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Summary Purpose NK105 is a new drug delivery system formulation for paclitaxel (PTX) whose recommended dose (RD)　is 150 mg PTX equivalent/m 2 administered every 3 weeks, as determined in a phase I trial. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NK105 in patients with advanced gastric cancer after failure of first-line chemotherapy. Experimental design Eligible patients had measurable disease and one chemotherapeutic regimen except taxane. NK105 (150 mg PTX equivalent/m 2 ) was administered by a 30-minute intravenous infusion every 3 weeks without anti-allergic premedication until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or patient refusal. The primary efficacy endpoint was best overall response rate (ORR) post baseline. The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), time to treatment failure (TTF) and overall survival (OS). All adverse events were reported using CTCAE v3.0. Results Between November 2007 and July 2009, 57 patients were enrolled and 56 were evaluable for efficacy. Two complete responses and 12 partial responses were observed for an ORR of 25%. The median PFS was 3.0 months, the median TTF was 2.8 months, and the median OS was 14.4 months. Drug related toxicity was mainly mild (grades 1–2) to severe (grades 3–4); other data: neutropenia (64.9%); leukopenia (17.5%); lymphopenia (8.8%); neuropathy-sensory (1.8%); fatigue (3.5%); and stomatitis (1.8%). There were no treatment-related deaths. Conclusions This study of NK105 (150 mg PTX equivalent/m 2 ) proves the concept for the modest activity and tolerability of a new drug delivery system formulation for PTX. A phase III trial will be evaluated to clarify survival benefit.

Summary Background Tivantinib is a selective, non-ATP competitive, small-molecule inhibitor of c-Met and is under development in several cancers including non-small cell lung and hepatocellular carcinoma. Activation of c-Met has been frequently found in metastatic gastric cancer (MGC) and is associated with poor prognosis. In this single-arm study, we evaluated the efficacy of tivantinib monotherapy in Asian patients with previously treated MGC. This is the first clinical report from the trials evaluating the efficacy of a selective c-Met inhibitor for MGC. Patients and methods Eligibility criteria included: MGC with at least one measurable lesion; 1 or 2 prior chemotherapy regimens; and ECOG PS 0 or 1. Tivantinib was daily administered orally. The primary endpoint was the disease control rate (DCR). Pre-treatment tumor tissue was collected to evaluate the biomarkers related to efficacy. Results Thirty patients, including 12 patients with prior gastrectomy, received tivantinib: median age 62.5 years; ECOG PS 0/1 (8/22); 1/2 prior regimen (16/14). No objective response was observed, and DCR was 36.7 %. Median progression-free survival was 43 days (95 % CI: 29.0-92.0). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 13 patients (43.3 %), in whom neutropenia ( N  = 4) and anemia ( N  = 4) were recognized as drug-related. c-Met gene amplification was observed in 2 patients (6.9 %). No obvious relationship was identified between efficacy and biomarkers including gene amplification of c-Met, expression of c-Met, p-Met and HGF. Conclusion Tivantinib as a monotherapy showed a modest efficacy in previously treated MGC, and further studies taking account of predictive biomarkers and/or combination with other chemotherapy may be needed in MGC.

Purpose Ipilimumab is designed to block cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 to augment antitumor T cell responses. In studies of predominantly Caucasian patients with advanced melanoma, ipilimumab was associated with durable response, long-term survival benefit, and a manageable safety profile. This phase II study assessed the safety of ipilimumab in Japanese patients with unresectable stage III or IV melanoma. Methods Patients received ipilimumab 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks for four doses. The database lock for the original analysis was in August 2014. Overall survival, progression-free survival, and data on deaths were based on an updated, follow-up analysis (database lock April 2015). Results Data are reported from 20 patients. Fifteen patients (75 %) received all four doses of ipilimumab during induction. Twelve patients (60 %) had at least one drug-related adverse event (AE), and no patients discontinued due to a drug-related AE. There were no deaths related to study drug. The most common drug-related AEs were rash ( n  = 7), pyrexia ( n  = 3), increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST; n  = 3), and increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT; n  = 3). Twelve patients (60 %) reported immune-related AEs (irAEs); most frequent were skin ( n  = 9) and liver ( n  = 3) disorders. Grade 3 irAEs were ALT and AST elevation ( n  = 2) and diabetes mellitus ( n  = 1). Two patients had a partial response and two had stable disease, yielding a 20 % disease control rate. Median overall survival and progression-free survival were 8.71 and 2.74 months, respectively. Conclusion Ipilimumab 3 mg/kg had a manageable AE profile in this Japanese patient population with clinical outcomes similar to that in Caucasian patients. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01990859.

Abstract Introduction Multiple intravenous doses of ponezumab, an anti-amyloid antibody, were evaluated in subjects with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods In part A, 77 subjects were randomized to ponezumab 0.1, 0.5, or 1 mg/kg (75 treated) and 26 to placebo (24 treated). In part B, 63 subjects were randomized and treated with ponezumab 3 or 8.5 mg/kg and 32 with placebo. Subjects received 10 infusions over 18 months and were followed for 6 months thereafter. Results Ponezumab was generally safe and well tolerated. Most common adverse events were fall (16.7% ponezumab, 21.4% placebo), headache (13.8%, 21.4%), and cerebral microhemorrhage (13.8%, 19.6%). Plasma ponezumab increased dose-dependently with limited accumulation. Cerebrospinal fluid penetration was low. Plasma Aβ1–x and Aβ1–40 showed robust increases, but cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers showed no dose response. Ponezumab had no effects on cognitive/functional outcomes or brain volume. Conclusions Multiple-dose ponezumab was generally safe, but not efficacious, in mild-to-moderate AD.

SummaryBackground Imatinib mesylate is a potent inhibitor of the Abl, KIT and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor tyrosine kinases. Preclinical data suggest that combining imatinib mesylate with anti-estrogen therapy may be synergistic in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. We report results of the first phase II trial evaluating the efficacy of the novel combination of imatinib mesylate and letrozole in the treatment of postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer. Patients and Methods 45 postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer whose tumors demonstrated c-kit and/or PDGFR-β positivity were treated with imatinib mesylate 400 mg PO twice daily and letrozole 2.5 mg PO once daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Results There were no complete responses and five partial responses for an objective response rate of 11%. An additional 16 patients had stable disease lasting at least 24 weeks for a clinical benefit rate of 46.7%. The median progression-free and overall survival was 8.7 months (95% confidence interval: 3.8–11.4 months) and 44.3 months (95% confidence interval: 34.0–55.3 months), respectively. The most common grade 3 or higher treatment related adverse events were fatigue and diarrhea, occurring in 9 (20%) and 7 patients (16%), respectively. Conclusion The combination of imatinib mesylate and letrozole is well tolerated but appears to have limited efficacy in the treatment of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Summary Background Foretinib is a small-molecule, oral multikinase inhibitor primarily targeting the mesenchymal epithelial transition (MET) factor receptor, and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2. We conducted a phase II study to evaluate the single-agent activity and tolerability of foretinib in patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Methods An open-label, single-arm, multicenter trial employing a Simon 2-stage design was conducted with a total of 41 patients planned for the study. One or more responses in the first 14 patients were required in order to progress to the second stage. Foretinib was administered as 240 mg orally for 5 consecutive days of a 14-day treatment cycle (5/9 schedule) to patients with recurrent and/or metastatic SCCHN. Results Fourteen patients were enrolled. The study did not meet criteria for continuing to the second stage. A maximum of 30 cycles were administered (median = 4.0). Fifty percent of patients (7/14) showed stable disease (SD), 43 % of patients (6/14) experienced tumor shrinkage and two patients had prolonged disease stabilization for ≥13 months. The most common adverse events were fatigue, constipation and hypertension, which were manageable with additional medication or adjustments to the dosing schedule. Conclusion Foretinib 240 mg on a 5/9 schedule was generally well tolerated. SD was the best-observed outcome, with minor tumor shrinkage detected in nearly half of all patients. The efficacy results, prolonged disease stabilization and tolerable side-effect profile, support further investigation, possibly in combination with other targeted agents or cytotoxic chemotherapy for SCCHN.

Summary Purpose The aim of this Phase II study was to assess the efficacy and safety of vandetanib in combination with docetaxel in patients with pretreated advanced breast cancer. Methods The primary study objective was to compare the number of progression events in patients receiving once-daily oral vandetanib (100 mg) in combination with docetaxel (100 mg/m 2 iv every 21 days) versus placebo plus docetaxel. Sixty-four patients were randomized to receive study treatment ( n  = 35, vandetanib; n  = 29, placebo). Results A slightly greater number of patients had experienced a progression event by the data cut-off in the vandetanib group (24 [69%]) compared with the placebo group (18 [62%]); HR = 1.19, two-sided 80% CI: 0.79–1.81; two-sided P  = 0.59), suggesting that the addition of vandetanib to docetaxel did not affect the risk of disease progression compared with placebo plus docetaxel. The safety and tolerability profile of the combination therapy reflected those of both drugs as monotherapy agents. Conclusions In patients with advanced breast cancer, vandetanib plus docetaxel was generally well tolerated. Clinical benefit was not different to that observed with placebo plus docetaxel. However, due to the small patient number it was not possible to yield robust results, further research is required to identify predictive factors for patient selection.

Summary Background Darinaparsin is a novel organic arsenic that reaches higher intracellular concentration with decreased toxicity compared to inorganic arsenic. We conducted a multi-center phase II study with darinaparsin in patients with advanced HCC. Methods Eligibility criteria included unresectable or metastatic measurable HCC, up to two prior systemic treatments, ECOG performance status ≤2, Child Pugh Class A or B and adequate organ functions. Darinaparsin was administered at 420 mg/m 2 intravenously, twice weekly at least 72 h apart for 3 weeks in a 4-week cycle. The primary end point was response rate. A Simon two-stage design was used. Results Among 15 patients in the first stage, no objective responses were observed. Two patients had stable disease. The median number of cycles on study per patient was 2 (1–6). The median progression free survival and overall survival were 55 days (95% confidence interval: 50–59) and 190 days (95% confidence interval: 93–227), respectively. No treatment related hospitalizations or deaths occurred. Treatment related grade 1–2 toxicities included nausea, vomiting (26.7% each), fatigue (20%), anorexia and diarrhea (13.3% each). Grade 3 anorexia, wheezing, agitation, abdominal pain and SGPT were observed in 1 patient each (6.7%). One patient experienced grade 4 hypoglycemia (6.7%). Conclusions Darinaparsin could be safely administered with tolerable toxicity profiles, and no QTc prolongation in patients with advanced HCC. However, at this dose and schedule, it has shown no objective responses in HCC and this trial was terminated as planned after the first stage of efficacy analysis.

SummaryBackground A single center phase Ib/II study of gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel, and pembrolizumab (GNP) to evaluate the safety and efficacy in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was conducted (NCT02331251). Methods PDAC patients (pts) with measurable disease, biopsy proven metastasis, adequate laboratory tests, and KPS ≥ 70% received GNP until progression or toxicity. Safety monitoring, RECIST 1.1, and irRECIST assessments were conducted. Response imaging was performed prior to cycle 4, then every 3 months. Changes in tumor cell-free DNA copy number instability (CNI) was retrospectively evaluated. Results 17 pts. with a median age of 56 were treated. 11 were women and all had a KPS of at least 80%. Grade 3 events occurred in 53% of patients. The phase II portion was completed for chemotherapy naïve PDAC pts. Of the 11 evaluable chemotherapy naïve PDAC, the disease control rate (partial response [PR] + stable disease[SD]) was 100%. There were 3 with PR on treatment for 8+, ~11, and 15 months; respectively. The primary endpoint of >15% complete response was not met. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was 9.1 and 15.0 months for chemotherapy naïve treated patients. Of 9 patients evaluable for CNI change, a greater reduction in CNI correlated with longer PFS and improved OS. Conclusions GNP can be safely given to chemotherapy naïve PDAC patients. Efficacy appears to be slightly improved over previously reported results for standard weekly × 3 every 28 day gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel dosing. CNI change may be prognostic for OS.

Summary Background DNA aptamers represent a novel strategy in anti-cancer medicine. AS1411, a DNA aptamer targeting nucleolin (a protein which is overexpressed in many tumor types), was evaluated in patients with metastatic, clear-cell, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who had failed treatment with ≥1 prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Methods In this phase II, single-arm study, AS1411 was administered at 40 mg/kg/day by continuous intravenous infusion on days 1–4 of a 28-day cycle, for two cycles. Primary endpoint was overall response rate; progression-free survival (PFS) and safety were secondary endpoints. Results 35 patients were enrolled and treated. One patient (2.9 %) had a response to treatment. The response was dramatic (84 % reduction in tumor burden by RECIST 1.0 criteria) and durable (patient remains free of progression 2 years after completing therapy). Whole exome sequencing of this patient’s tumor revealed missense mutations in the mTOR and FGFR2 genes which is of interest because nucleolin is known to upregulate mTOR pathway activity by enhancing AKT1 mRNA translation. No other responses were seen. Thirty-four percent of patients had an AS1411-related adverse event, all of which were mild or moderate. Conclusions AS1411 appears to have minimal activity in unselected patients with metastatic RCC. However, rare, dramatic and durable responses can be observed and toxicity is low. One patient in this study had an excellent response and was found to have FGFR2 and mTOR mutations which will be of interest in future efforts to discover and validate predictive biomarkers of response to nucleolin targeted compounds. DNA aptamers represent a novel way to target cancer cells at a molecular level and continue to be developed with a view to improving treatment and imaging in cancer medicine.