Understanding CO2 adsorption in a flexible zeolite through a combination of structural, kinetic and modelling techniques

In this study we show how non-trivial equilibrium and kinetic adsorption behaviour in a flexible zeolite can be understood through a combination of experimental characterisation and modelling. Flexible zeolites, such as those in the RHO-family, can exhibit unusual stepped isotherms in the presence of CO2, but their structural complexity makes it hard to attribute a clear mechanism. Here we present a structural and kinetic study on (Na,TEA)-ZSM-25, an extended member of the RHO-family, and show that by combining diffraction data, lattice fluid modelling and dynamic column experiments, we obtain a plausible mechanism for CO2 adsorption and transport in this material. It is evident that by using any single technique, the behaviour is too complex to be readily understood. This is to our knowledge the first study to measure and model the changing kinetics due to adsorption induced framework flexibility.11Nsciescopu

Pharmacogenomic evaluation of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy: a preliminary study

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Does Dose Modification Affect Efficacy of First-Line Pazopanib in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma?

BACKGROUND: Pazopanib is a standard treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), and 800 mg/daily is considered the optimal dose. However, some patients require dose modification because of toxicity. Whether a reduced dose of pazopanib is as effective as the standard dose in achieving clinical benefit remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to conduct a retrospective analysis to investigate the clinical effect of different therapeutic doses of first-line pazopanib in patients with mRCC. METHODS: Consecutive patients with mRCC treated with first-line pazopanib between 2011 and 2016 at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan were retrospectively analysed for demographics, response, outcomes, and toxicity. Three patient groups were compared: group 1 received the standard dose of 800 mg/day; group 2 started with 800 mg/day and then reduced the dose to 400 or 600 mg/day because of toxicity; and group 3 received a reduced starting dose of 400 or 600 mg/day because they had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 2 and/or comorbidities. RESULTS: In total, 69 patients were evaluated: 34 in group 1, 19 in group 2, and 16 in group 3. After a median follow-up of 13.9 months (range 0.3-43.8), 27 (39.1%) patients had progressive disease (PD) and three (4.3%) patients had died. The incidence rate of PD or death per 100 person-months was 2.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6-4.4; hazard ratio (HR) 1] in group 1 and 3.9 (95% CI 0-14.3; HR 1.43) in the combined group (2 + 3). The discontinuation rate due to PD was 28% in group 1, 42% in group 2, and 44% in group 3. The objective response rate was 44, 11, and 19% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results may suggest that patients with mRCC receiving a lower dose of first-line pazopanib might not have a meaningful progression-free survival advantage compared with those receiving a standard dose. These data highlight that proper management of treatment-related side effects may lead to optimal drug exposure

Carles Riba, Jacinto Verdaguer

Background: Predictive biomarkers of efficacy and toxicity of bevacizumab have not yet been validated. This study assessed the influence of IL-8, eNOS and VEGF-A polymorphisms in RAS mutated metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving bevacizumab-based chemotherapy. Methods: 120 patients treated with first-line combination FOLFOX6 plus bevacizumab were included. A historical cohort of 112 RAS mutated colorectal cancer patients treated with FOLFOX6 alone served as control group. The following SNPs were analyzed: IL-8 c.-251T>A; eNOS c.-786T>C and c.-894G>T; VEGF-A c.936C>T, c.958T>C, c.1154A>G and c.2578C>A. Correlation of SNPs, baseline IL-8 serum levels and bevacizumab-efficacy was done. Results: In the bevacizumab group, carriers of the IL-8 alleles c.-251TA+ AA showed a shorter PFS (P=0.002) and OS (P=0.03) compared to TT alleles. Patients with pre-treatment IL-8 < 18.25 pg/ml showed significantly longer median PFS and OS (PFS: 10.9 vs 7.6 months, P=0.005; OS: 30.7 vs 18.2 months, P<0.001) compared to patients with IL-8 higher levels (>18,25 pg/ml). IL-8 c.-251TA+ AA carriers had significantly higher IL-8 levels (P<0.0001). Multivariate analysis confirmed association of IL-8 polymorphism with PFS, and of IL-8 baseline levels with both PFS and OS. IL-8 SNP did not affect the outcome in the control group. The eNOS polymorphism c.-894G>T was found associated with higher severe toxicity (P=0.0002) in patients carrying the c.-894TT genotype. Conclusions: Although our data need prospective validation, IL-8 and eNOS SNPs may be have a role as predictive biomarkers for bevacizumab efficacy and toxicity

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios predict efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer

Platinum salts are active against metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC), and biomarkers to predict their effectiveness are urgently needed. In recent years, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have emerged as prognostic biomarkers in many malignancies, but their predictive role in platinum-treated mTNBC patients remains unexplored. We performed a retrospective, single centre study to evaluate the association between baseline NLR or PLR and progression free survival (PFS) of mTNBC patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. As a control population, we analysed data from patients with hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative (HR+ HER2-) metastatic breast cancer. Among 57 mTNBC patients treated with the carboplatin-paclitaxel or carboplatin-gemcitabine combination, high NLR and PLR were associated with significantly lower PFS at both univariate and multivariable analysis. Conversely, we did not find a significant association between NLR or PLR and the PFS of 148 patients in the control population. Our findings suggest that the NLR and PLR are predictive of benefit from platinum-containing chemotherapy specifically in mTNBC patients. If validated in larger prospective studies, these easy-to-measure parameters could be combined with emerging predictive biomarkers, such as BRCA 1/2 mutations, to improve the selection of mTNBC patients more likely to benefit from platinum-based chemotherapy

Effects of cabozantinib on bone turnover markers in real-world metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Background: Cabozantinib strongly inhibits osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption in vitro. We aimed to evaluate its effect on bone turnover markers (BTMs) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Methods: This is a monocentric prospective study on patients with mRCC treated with cabozantinib between October 2016 and July 2018. We collected blood samples at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. We compared sets of data obtained from plasma samples in the whole population with unpaired 2-tailed Student t tests and data for a subset of patients for which all timepoints were available with paired 2-tailed Student t tests. We used the Kaplan-Meier method for survival analyses and the log-rank test to compare the curves. Results: Our analysis included 39 patients. At month 3, the mean C-terminal cross-linked telopeptides of type I collagen (CTx) and the mean N-terminal propeptide of type 1 collagen (PINP) levels were significantly decreased in the whole population (p = 0.013 and p < 0.0001, respectively), as well as at paired analysis (p = 0.015 and p = 0.045, respectively). No differences were observed between baseline and 6 months (p = 0.053 and p = 0.087, respectively). After 3 months, the mean parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels significantly increased in the whole population (p = 0.004), as well as at paired analysis; the mean PTH levels increased significantly at 3 and 6 months, respectively (p = 0.019 and p = 0.041, respectively). Changes in BTM levels were not associated with outcome. Conclusions: Cabozantinib significantly reduced bone resorption as demonstrated by the decrease of CTx and showed a transient secondary increase of PTH

Antitumor activity and safety profile of weekly carboplatin plus paclitaxel in metastatic breast cancer: a ten-year, monocentric, retrospective study

Background Taxanes are a mainstay in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Combination chemotherapy, including platinum\u2013taxens doublets, can improve tumor responses and progression-free survival (PFS), but is associated with more toxicities and an uncertain benefit in terms of overall survival (OS). Methods We performed a retrospective study on 274 consecutive patients with mBC treated at the Division of Medical Oncology of Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy, during the decade 2007\u20132016 with the combination of carboplatin AUC 2 plus paclitaxel 80 mg/m2, both given on days 1 and 8 in every 21-day cycle. Results 264 patients were evaluable for treatment safety and activity. The objective response rate (ORR) was 44.7%. Median PFS and OS were 8.6 and 23.7 months, respectively. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients had significantly lower PFS and OS times compared to other biology groups. At multivariable analysis, previous exposure to taxanes, HR-positive HER2-negative biology, a higher number of metastatic sites, and de novo metastatic disease at diagnosis were associated with reduced PFS, while receiving maintenance therapy correlated with improved PFS. Overall, the treatment was quite well tolerated, with 10.2% of patients discontinuing one or both drugs because of adverse events (AEs). G3\u2013G4 neutropenia occurred in 16.8% of patients, while the incidence of febrile neutropenia was 2.3%. Conclusions Weekly carboplatin\u2013paclitaxel regimen is active and well tolerated in mBC treatment. Prospective studies should be conducted to compare its efficacy and tolerability with standard single-agent paclitaxel or docetaxel treatment schedules, as well as with more recent combination regimens

Cabozantinib in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma: design, development, and potential place in the therapy

Paolo Grassi, Elena Verzoni, Raffaele Ratta, Alessia Mennitto, Filippo de Braud, Giuseppe Procopio Department of Medical Oncology, Genitourinary Cancer Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy Abstract: The treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has markedly improved over the last few years with the introduction of several targeted agents in clinical practice. Nevertheless, either primary or secondary resistance to inhibition of VEGF and mTOR pathways has limited the clinical benefit of these systemic treatments. Recently, a better understanding of the involvement of MET and its ligand HGF in many biological processes made this signaling pathway an attractive therapeutic target in oncology, particularly in mRCC. Herein, we review the development of cabozantinib, a recently approved inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinase receptors, including MET, VEGFRs, and AXL, which has proven to increase progression-free survival and overall survival when compared to everolimus in mRCC patients who had progressed after VEGFR-targeted therapy. Finally, we discuss the potential role of cabozantinib within the current treatment landscape for mRCC. Keywords: cabozantinib, XL-184, metastatic renal cell carcinoma, VEGF-inhibitor, c-Met, targeted therap