclusions Greater efforts should be made to improve the evaluation of the patient both about mutational and genetic procedures with geriatric evaluation. As for cetuximab in elderly patients, randomized studies are needed to provide guidance to physicians.

Prophylactic administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in epirubicin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy for Japanese breast cancer patients: a retrospective study Abstract Purpose Epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (EC) therapy, a major chemotherapy for patients with early-stage breast cancer, has a low risk (< 10%) of febrile neutropenia (FN). However, data used in reports on the incidence rate of FN were derived primarily from non-Asian populations. In this study, we investigated the FN incidence rate using EC therapy among Japanese patients with breast cancer and evaluated the significance of prophylactic administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Methods We evaluated medical records of patients with early-stage breast cancer who had been treated with EC therapy as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy between November 2014 and July 2018. Results The incidence rate of FN was 23.9%. In patients who received G-CSF as primary prophylaxis, FN expression was completely suppressed. The incidence rate of severe leucopenia/neutropenia, emergency hospitalization, and the use of antimicrobial agents were low in patients receiving primary prophylaxis with G-CSF compared with those not receiving G-CSF (27.3% vs. 64.8%, 9.1% vs. 27.3%, and 27.3% vs. 71.6%, respectively). Furthermore, in all patients who received primary prophylaxis with G-CSF, a relative dose intensity > 85% using EC therapy was maintained. Conclusion The incidence of FN in EC therapy among Japanese patients was higher than expected, EC therapy appears to be a high-risk chemotherapy for FN, and prophylactic administration of G-CSF is recommended. Maintaining high therapeutic intensity is associated with a positive prognosis for patients with early breast cancer, and prophylactic administration of G-CSF is likely to be beneficial in treatment involving EC therapy.

Prodrugs as drug delivery system in oncology Abstract The use of conventional chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer has been restricted by the lack of cell specificity, which causes toxicity regarding healthy cells resulting in limiting side effects responsible for low therapeutic efficiency. To overcome these drawbacks, the design of prodrugs has evolved and improved by covalently linking the drug through a degradable spacer. The use of these prodrugs as drug delivery systems, which are able to inactivate the drug during its biodistribution to specifically deliver the drug to its target, is an important breakthrough in cancer therapy. This strategy consisting in the covalent binding of a promoiety to daily used therapeutic compounds has been clinically proven in the design of targeted prodrugs leading enhanced therapeutic efficacy and increase of the therapeutic index. This review summarizes and compares several strategies that improve the therapeutic index of chemotherapy (i.e. conventional drugs) by their chemical transformation into prodrugs improving pharmacokinetic profiles and optimizing administration routes in comparison to the initial drug. This review provides an overview of the methods used to control the structure and function of prodrugs and, ultimately, their current and future potential in increasing the therapeutic index of daily used anticancer drugs. First, prodrugs’ design and their activation within the tumor microenvironment or within the tumor cell will be exposed. Then, the different strategies used leading to these prodrugs will be presented.

A phase II trial of induction of erlotinib followed by cytotoxic chemotherapy for EGFR mutation-positive non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer patients Abstract Background No consensus has been reached regarding the treatment order and timing of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) and cytotoxic chemotherapy administration for EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods In this phase II trial, chemotherapy-naïve patients harboring activating EGFR mutations with stage IIIB/IV or post-surgical recurrent non-squamous NSCLC were enrolled. Patients were treated with erlotinib induction at 150 mg/day for 3 months. This was followed by cytotoxic chemotherapy with platinum plus pemetrexed, with or without bevacizumab, when the induction erlotinib achieved a CR or PR. The primary end point was the 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate, while the secondary end points were the response rate (RR), PFS, safety, and overall survival (OS). Results Twenty patients were enrolled in this study. The median age was 63 years. Eighteen patients had stage IV disease, and 2 patients had recurrent disease. Eleven patients achieved a PR after induction of erlotinib and 9 out of 11 patients were switched to chemotherapy. The 1-year PFS rate was 45.0% (90% CI 26.8–63.2), the overall RR was 55.0%, and the median PFS was 10.7 months in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. Grade 3–4 adverse events were reported for 40% of the patients, including patients with leukopenia (10%), neutropenia (20%), and interstitial pneumonitis, bacterial pneumonia, rash, and nausea (all 5%). Conclusions The primary end point of this study was not achieved. However, the therapy was well tolerated and may be a treatment option for a future study with patients responsive to short-term erlotinib treatment. Clinical trials registration number UMIN ID: 000013125.

Population pharmacokinetics of siltuximab: impact of disease state Abstract Purpose To characterize the effects of disease type and clinical characteristics on the pharmacokinetics of siltuximab, an IL-6 inhibiting monoclonal antibody. Methods Siltuximab pharmacokinetic data were combined from seven phase I/II clinical trials. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed to characterize changes in siltuximab disposition with disease type, albumin, liver and renal function, and patient demographics. Results A total of 7761 concentrations from 460 participants were used in the study. The data were well described by a two-compartment model. Castleman’s disease, healthy volunteer status, albumin, and ALT were independent predictors of clearance. Monte Carlo simulations of the final model for an 11 mg/kg dose resulted in a longer median half-life for healthy volunteers (24.5 days) as compared to Castleman’s disease (19.1 days) and other tumor types (22.2 days). Clearance varied 1.8-fold over the range of albumin values seen in the study (1.5–5.2 g/dL), while ALT resulted in minimal changes in clearance. Conclusions Albumin and disease state are important factors for siltuximab disposition and will likely need to be considered for dosing in future therapeutic applications.

Development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for intravenous lenalidomide in mice Abstract Purpose Lenalidomide is used widely in B-cell malignancies for its immunomodulatory activity. It is primarily eliminated via the kidneys, with a significant proportion of renal elimination attributed to active processes. Lenalidomide is a weak substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), though it is unclear whether P-gp is solely responsible for lenalidomide transport. This study aimed to determine whether the current knowledge of lenalidomide was sufficient to describe the pharmacokinetics of lenalidomide in multiple tissues. Methods A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model was developed using the Open Systems Pharmacology Suite to explore the pharmacokinetics of lenalidomide in a variety of tissues. Data were available for mice dosed intravenously at 0.5, 1.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg, with concentrations measured in plasma, brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, muscle, and spleen. P-gp expression and activity were sourced from the literature. Results The model predictions in plasma, liver, and lung were representative of the observed data (median prediction error 13%, − 10%, and 30%, respectively, with 90% confidence intervals including zero), while other tissue predictions showed sufficient similarity to the observed data. Contrary to the data, model predictions for the brain showed no drug reaching brain tissue when P-gp was expressed at the blood–brain barrier. The data were better described by basolateral transporters at the intracellular wall. Local sensitivity analysis showed that transporter activity was the most sensitive parameter in these models for exposure. Conclusion As P-gp transport at the blood–brain barrier did not explain the observed brain concentrations alone, there may be other transporters involved in lenalidomide disposition.

Polymorphisms of genes encoding drug transporters or cytochrome P450 enzymes and association with clinical response in cancer patients: a systematic review Abstract Purpose Not all patients respond well to cancer chemotherapy. One of the most important factors contributing to treatment response (efficacy and toxicity) is genetic determinant. The current systematic review aims to provide current status of the information on the genetic contribution of genes encoding drug transport proteins and drug metabolizing enzyme, cytochrome P450 (CYP), and relationship with clinical outcomes of cancer chemotherapy. Methods The literature search was performed through PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. One hundred and four research articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria and had none of the exclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Results Various studies reported conflicting results for the polymorphisms of the major genes and association with treatment outcomes in patients with various types of cancer. Nevertheless, among the investigated gene polymorphisms, it appears that the 1236C>T, 3435C>T and 2677 G>T/A SNPs of the drug transporter gene ABCB1 were the most promising determinants of clinical outcomes. Although both 1236C>T and 3435C>T polymorphism are synonymous SNPs, several studies have demonstrated that not all synonymous SNPs are silent. Therefore, using the haplotype (1236C>T, 2677G>T, and 3435C>T) analysis rather than a single SNP may be a more useful approach for phenotype prediction. Some of the patients with variants of CYP genes were associated with unsatisfactory treatment response (efficacy and toxicity), suggesting that these variants may be associated with either reduction or absence of CYP enzyme activity. Conclusions The controversial results may be due to several factors including difference in populations studied, sample size, tumor sites and stages, chemotherapeutic drug regimens, and evaluation parameters for efficacy and/or toxicity. Before the information can be successfully applied to individualized cancer chemotherapy, further studies should be focused on these promising genetic markers and their association with clinical outcomes using standardized protocols.

Evaluation of the potential for QTc prolongation with avelumab Abstract Purpose To report integrated electrocardiogram (ECG) summary and exposure–QTc analyses for avelumab, a human immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody that binds programmed cell death 1 ligand 1, to assess potential effects on cardiac repolarization. Methods Data were pooled from three-phase 1/2 studies of patients with advanced solid tumors who received avelumab monotherapy (22,000 ECGs from 1818 patients). All analyses used 12-lead singlet ECGs taken using local ECG machines before and approximately 2 h after avelumab infusion on prespecified days. The exposure–QTc and outlier analyses used locally read ECGs; since larger variability is known to be associated with local reading, outlier ECGs were subsequently reevaluated by central read. QTc derived from Fridericia’s formula (QTcF) and a project-specific formula (QTcP) were analyzed. Multivariable linear mixed-effects models were used to describe the relationship between serum concentration of avelumab and QTc absolute value or change from baseline (ΔQTc). Results Exposure–QTc models showed that the effect of avelumab on QTc or ΔQTc was minimal and not statistically significant for both QTcP and QTcF. In addition, models including avelumab concentration and diphenhydramine premedication use did not show a clinically meaningful effect on the QT interval. The frequency of QTc outliers in both short and long ranges was overestimated by local reads. Six patients (0.3%) were QTc outliers; all had either received concomitant medication known to cause QT prolongation or had a preexisting cardiac condition. Conclusion Avelumab does not have any clinically relevant effect on cardiac repolarization.

A phase I study evaluating combined nimotuzumab and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery in locally advanced esophageal cancer Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combined nimotuzumab and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery in locally advanced esophageal cancer. Methods Patients with clinically resectable, locally advanced esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy plus nimotuzumab were eligible for study participation. Radiotherapy was administered in 1.8 Gy once daily for 5 days per week up to a total dose of 41.4 Gy. Weekly nimotuzumab (200 mg/week) was administered following paclitaxel and carboplatin on the same day for 5 weeks. The primary end-point was the pathological complete response (pCR) rate and the secondary end-point was the safety, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results A total of 64 patients with a median age of 58 years were enrolled in this study. pCR was observed in 51.6% patients. Grade 3 acute toxicities were observed in 6 patients (9.4%), shown as bone marrow suppression. 7 patients experienced grade 1 transient skin rash during nimotuzumab treatment. The median PFS time and OS time were 64.6 and 68.2 months. Conclusions Combined nimotuzumab and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for clinically resectable, locally advanced esophageal cancer showed a significant anticancer effect with tolerable toxicities.

Adverse event profiles of ifosfamide-induced encephalopathy analyzed using the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System and the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report databases Abstract Purpose Ifosfamide is extensively used to treat several malignant conditions. Administration of ifosfamide can cause encephalopathy and other neurotoxic effects. The aim of this study was to obtain novel information on the onset profiles of ifosfamide-induced encephalopathy (IIE) considering other associated clinical factors using the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) databases. Methods We analyzed the reports of encephalopathy between 2004 and 2018 from the FAERS and JADER databases. To define IIE, we used the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) preferred terms and standardized queries. The reporting odds ratios (ROR) at 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to detect the signal for IIE and adjusted for covariates using a multivariate logistic regression technique. We evaluated the time-to-onset profile of IIE and used the association rule mining technique to discover undetected associations, such as potential risk factors. Results In the FAERS database, the ROR (CI) for encephalopathy (preferred term, PT) and encephalopathy (standardized MedDRA queries, SMQ) was 56.58 (51.69–61.93) and 1.57 (1.48–1.67), respectively. In the JADER database, the ROR (95% CI) for encephalopathy (PT) and encephalopathy (SMQ) was 13.54 (9.91–18.50) and 1.24 (1.01–1.53), respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant contribution in IIE signal in the ≥ 60 year group (p = 0.00094; vs. < 60 year group) and ≥ 2000 mg/m2 dosage group (p = 0.00045; vs. < 2000 mg/m2 dosage group). The association rules of {ifosfamide, aprepitant} → {encephalopathy (SMQ)} demonstrated high lift values. The average dose of ifosfamide in patients with encephalopathy (PT) and without encephalopathy (PT) was 2022.8 ± 592.8 (mean ± standard deviation) and 1568.5 ± 703.2 mg/m2, respectively (p < 0.05). Encephalopathy within the first 7 days of ifosfamide administration was 94.1% for encephalopathy (PT) and 87.7% for encephalopathy (SMQ), respectively. Conclusions The present analysis demonstrated that the incidence of encephalopathy with ifosfamide should be closely monitored for a short onset (within 7 days). The patients who are administered a high dose of ifosfamide or co-administrated aprepitant should be carefully monitored for the development of encephalopathy.