Neratinib Plus Paclitaxel vs Trastuzumab Plus Paclitaxel in Previously Untreated Metastatic ERBB2-Positive Breast Cancer: The NEfERT-T Randomized Clinical Trial.

Efficacious ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu)-directed treatments, in addition to trastuzumab and lapatinib, are needed.
To determine whether neratinib, an irreversible pan-ERBB tyrosine kinase inhibitor, plus paclitaxel improves progression-free survival compared with trastuzumab plus paclitaxel in the first-line treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic ERBB2-positive breast cancer.
In the randomized, controlled, open-label NEfERT-T trial conducted from August 2009 to December 2014 at 188 centers in 34 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, 479 women with previously untreated recurrent and/or metastatic ERBB2-positive breast cancer were randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms (neratinib-paclitaxel [n = 242] or trastuzumab-paclitaxel [n = 237]). Women with asymptomatic central nervous system metastases were eligible, and randomization was stratified by prior trastuzumab and lapatinib exposure, hormone-receptor status, and region.
Women received neratinib (240 mg/d orally) or trastuzumab (4 mg/kg then 2 mg/kg weekly), each combined with paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days). Primary prophylaxis for diarrhea was not mandatory.
The primary outcome was progression-free survival. Secondary end points were response rate, clinical benefit rate, duration of response, frequency, and time to symptomatic and/or progressive central nervous system lesions, and safety.
The intent-to-treat population comprised 479 women 18 years or older (neratinib-paclitaxel, n = 242; trastuzumab-paclitaxel, n = 237) randomized and stratified in their respective treatment arms by prior trastuzumab and lapatinib exposure, hormone-receptor status, and region. Median progression-free survival was 12.9 months (95% CI, 11.1-14.9) with neratinib-paclitaxel and 12.9 months (95% CI, 11.1-14.8) with trastuzumab-paclitaxel (hazard ratio [HR], 1.02; 95% CI, 0.81-1.27; P =.89). With neratinib-paclitaxel, the incidence of central nervous system recurrences was lower (relative risk, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29-0.79; P = .002) and time to central nervous system metastases delayed (HR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.26-0.78; P = .004). Common grade 3 to 4 adverse events were diarrhea (73 of 240 patients [30.4%] with neratinib-paclitaxel and 9 of 234 patients [3.8%] with trastuzumab-paclitaxel), neutropenia (31 patients [12.9%] vs 34 patients [14.5%]) and leukopenia (19 patients [7.9%] vs 25 patients [10.7%]); no grade 4 diarrhea was observed.
In first-line ERBB2-positive metastatic breast cancer, neratinib-paclitaxel was not superior to trastuzumab-paclitaxel in terms of progression-free survival. In spite of similar overall efficacy, neratinib-paclitaxel may delay the onset and reduce the frequency of central nervous system progression, a finding that requires a larger study to confirm.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00915018.

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A phase I study of the human anti-activin receptor-like kinase 1 antibody PF-03446962 in Asian patients with advanced solid tumors.

Preclinical studies suggest that ALK-1 signaling mediates a complementary angiogenesis pathway activated upon development of resistance to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapies. Inhibition of ALK-1 signaling may lead to disruption of tumor angiogenesis and growth. We report findings from a multicenter, open-label, phase I study of the fully human anti-ALK-1 mAb PF-03446962 conducted in Japan and South Korea, in Asian patients with advanced solid tumors. The dose escalation Part 1 of the study was based on a standard 3 + 3 design (n = 16). In Part 2, patients were treated with PF-03446962 at 7 and 10 mg/kg (10/cohort), including patients with disease progression following prior VEGF receptor (R)-targeted therapy. Primary objectives were determination of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase II dose (RP2D). Secondary objectives included safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and antitumor activity of PF-03446962. No dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was noted in the 12 DLT-evaluable patients. Treatment was well tolerated. The MTD for biweekly intravenous administration was estimated to be 10 mg/kg and the RP2D 7 mg/kg. Treatment-related grades 1-3 thrombocytopenia was experienced by 27.8% patients. The most frequent nonhematologic treatment-related AEs were grades 1-2 pyrexia and epistaxis. Four patients (3/4 with hepatocellular carcinoma) developed telangiectasia suggesting vascular targeting and in vivo ALK-1 inhibition by PF-03446962. Stable disease for 12 weeks or more was observed in 25.7% of patients and in 44.4% of those with hepatocellular carcinoma. ALK-1 inhibition by PF-03446962 may represent a novel antiangiogenic strategy for patients with advanced solid malignancies complementary to current treatment with VEGF(R)-targeted inhibitors or chemotherapy.
© 2016 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Genotype Correlations With Blood Pressure and Efficacy From a Randomized Phase III Trial of Second-Line Axitinib Versus Sorafenib in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

In the phase III axitinib second-line (AXIS) trial, axitinib significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) versus sorafenib in patients with previously treated metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Analyses of associations between germline single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and outcomes are reported.
DNA samples from blood were genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination. Logistic/Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate association of 15 SNPs in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, VEGF receptor (VEGFR)1, VEGFR2, or hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α with outcomes for blood pressure (BP; Grade ≥ 3 hypertension, diastolic BP > 90 mm Hg, and increase ≥ 15 mm Hg from baseline) and efficacy (independent review committee-assessed objective response rate and PFS, and overall survival [OS]). Multivariate analyses assessed SNPs and baseline characteristics as potential predictors of PFS and OS.
Genotype data were available for 305 (42.7%) of 714 patients; 159 received axitinib and 146 sorafenib. After Bonferroni adjustment, no SNP was associated with BP outcomes. In axitinib-treated patients, VEGF-A rs699947 (A/A vs. C/C) and rs833061 (C/C vs. T/T) were associated with longer OS (27.0 vs. 13.4 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.39; Padjusted = .015). In sorafenib-treated patients, VEGFR2 rs2071559 (G/G vs. A/A) was associated with longer OS (26.8 vs. 13.8 months; HR, 0.41; Padjusted = .030). In multivariate analyses, no SNP predicted axitinib efficacy; VEGFR2 rs2071559 predicted PFS (P = .0053) and OS (P = .0027) for sorafenib. Sensitivity/specificity of VEGFR2 rs2071559 for OS was < 80%.
No SNP predicted axitinib outcomes. Although VEGFR2 rs2071559 predicted sorafenib efficacy in patients with mRCC, sensitivity/specificity limitations preclude its use for selecting individual patients for sorafenib treatment.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Construction and Immunogenicity Testing of Whole Recombinant Yeast-Based T-Cell Vaccines.

GlobeImmune’s Tarmogen() immunotherapy platform utilizes recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast as a vaccine vector to deliver heterologous antigens for activation of disease-specific, targeted cellular immunity. The vaccines elicit immune-mediated killing of target cells expressing viral and cancer antigens in vivo via a CD8(+) CTL-mediated mechanism. Tarmogens are not neutralized by host immune responses and can be administered repeatedly to boost antigen-specific immunity. Production of the vaccines yields stable off-the-shelf products that avoid the need for patient-specific manufacturing found with other immunotherapeutic approaches. Tarmogens for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C and various cancers were well tolerated and immunogenic in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials encompassing >600 subjects. The platform is being widely utilized in basic vaccine research and the most rapid path to success in these endeavors follows from optimal immunoassay selection and execution. This chapter provides detailed methods for the construction and preclinical immunogenicity testing of yeast-based immunotherapeutic products to support the rapid and efficient use of this versatile technology.

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Arrive: A retrospective registry of Indian patients with venous thromboembolism.

There is lack of substantial Indian data on venous thromboembolism (VTE). The aim of this study was to provide real-world information on patient characteristics, management strategies, clinical outcomes, and temporal trends in VTE.
Multicentre retrospective registry involving 549 medical records of patients with confirmed diagnosis of VTE (deep vein thrombosis [DVT] confirmed by Doppler ultrasonography; pulmonary embolism [PE] by computed tomography, pulmonary angiography and/or V/Q scan) from 2006 to 2010 at three Indian tertiary care hospitals.
Acute DVT without PE, acute DVT with PE, and PE alone were reported in 64% (352/549), 23% (124/549), and 13% (73/549) patients, respectively. Mean age was 47 (±16) years, and 70% were males. H/o DVT (34%), surgery including orthopedic surgery (28%), trauma (16%), and immobilization >3 days (14%) were the most common risk factors for VTE. Hypertension (25%), diabetes (19%), and neurological disease (other than stroke) (8%) were the most common co-morbidities. Most (94%) were treated with heparin alone (82%) or fondaparinux (2%) for initial anticoagulation; low molecular weight heparin alone (5%) or warfarin/acenocoumarol (76%) for long-term anticoagulation. Anticoagulant treatment was stopped because of bleeding in 2% (9/515) patients. Mortality was 7% among patients diagnosed with VTE during hospital stay versus 1% in those hospitalized with diagnosed VTE. The annual incidence of DVT (±PE) increased from 2006 to 2010.
Acute DVT alone was responsible for the substantial burden of VTE in Indian patients. Bleeding was not the limiting factor for anticoagulant treatment in most patients.

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