Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of topotecan administered daily for 5 days every 3 weeks

Topotecan is a novel semisynthetic derivative of the anticancer agent camptothecin and inhibits the intranuclear enzyme topoisomerase I. The lactone structure of topotecan, which is in equilibrium with the inactive ringopened hydroxy acid, is essential for this activity. The open form predominates at physiological pH. We performed a pharmacokinetic, study as part of a phase I study in patients with various types of soli

Predictive ability of a semi-mechanistic model for neutropenia in the development of novel anti-cancer agents: two case studies

Abstract In cancer chemotherapy neutropenia is a common dose-limiting toxicity. An ability to predict the neutropenic effects of cytotoxic agents based on proposed trial designs and models conditioned on previous studies would be valuable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a semi-mechanistic pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model for myelosuppression to predict the neutropenia observed in Phase I clinical studies, based on parameter estimates obtained from prior trials. Pharmacokinetic and neutropenia data from 5 clinical trials for diflomotecan and from 4 clinical trials for indisulam were used. Data were analyzed and simulations were performed using the population approach with NONMEM VI. Parameter sets were estimated under the following scenarios: (a) data from each trial independently, (b) pooled data from all clinical trials and (c) pooled data from trials performed before the tested trial. Model performance in each of the scenarios was evaluated by means of predictive (visual and numerical) checks. The semi-mechanistic PK/PD model for neutropenia showed adequate predictive ability for both anti-cancer agents. For diflomotecan, similar predictions were obtained for the three scenarios. For indisulam predictions were better when based on data from the specific study, however when the model parameters were conditioned on data from trials performed prior to a specific study, similar predictions of the drug related-neutropenia profiles and descriptors were obtained as when all data were used. This work provides further indication that modeling and simulation tools can be applied in the early stages of drug development to optimize future trials

An LC-MS/MS method for quantification of the active abiraterone metabolite Delta(4)-abiraterone (D4A) in human plasma

Chemical Immunolog

Serum beta-HCG and CA-125 as tumor markers in a patient with osteosarcoma: case report.

Background. Elevated beta-HCG serum levels are usually an indication of pregnancy or pregnancy-related disorders, but beta-HCG can also be elevated in testis and germ cell tumors. HCG expression by osteosarcoma is a rare phenomenon, with a few documented cases. CA-125 is commonly used to monitor disease progression and treatment response in ovarian cancer. CA-125 expression in patients with osteosarcoma has not previously been documented. Case report. Elevated beta-HCG and CA-125 serum levels were observed in a female patient of 57 years of age with metastatic osteosarcoma during screening investigations prior to participation in a phase I clinical trial. Pregnancy was excluded. Immunohistochemical studies revealed the tumor to be the source of the elevated beta-HCG serum levels. We found no CA-125 expression in tumor tissue. The patient was treated with E7080, a novel oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor. We measured serum beta-HCG and CA-125 to monitor treatment response. She had a significant clinical and radiological response after two cycles of treatment, but developed progressive disease after the third cycle. The beta-HCG serum levels seemed to better reflect her disease status than those of the other tumor marker, CA-125. Conclusions. When elevated, beta-HCG serum levels in patients with osteosarcoma might be used to monitor treatment. Treatment of advanced osteosarcoma with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including E7080, warrants further investigati

Reduced liver uptake of arterially infused melphalan during retrograde rat liver perfusion with unaffected liver tumor uptake.

Item does not contain fulltextIsolated hepatic perfusion (IHP) with melphalan is used for patients with nonresectable metastases confined to the liver. To improve the efficacy of IHP and to reduce the toxicity to the liver, reversion (retrograde perfusion) of the bloodstream through the liver in a rat model was studied. For liver tumor induction male WAG/Rij rats were inoculated with CC531 cells, a colorectal tumor cell line. After 11 to 12 days the tumor-bearing rat livers were perfused by single-pass perfusion through either the portal (orthograde) or caval vein (retrograde) for different time periods. During perfusion melphalan (160 Schultze) was infused in the hepatic artery. Melphalan concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. A rapid extraction of melphalan by the liver occurred in the first 5 min, reaching steady state after 10 to 20 min for both perfusion directions. The melphalan concentration of the outflow perfusate was significantly higher in the retrograde perfusion compared with the orthograde perfusion. The melphalan content of the tumor tissue was unaffected by perfusion direction at any time point. To the contrary, the melphalan uptake in liver tissue was strongly influenced: the melphalan content after 40-min retrograde perfusion was 12% of that after orthograde perfusion. The average tumor/liver concentration ratio was 6 for orthograde perfusion and 30 for retrograde perfusion. In conclusion, retrograde IHP with continuous melphalan infusion in the hepatic artery provides a high tumor uptake of melphalan with potentially reduced liver toxicity compared with orthograde IHP

Clinical pharmacology of the novel marine-derived anticancer agent Ecteinascidin 743 administered as a 1- and 3-h infusion in a phase I study

Ecteinascidin 743 (ET-743) is an anticancer agent derived from the Caribbean tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata. In the present article, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ET-743 are described within a phase I study. Forty patients with solid tumors initially received ET-743 as a 1-h i.v. infusion every 21 days at nine dose levels (50-1100 microg/m(2)). The maximal tolerated dose (MTD) was 1100 microg/m(2), with thrombocytopenia and fatigue as dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). As this MTD was substantially lower than in parallel phase I studies, dose escalation continued using a prolonged, 3-h infusion. Thirty-two patients were entered at five dose levels (1000-1800 microg/m(2)). The MTD was 1800 microg/m(2) with pancytopenia and fatigue as DLTs. The recommended phase II dose was 1650 microg/m(2) given over 3 h at which 12 patients were treated. Pharmacokinetic monitoring was performed for both treatment schedules. Non-compartmental pharmacokinetic parameters at the recommended dose with the 3-h infusion were (mean value+/-SD): clearance 87+/-30 l/h and mean elimination half-life 26+/-7 h. Pharmacokinetics were linear at the dose range tested with this schedule. The percentage decrease in platelets, white blood cells and neutrophils correlated with the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC), dose and maximal plasma concentration (C(max)). Hepatic toxicity increased with dose, AUC and C(max). Administration of 1650 microg/m(2) ET-743 over 3 h seemed clinically feasible; pharmacokinetics were linear with this schedule. Hepatic and hematological toxicities correlated with exposure to ET-743