Pegfilgrastim on the Same Day Versus Next Day of Chemotherapy in Patients With Breast Cancer, Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Results of Four Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized Phase II Studies.

PURPOSE: To compare data on severe (grade 4) neutropenia duration and febrile neutropenia incidence in patients receiving chemotherapy with pegfilgrastim administered the same day or 24 hours after chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: These were similar, randomized, double-blind phase II noninferiority studies of patients with lymphoma or non-small-cell lung (NSCLC), breast, or ovarian cancer. Each study was analyzed separately. The primary end point in each study was cycle-1 severe neutropenia duration. Approximately 90 patients per study were to be randomly assigned at a ratio of 1:1 to receive pegfilgrastim 6 mg once per cycle on the day of chemotherapy or the day after (with placebo on the alternate day). RESULTS: In four studies, 272 patients received chemotherapy and one or more doses of pegfilgrastim (133 same day, 139 next day). Three studies (breast, lymphoma, NSCLC) enrolled an adequate number of patients for analysis. However, in the NSCLC study, the neutropenic rate was lower than expected (only two patients per arm experienced grade 4 neutropenia). In the breast cancer study, the mean cycle-1 severe neutropenia duration was 1.2 days (95% confidence limit [CL], 0.7 to 1.6) longer in the same-day compared with the next-day group (mean, 2.6 v 1.4 days). In the lymphoma study, the mean cycle-1 severe neutropenia duration was 0.9 days (95% CL, 0.3 to 1.4) longer in the same-day compared with the next-day group (mean, 2.1 v 1.2 days). In the breast and lymphoma studies, the absolute neutrophil count profile for same-day patients was earlier, deeper, and longer compared with that for next-day patients, although the results indicate that same-day administration was statistically noninferior to next-day administration according to neutropenia duration. CONCLUSION: For patients receiving pegfilgrastim with chemotherapy, pegfilgrastim administered 24 hours after chemotherapy completion is recommended.

Phase II trial of the histone deacetylase inhibitor pivaloyloxymethyl butyrate (Pivanex, AN-9) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

This multicenter phase II trial evaluated the therapeutic activity and safety profile of pivaloyloxymethyl butyrate (Pivanex, AN-9) as a single agent in refractory non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Pivanex (2.34 g/m2 per day) was administered as a 6-h continuous intravenous infusion, daily for 3 days, and repeated every 21 days until disease progression. Forty-seven patients were treated. More than 90% of patients had received both a platinum compound and a taxane and 32% had received three or more prior chemotherapy regimens. The most common toxicities were transient grade 1-2 fatigue (34%), nausea (17%), and dysgeusia (11%). Three patients had partial responses (6.4 and 95%; CI 1.4-18.7%) and 14 patients had stable disease for > or =12 weeks (30%). Median survival for all patients was 6.2 months with 1-year survival of 26%. For patients who received fewer than three prior chemotherapy regimens, median survival was 7.8 months and 1-year survival was 31%. Pivanex is well tolerated and appears to be active as a single agent in patients with advanced NSCLC refractory to previous chemotherapy. Based on its therapeutic activity and favorable safety profile, further studies of Pivanex in NSCLC, particularly in combination with current chemotherapeutic agents, are warranted.

A randomized controlled trial of darbepoetin alfa administered as a fixed or weight-based dose using a front-loading schedule in patients with anemia who have nonmyeloid malignancies.

BACKGROUND: The effect of using fixed versus weight-based doses for erythropoietic agents has not been reported previously. To investigate this issue, the authors conducted a randomized Phase II study of darbepoetin alfa administered as either a fixed dose or a weight-based dose using an accelerated correction and maintenance dosing regimen (front-loading). METHODS: During the correction phase, patients with anemia (hemoglobin < 11.0 g/dL) who had nonmyeloid malignancies and who were receiving chemotherapy were given darbepoetin alfa at a fixed dose of 325 microg (n = 122) or at a weight-based dose of 4.5 microg/kg (n = 120) once weekly until they achieved a hemoglobin concentration > or = 12.0 g/dL. Patients then received darbepoetin alfa (325 microg or 4.5 microg/kg) once every 3 weeks for the remainder of the 16-week treatment period (maintenance phase). RESULTS: Darbepoetin alfa resulted in high Kaplan-Meier rates of hematopoietic response (> or = 2 g/dL increase from the baseline level or a hemoglobin level > or = 12 g/dL) in both the fixed-dose group (86%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 78- 94%) and the weight-based dose group (84%; 95% CI, 76-92%). The median time to hematopoietic response was 34 days (95% CI, 28-44 days) for the fixed-dose group and 36 days (95% CI, 30-45 days) for the weight-based dose group. Hemoglobin concentrations were maintained at target levels for up to 16 weeks in both groups. Darbepoetin alfa was well tolerated, and no clinically significant differences between fixed doses and weight-based doses were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Darbepoetin alfa was effective when administered as either a fixed dose or a weight-based dose using a front-loading approach to rapidly correct anemia and effectively maintain hemoglobin levels in patients with anemia who had malignant disease.