Metabolite profiles associated with disease progression in influenza infection

Background We performed metabolomic profiling to identify metabolites that correlate with disease progression and death. Methods We performed a study of adults hospitalized with Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. Cases (n = 32) were defined by a composite outcome of death or transfer to the intensive care unit during the 60-day follow-up period. Controls (n = 64) were survivors who did not require transfer to the ICU. Four hundred and eight metabolites from eight families were measured on plasma sample at enrollment using a mass spectrometry based Biocrates platform. Conditional logistic regression was used to summarize the association of the individual metabolites and families with the composite outcome and its major two components. Results The ten metabolites with the strongest association with disease progression belonged to five different metabolite families with sphingolipids being the most common. The acylcarnitines, glycerides, sphingolipids and biogenic metabolite families had the largest odds ratios based on the composite endpoint. The tryptophan odds ratio for the composite is largely associated with death (OR 17.33: 95% CI, 1.60–187.76). Conclusions Individuals that develop disease progression when infected with Influenza H1N1 have a metabolite signature that differs from survivors. Low levels of tryptophan had a strong association with death. Registry ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01056185

Chitosan-derived Nanoparticles Impede Signal Transduction for T790M Lung Cancer Therapy

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) treated patients ultimately develop disease progression, about 50% of which involved in the emergence of a T790M mutation acquiring drug resistance. In...

Durvalumab activity in previously treated patients who stopped durvalumab without disease progression

BackgroundLimited data exist on potential clinical benefit with anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) retreatment in patients who stop initial therapy for reasons other than disease progression or toxicity and develop disease progression while off treatment.Patients and methodsNCT01693562 was a phase I/II study evaluating durvalumab monotherapy in advanced solid tumors. Patients benefiting from treatment were taken off durvalumab at 1 year per protocol and prospectively followed. At disease progression, they were eligible for durvalumab retreatment. Outcomes evaluated during retreatment included best overall response (BOR2), duration of response (DoR2), disease control rate (DCR2), and progression-free survival (PFS2).ResultsOf 980 patients enrolled and treated with durvalumab 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks (Q2W) in the dose-expansion cohorts, 168 completed 1 year of initial durvalumab treatment with confirmed BOR1 of complete response in 20 (11.9%), partial response (PR) in 84 (50%), stable disease (SD) in 52 (31%), and disease progression in 12 (7.1%). All 168 patients stopped treatment and were eligible for retreatment at progression; 70 patients (41.7%) representing 14 primary tumor types were retreated and response evaluable. Confirmed BOR2 was PR in 8 patients (11.4%), SD in 42 (60.0%), disease progression in 16 (22.9%), and unevaluable in 4 (5.7%). Median DoR2 was 16.5 months. DCR2 ≥24 weeks (DCR2 24) was 47.1%. PFS2 rate at 12 months was 34.2%, and median PFS2 was 5.9 months. Median overall survival (OS2) was 23.8 months. Response rates, DCR2 24, and median DoR2 were generally greater in patients with high PD-L1 expression than those with low/negative expression. No new safety signals were observed during retreatment.ConclusionRetreatment restored antitumor activity, resulting in high rates of durable disease control with an acceptable safety profile. This evidence supports retreatment of patients who stop anti-PD-L1 therapy for reasons other than progression or toxicity, and supports further investigation.

Potential role of rituximab in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer

Nearly all men with prostate cancer who are treated with androgen deprivation therapy develop disease progression. There is considerable evidence to suggest that CXCL 13 released by tumor cells leads to B-cell infiltration into the prostate cells. This B-cell infiltration has been postulated to play a role in development of disease progression following androgen-deprivation therapies. We present a case of a patient who achieved remission of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer after receiving rituximab and bendamustine for the treatment of follicular lymphoma. The findings in this report suggest that further investigation is warranted for utilizing B-cell targeted therapy in delaying progression of castrate-resistant prostate cancer.

Advances and Current Concepts in the Medical Management of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) are rare and heterogeneous group of tumors presenting as localised or metastatic disease and in a subset with distinct clinical syndromes. Treatment is aimed at controlling the functional syndrome, eradicating the tumor, and/or preventing further tumor growth. Surgery is the treatment of choice in removing the primary tumor and/or reducing tumor burden but cannot be applied to all patients. Somatostatin analogs (SS-analogs) obtain control of functional syndromes in the majority of GEP-neuroendocrine tumors (NETs); phase III trials have shown that SS-analogs can be used as first-line antiproliferative treatment in patients with slow-growing GEP-NETs. The role of the recently approved serotonin inhibitor, telotristat ethyl, and gastrin receptor antagonist, netazepide, is evolving. Streptozotocin-based chemotherapy has been used for inoperable or progressing pancreatic NENs but the orally administered combination of capecitabine/temozolomide is becoming more popular due to its better tolerability and potential effect in other GEP-NENs. Phase III trials have shown efficacy of molecular targeted therapies in GEP-NETs and of radionuclide treatment in patients with midgut carcinoid tumors expressing somatostatin receptors. Most patients will develop disease progression necessitating further therapeutic options. A combination of currently available treatments along with the molecular signature of each tumor will guide future treatment.

Safety and efficacy of everolimus in gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors after 177Lu-octreotate

Although 177Lu-octreotate is an effective treatment for patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), some patients will fail or develop disease progression necessitating further treatment. We examined whether the safety and efficacy of everolimus after prior treatment with 177Lu-octreotate is different from the published safety profile of everolimus in GEP-NETs. In this multicenter study, 24 GEP-NET patients were included. Adverse events were assessed according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 3.0. Tumor response was measured according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.0. Major clinical adverse events (grade 3 or 4) during treatment with everolimus were hyperglycemia (20.8%), fatigue (8.3%), thrombocytopenia (8.3%), and elevated alanine transaminase levels (8.3%). By radiological review, there were four partial responses (16.7%), five patients (62.5%) with stable disease, and three patients (12.5%) with progressive disease. For two patients (8.3%), no data on tumor response were available. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 13.1 months (95% CI, 11.5–21.2). Median PFS of the current study was longer when compared with the RADIANT-3 trial (13.1 vs 11.4 months) and shorter when compared with the RADIANT-1 trial (13.1 vs 16.7 months). In conclusion, the safety profile of everolimus is not influenced by previous treatment with peptide receptor radiotherapy.

A phase Ib/II study evaluating the efficacy of doxorubicin (D) with or without a human anti-PDGFRα monoclonal antibody olaratumab (IMC-3G3) in the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

TPS10099 Background: PDGFRα is a receptor commonly overexpressed in STS. Olaratumab is a fully human IgG1 MAb which specifically binds to human PDGFRα and blocks PDGFR-mediated signaling pathways. Olaratumab demonstrated significant tumor inhibition as a monotherapy and in combination with standard chemotherapy in preclinical human sarcoma xenograft models. A Phase 1b/2 clinical trial for patients with advanced or metastatic STS is currently enrolling patients in 9 sites across the United States; approximately 45 patients have been randomized. Methods: In Phase 1b, patients received olaratumab (15 mg/kg) via intravenous infusion on Days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle and D (75 mg/m²) 1 hour after olaratumab on Day 1. Phase 1b was completed without encountering dose-limiting toxicities; enrollment into Phase 2 has begun. The primary endpoint of the Phase 2 portion is to compare progression-free survival in patients with advanced STS when treated with D plus olaratumab versus D alone. Planned enrollment goal for Phase 2 is 130 patients. Patients are required to be ≥ 18 years old with ECOG 0-2, have appropriate organ function and histologically confirmed, measurable, and advanced STS. There is no restriction on the number of prior therapies. Patients are randomized 1:1 to either D plus olaratumab (Arm A) at same dose/schedule as in Phase 1b or D alone (Arm B). All patients can receive dexrazoxane. Upon completion of 8 cycles, patients in Arm A continue with olaratumab monotherapy. Patients in Arm B who develop disease progression during or after treatment can subsequently receive olaratumab monotherapy. Patients are stratified to treatment arms according to PDGFRα expression (positive vs. negative), number of previous lines of treatment, sarcoma subtype, and ECOG performance status. Response assessment occurs every 6 weeks. Exploratory analyses include biomarkers of olaratumab pharmacodynamic activity including PDGF ligands, PDGFR downstream molecules, VEGF, and changes in vascularity of tumor specimens.