Selective activity over a constitutively active RET-variant of the oral multikinase inhibitor dovitinib: results of the CNIO-BR002 phase I-trial

Background: given our preclinical data showing synergy between dovitinib and paclitaxel in preclinical models we conducted this phase I trial aiming to define the recommended phase II-dose (RP2D) on the basis of toxicity and pharmacodynamic criteria while searching for genetic variants that could sensitize patients to the regimen under study. Patients and methods: a 3+3 escalation schedule was adopted. Seriated FGF23 and dovitinib and paclitaxel pharmacokinetic profiles were determined along a single-agent dovitinib 'priming-phase' followed by a dovitinib + paclitaxel combination phase. RECIST 1.1 criteria and NCI CTCAE V.4.0 were used. In fresh pre-treatment tumor biopsy samples, FGFR1, 2 and 3 amplifications were revealed by FISH probes; 32 missense variants were genotyped in tumors and peripheral blood mononuclear cells with Taqman genotyping assays (FGFR1-3 and RET). Constructs encoding for wild-type and variant genes associated with clinical benefit were transfected into HEK-293 cells for preclinical experiments checking constitutive activation and dovitinib sensitivity of the variants. Results: twelve patients were recruited in three dose-levels. At level 1B (200 mg dovitinib 5-days-on/2-days-off plus 60 mg/m 2-week of paclitaxel) more than 50% FGF23 upregulation was observed and no dose-limiting-toxicities (DLTs) occurred. The most frequent toxicities were asthenia, neutropenia, nausea/vomiting and transaminitis. Two patients with progressive disease prior to trial inclusion achieved prolonged disease stabilization. Both had the germline variant G2071A in the RET gene, which led to constitutive activation of the protein product and Y-905 phosphorylation, both in transfectants and in patients with the alteration. This variant was sensitive to dovitinib; in addition both patients experienced progression upon medication withdrawal. Conclusions: level 1B was the RP2D as it provided adequate pharmacodynamic exposure to dovitinib. The G2071A germline variant act as a genetic modifier that renders different tumors sensitive to dovitinib

Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab in Patients With Advanced Endometrial Cancer.

PURPOSE: Patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma have limited treatment options. We report final primary efficacy analysis results for a patient cohort with advanced endometrial carcinoma receiving lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in an ongoing phase Ib/II study of selected solid tumors. METHODS: Patients took lenvatinib 20 mg once daily orally plus pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously once every 3 weeks, in 3-week cycles. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) at 24 weeks (ORR RESULTS: At data cutoff, 108 patients with previously treated endometrial carcinoma were enrolled, with a median follow-up of 18.7 months. The ORR CONCLUSION: Lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab showed promising antitumor activity in patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma who have experienced disease progression after prior systemic therapy, regardless of tumor MSI status. The combination therapy had a manageable toxicity profile

A Phase Ib/II Study of Lenvatinib and Pembrolizumab in Advanced Endometrial Carcinoma (Study 111/KEYNOTE-146): Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Update.

Clinical trials frequently include multiple end points that mature at different times. The initial report, typically based on the primary end point, may be published when key planned co-primary or secondary analyses are not yet available. Clinical Trial Updates provide an opportunity to disseminate additional results from studies, published in JCO or elsewhere, for which the primary end point has already been reported.The open-label phase Ib/II Study 111/KEYNOTE-146 of daily lenvatinib 20 mg plus pembrolizumab 200 mg once every 3 weeks showed promising efficacy and tolerable safety in patients with previously treated advanced endometrial carcinoma (EC; primary data cutoff date: January 10, 2019). This updated analysis reports long-term follow-up efficacy and safety data from 108 patients with previously treated EC included in the primary analysis. End points included objective response rate, duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Investigators performed tumor assessments per immune-related RECIST. At the updated data cutoff date (August 18, 2020), the median study follow-up duration was 34.7 months (95% CI, 30.9 to 41.2), the objective response rate was 39.8% (95% CI, 30.5 to 49.7), and the median duration of response was 22.9 months (95% CI, 10.2 to not estimable). The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 7.4 months (95% CI, 5.2 to 8.7) and 17.7 months (95% CI, 15.5 to 25.8), respectively. Treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade occurred in 104 (96.3%) patients. The most common grade ≥ 3 treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events were hypertension (33.3%), elevated lipase (9.3%), fatigue (8.3%), and diarrhea (7.4%). The results demonstrate extended efficacy and tolerability of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in this cohort of patients with previously treated advanced EC

Palbociclib combined with endocrine therapy in heavily pretreated HR + /HER2 - advanced breast cancer patients: Results from the compassionate use program in Spain (PALBOCOMP)

Càncer de mama avançat; Teràpia endocrina; PalbociclibCáncer de mama avanzado; Terapia endocrina; PalbociclibAdvanced breast cancer; Endocrine therapy; PalbociclibBackground This study evaluated efficacy and safety of palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, in heavily-pretreated hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR + /HER2 - ) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients during the compassionate use program in Spain from February 2015 to November 2017. Patients and methods Patient data were collected retrospectively from 35 hospitals in Spain. Patients with HR + /HER2 - mBC who had progressed on ≥4 treatments for advanced disease were eligible. Results A total of 219 patients received palbociclib in combination with aromatase inhibitors (110; 50.2%), fulvestrant (87; 39.7%), tamoxifen (8; 3.6%) or as single agent (10; 4.6%). Mean age of the patients was 58 years; 31 patients (16.1%) were premenopausal and 162 (83.9%) were postmenopausal at the beginning of treatment with palbociclib. Patients had received a median of 3 previous lines of endocrine therapy (ET) for advanced disease. Real-world tumor response (rwTR) and clinical benefit rate were 5.9% (n = 13) and 46.2% (n = 101), respectively. The median real world progression-free survival (rwPFS) was 6.0 months (95% CI 5.7–7.0) and the median overall survival was 19.0 months (95% CI 16.4–21.7). Subgroup analysis revealed a significant difference in median rwPFS in patients treated with palbociclib plus fulvestrant depending on the duration of prior treatment with fulvestrant monotherapy (>6 versus ≤6 months; HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.37–2.73, p < 0.001). The most frequently reported toxicities were neutropenia, asthenia, thrombopenia and anemia. Conclusions Palbociclib can be an effective and safe treatment option in patients with heavily pretreated endocrine-sensitive mBC, especially in those with longer PFS to previous ET.This study was sponsored by Biomedical Research Foundation of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (Madrid, Spain). The study was funded by an investigator sponsored research grant (WI236789) from Pfizer

Análisis del efecto protector de extractos subcelulares de Brucella abortus cepa RB51 encapsulados en un modelo murino frente a Brucella melitensis 16M

Resumen del trabajo presentado al XIX Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica, celebrado en Sevilla del 28 al 30 de mayo de 2015.[Introducción]: Brucella es un patógeno intracelular facultativo capaz de sobrevivir y replicarse dentro de las células del sistema fagocítico mononuclear. Esta capacidad de supervivencia intracelular dificulta su erradicación mediante tratamiento antibiótico y determina la tendencia a la cronificación de la brucelosis. [Objetivos]: El objetivo de este estudio fue generar una nueva vacuna frente a Brucella mediante el uso de antígenos proteicos de la bacteria encapsulados en nanopartículas y evaluar su eficiencia en un modelo murino de enfermedad. [Resultados]: Se obtuvo un extracto proteico a partir del procesamiento en solución salina caliente de Brucella abortus cepa RB51. El extracto de caracterizó mediante LC-MS/MS antes de su encapsulación en hidrogeles (1) mediante nanoprecipitación (NP) o (2) por precipitación por antisolvente supercrítico (SC). Los ratones se inmunizaron vía intraperitoneal con dos dosis diferentes (de 20 μg o 100 μg de proteína) de ambos tipos de nanopartículas. Cuatro semanas después, los ratones fueron infectados con Brucella melitensis 16M (5 × 104 CFU/ratón). Los ratones inmunizados con las nanopartículas SC mostraron una reducción de 1 log (UFC/bazo) en el recuento de bacterias a ambas concentraciones, mientras que los ratones inmunizados con las nanopartículas NP sólo mostraron una reducción de 1 log (UFC/bazo) cuando se usaron 100 μg de proteína encapsulada, y apenas una reducción de 0,5 log cuando se utilizaron 20 μg de proteína encapsulada. Ambas nanopartículas, pero especialmente las obtenidas mediante el método SC, fueron capaces de desencadenar una respuesta pro-Th1 (IL-12) y pro-Th17 (IL-23) así como pro-inflamatoria (IL-6) en macrófagos de ratón, y asimismo una respuesta Th1 (IL-2 e IFN-g) y una respuesta Th17 en esplenocitos de ratón. [Conclusiones]: La administración de nanopartículas de extractos proteicos de la cepa vacunal Brucella abortus RB51, y sobre todo las obtenidas por precipitación por antisolvente supercrítico, demostraron aumentar la capacidad defensiva del sistema inmunitario murino frente a la infección experimental con Brucella melitensis 16M virulenta. La efectividad se correlacionó con las respuestas Th1 y Th17 inducidas por ambas.Peer Reviewe

A Phase Ib/II Study of Lenvatinib and Pembrolizumab in Advanced Endometrial Carcinoma (Study 111/KEYNOTE-146): Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Update.

Clinical trials frequently include multiple end points that mature at different times. The initial report, typically based on the primary end point, may be published when key planned co-primary or secondary analyses are not yet available. Clinical Trial Updates provide an opportunity to disseminate additional results from studies, published in JCO or elsewhere, for which the primary end point has already been reported.The open-label phase Ib/II Study 111/KEYNOTE-146 of daily lenvatinib 20 mg plus pembrolizumab 200 mg once every 3 weeks showed promising efficacy and tolerable safety in patients with previously treated advanced endometrial carcinoma (EC; primary data cutoff date: January 10, 2019). This updated analysis reports long-term follow-up efficacy and safety data from 108 patients with previously treated EC included in the primary analysis. End points included objective response rate, duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Investigators performed tumor assessments per immune-related RECIST. At the updated data cutoff date (August 18, 2020), the median study follow-up duration was 34.7 months (95% CI, 30.9 to 41.2), the objective response rate was 39.8% (95% CI, 30.5 to 49.7), and the median duration of response was 22.9 months (95% CI, 10.2 to not estimable). The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 7.4 months (95% CI, 5.2 to 8.7) and 17.7 months (95% CI, 15.5 to 25.8), respectively. Treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade occurred in 104 (96.3%) patients. The most common grade ≥ 3 treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events were hypertension (33.3%), elevated lipase (9.3%), fatigue (8.3%), and diarrhea (7.4%). The results demonstrate extended efficacy and tolerability of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in this cohort of patients with previously treated advanced EC. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02501096

Phase Ib study of mirvetuximab soravtansine, a folate receptor alpha (FR alpha)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), in combination with bevacizumab in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and clinical activity of mirvetuximab soravtansine, an antibody-drug conjugate comprising a humanized anti-folate receptor alpha (FRα) monoclonal antibody, cleavable linker, and the maytansinoid DM4, a potent tubulin-targeting agent, in combination with bevacizumab in patients with FRα-positive, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. METHODS: Patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer were administered mirvetuximab soravtansine (6 mg/kg, adjusted ideal body weight) and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) once every 3 weeks. Eligibility included FRα positivity by immunochemistry and prior bevacizumab exposure was permitted. Adverse events, tumor response, and progression-free survival (PFS) were determined. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients, with a median of 3 prior lines of therapy (range, 1-8), received the combination of mirvetuximab soravtansine and bevacizumab at full dosing during the escalation and expansion stages of the study. Adverse events were generally mild-to-moderate (≤grade 2) with diarrhea, blurred vision, nausea, and fatigue being the most common treatment-related toxicities. Six cases of pneumonitis (9%; all grade 1 or 2), an adverse event of special interest, were observed. The confirmed objective response rate (ORR) was 39%, including 5 complete responses and 21 partial responses, and the median PFS was 6.9 months. The combination was particularly active in the subset of patients (n = 16) who were bevacizumab-naïve, less heavily pretreated (1-2 prior lines), and whose tumors exhibited medium/high FRα expression (ORR, 56% with a median duration of response of 12 months; PFS, 9.9 months). CONCLUSION: The combination of mirvetuximab soravtansine with bevacizumab is well tolerated in patients with platinum-resistant, recurrent ovarian cancer. The encouraging efficacy measures compare favorably to reported outcomes for bevacizumab combined with standard chemotherapy in similar patient populations.status: publishe

Lenvatinib (LEN) plus pembrolizumab (PEMBRO) for early-line treatment of advanced/recurrent endometrial cancer (EC).

Background: As part of an ongoing phase Ib/II study (NCT02501096) in patients (pts) with selected solid tumors, LEN (20 mg PO QD) + PEMBRO (200 mg IV Q3W) displayed substantial and durable antitumor activity in advanced EC. In previously treated EC that was not microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR; n=94 pts), the objective response rate (ORR) by independent imaging review (IIR) per RECIST 1.1 was 38.3% (95% CI 28.5–48.9). In this post hoc analysis, we assessed 2 subgroups of pts with previously treated, advanced, non MSI-H or dMMR EC who received LEN + PEMBRO in an early-treatment setting. Methods: Pts were examined in 2 subgroups: (1) Pts with only 1 prior line of cytotoxic therapy regardless of surgical stage or setting (adjuvant treatment for local-regional disease or treatment for metastatic disease); and (2) pts from subgroup 1 with local-regional disease at diagnosis who received only adjuvant cytotoxic therapy. There were no restrictions on prior hormonal or chemoradiation therapies in either subgroup. Tumor responses were assessed by IIR per RECIST 1.1. Results: Subgroup 1 included 63 pts and subgroup 2 had 21 pts. ORR (95% CI) was 41.3% (29.0–54.4) for subgroup 1 and 57.1% (34.0–78.2) for subgroup 2. Additional efficacy outcomes are summarized in the table. In subgroup 1, treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 62 (98%) pts (42 [67%] ≥ grade 3). TRAEs led to study-drug interruption of one or both drugs in 43 (68%) pts and dose reductions of LEN in 42 (67%) pts; 12 (19%) pts discontinued one or both drugs due to a TRAE. Serious TRAEs occurred in 18 (29%) pts and 2 (3%) pts died from a TRAE. The safety profile for subgroup 2 was generally similar to the profile for subgroup 1. Conclusions: The efficacy of LEN + PEMBRO for early-line treatment of advanced non MSI-H or dMMR EC appears promising. No new safety signals have emerged. A phase III study of LEN + PEMBRO vs paclitaxel + carboplatin for first-line treatment in advanced or recurrent EC is underway. Clinical trial information: NCT02501096

Primary Chemoradiotherapy Treatment (PCRT) for HER2+ and Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients: A Feasible Combination

Primary systemic treatment (PST) downsizes the tumor and improves pathological response. The aim of this study is to analyze the feasibility and tolerance of primary concurrent radio–chemotherapy (PCRT) in breast cancer patients. Patients with localized TN/HER2+ tumors were enrolled in this prospective study. Radiation was delivered concomitantly during the first 3 weeks of chemotherapy, and it was based on a 15 fractions scheme, 40.5 Gy/2.7 Gy per fraction to whole breast and nodal levels I-IV. Chemotherapy (CT) was based on Pertuzumab–Trastuzumab–Paclitaxel followed by anthracyclines in HER2+ and CBDCA-Paclitaxel followed by anthracyclines in TN breast cancers patients. A total of 58 patients were enrolled; 25 patients (43%) were TN and 33 patients HER2+ (57%). With a median follow-up of 24.2 months, 56 patients completed PCRT and surgery. A total of 35 patients (87.5%) achieved >90% loss of invasive carcinoma cells in the surgical specimen. The 70.8% and the 53.1% of patients with TN and HER-2+ subtype, respectively, achieved complete pathological response (pCR). This is the first study of concurrent neoadjuvant treatment in breast cancer in which three strategies were applied simultaneously: fractionation of RT (radiotherapy) in 15 sessions, adjustment of CT to tumor phenotype and local planning by PET. The pCR rates are encouraging