Phase II Study of the WEE1 Inhibitor Adavosertib in Recurrent Uterine Serous Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is a distinct histologic subtype of endometrial cancer, with molecular characteristics suggesting frequent cell-cycle dysregulation paired with a high level of oncogene-driven replication stress. Adavosertib is a potent and selective oral inhibitor of the WEE1 kinase, a key regulator of the G2/M and S phase cell-cycle checkpoints. Because cells with impaired cell-cycle regulation and high replication stress may be vulnerable to WEE1 inhibition, we conducted this study to assess the activity of adavosertib monotherapy in women with recurrent USC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a single-arm two-stage phase II study with coprimary end points of objective response rate (ORR) and rate of progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS6). Women with recurrent USC were treated with adavosertib monotherapy at a starting dose of 300 mg orally once daily days 1 through 5 and 8 through 12 of a 21-day cycle until disease progression. RESULTS: In 34 evaluable patients, 10 total responses (one confirmed complete response, eight confirmed partial responses, and one unconfirmed partial response) were observed with adavosertib monotherapy, for an ORR of 29.4% (95% CI, 15.1 to 47.5). Sixteen patients were progression-free at 6 months, for a PFS6 rate of 47.1% (95% CI, 29.8 to 64.9). Median PFS was 6.1 months, and median duration of response was 9.0 months. Frequent treatment-related adverse events (AEs) included diarrhea (76.5%), fatigue (64.7%), nausea (61.8%), and hematologic AEs. No clear correlation of clinical activity with specific molecular alterations was observed in an exploratory biomarker analysis. CONCLUSION: Adavosertib monotherapy demonstrated encouraging and durable evidence of activity in women with USC, and further investigation of this agent in this cancer and biomarkers of activity are indicated.

Combined pembrolizumab and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in platinum resistant ovarian cancer: A phase 2 clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in vitro may have immunomodulatory abilities and preclinical evidence suggests it synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade. We hypothesized that combining PLD and pembrolizumab would be active in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC). METHODS: This was a single-arm, multi-center phase II trial. Eligible patients had PROC with ≤2 prior lines of cytotoxic therapy for recurrent or persistent disease. Twenty-six patients were enrolled and given pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously (IV) every 3 weeks and PLD 40 mg/m2 IV every 4 weeks. Patients were assessed radiographically every 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was clinical benefit rate (CBR), defined as complete response (CR) + partial response (PR) + stable disease (SD) ≥24 weeks. The study was powered to detect an improvement in CBR from 25% to 50%, with rejection of the null hypothesis if at least 10 patients achieved clinical benefit. T-cell inflamed gene expression profiles (GEP) and PD-L1 were assessed and correlated with clinical outcome. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were evaluable for best overall response. The study satisfied its primary endpoint, with 12 patients achieving clinical benefit for a CBR of 52.2% (95% CI 30.6-73.2%). There were 5 PRs (21.7%) and 1 CR (4.3%), for an overall response rate (ORR) of 26.1%. Six patients had SD lasting at least 24 weeks. Combination therapy was well tolerated without unexpected toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of pembrolizumab and PLD was manageable, without unexpected toxicities, and showed preliminary evidence of clinical benefit in the treatment of platinum resistant ovarian cancer. ORR and median PFS of combination therapy in this study was higher than historical comparisons of PLD alone or anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02865811.

Results from a single arm, single stage phase II trial of trametinib and GSK2141795 in persistent or recurrent cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Improved treatment for advanced cervical cancer is needed; currently, treatment options include combined chemotherapy and bevacizumab or pembrolizumab monotherapy for PD-L1 positive disease. PIK3CA and KRAS mutations have been reported in cervical cancers; this study therefore tested dual inhibition of PI3K and RAS signaling by combining the MEK inhibitor trametinib and the AKT inhibitor GSK2141795 in recurrent cervical cancer. METHODS: This was an investigator-initiated phase II study combining trametinib and GSK2141795 in patients with recurrent cervical cancer. Primary endpoint was best tumor response; secondary endpoints included progression free survival, overall survival, and safety assessment. Translational objectives included characterization of molecular alterations in PI3K and RAS signaling pathway genes. RESULTS: Planned accrual was 35 patients; 14 patients were enrolled and received at least one dose of study drug before the study was terminated due to discontinuation of GSK2141795 development. There were no confirmed responses; 1 patient had an unconfirmed PR, 8 had stable disease, 3 had progression as best response, and 2 were unevaluable. Toxicities were mostly grade 1 and 2, although 57% of patients experienced grade 3/4 adverse events and 50% patients required a dose reduction. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of trametinib and GSK2141795 was feasible but required dose holds and modifications for adverse events; however, anti-cancer activity was minimal, even in patients with PI3K or RAS pathway alterations. Although the study was terminated early after GSK2141795 development was halted, the findings in these 14 patients do not support further development of this combination in cervical cancer.

Double-blind, randomized trial of docetaxel plus vandetanib versus docetaxel plus placebo in platinum-pretreated metastatic urothelial cancer.

PURPOSE: Vandetanib is an oral once-daily tyrosine kinase inhibitor with activity against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 and epidermal growth factor receptor. Vandetanib in combination with docetaxel was assessed in patients with advanced urothelial cancer (UC) who progressed on prior platinum-based chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The primary objective was to determine whether vandetanib 100 mg plus docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) intravenously every 21 days prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) versus placebo plus docetaxel. The study was designed to detect a 60% improvement in median PFS with 80% power and one-sided α at 5%. Patients receiving docetaxel plus placebo had the option to cross over to single-agent vandetanib at progression. Overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and safety were secondary objectives. RESULTS: In all, 142 patients were randomly assigned and received at least one dose of therapy. Median PFS was 2.56 months for the docetaxel plus vandetanib arm versus 1.58 months for the docetaxel plus placebo arm, and the hazard ratio for PFS was 1.02 (95% CI, 0.69 to 1.49; P = .9). ORR and OS were not different between both arms. Grade 3 or higher toxicities were more commonly seen in the docetaxel plus vandetanib arm and included rash/photosensitivity (11% v 0%) and diarrhea (7% v 0%). Among 37 patients who crossed over to single-agent vandetanib, ORR was 3% and OS was 5.2 months. CONCLUSION: In this platinum-pretreated population of advanced UC, the addition of vandetanib to docetaxel did not result in a significant improvement in PFS, ORR, or OS. The toxicity of vandetanib plus docetaxel was greater than that for vendetanib plus placebo. Single-agent vandetanib activity was minimal.

Management of treatment-related toxicity with targeted therapies for renal cell carcinoma: evidence-based practice and best practices.

The advent of targeted agents for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma has led to dramatic improvements in therapy. However, the chronic use of these medications has also led to the identification of new toxicities that require long-term management. Effective management of toxicity is needed to maximize the benefits of treatment and improve patients' quality of life. In addition, toxicity from these agents may affect treatment compliance, particularly with daily oral agents. This review delineates the toxicities that require monitoring, the underlying pathophysiology (when known), and treatments that may have benefits in relieving symptoms and side effects.

A phase II trial of interferon-alpha and toremifene in advanced renal cell cancer patients.

Treatment options for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma are limited. Interferon-alpha has an overall response rate of 10-15% in phase II and III clinical trials and is considered a standard option for patients. Though the anti-estrogen toremifene has shown only modest single agent activity in renal cell carcinoma, evidence for synergy of anti-estrogens with interferon-alpha exists in renal cell and other cancers. Therefore, a phase II trial was undertaken to test the combination of interferon-alpha and toremifene in advanced renal cell carcinoma. Thirteen patients with measurable metastatic or unresectable local disease were treated with interferon-alpha at a dose of 5 million units/m2 three times a week and daily oral toremifene at 300 mg daily in divided doses. Patients were treated for 12 weeks and then restaged. Clinical response was the primary endpoint of the trial. Four patients (31%) had evidence of stable disease at 12 weeks, while the remaining nine patients (69%) progressed on treatment. Toxicity was moderate, with grade 2 or 3 fatigue, nausea and anorexia each noted in 31% of patients. We conclude that the combination of interferon-alpha plus toremifene demonstrates no significant activity in advanced renal cell carcinoma.