Purpose Sirolimus is the eponymous inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR); however, only its analogues have been approved as cancer therapies. Nevertheless, sirolimus is readily available, has been well-studied in organ transplant patients, and demonstrates efficacy in several preclinical cancer models. Experimental Design Three simultaneously conducted phase I studies in advanced cancer patients utilized an adaptive escalation design to find the dose of oral, weekly sirolimus alone or in combination with either ketoconazole or grapefruit juice that achieves similar blood concentrations as its intravenously administered and approved prodrug, temsirolimus. Additionally, the effect of sirolimus on inhibition of p70S6 kinase phosphorylation in peripheral T cells was determined. Results Collectively, the three studies enrolled 138 subjects. The most commonly observed toxicities were hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and lymphopenia in 52%, 43%, and 41% of subjects, respectively. The target sirolimus area under the concentration curve (AUC) of 3810 ng-hr/ml was achieved at sirolimus doses of 90 mg, 16 mg, and 25 mg in the sirolimus alone, sirolimus plus ketoconazole, and sirolimus plus grapefruit juice studies, respectively. Ketoconazole and grapefruit juice increased sirolimus AUC approximately 500% and 350%, respectively. Inhibition of p70 S6 kinase phosphorylation was observed at all doses of sirolimus and correlated with blood concentrations. One partial response was observed in a patient with epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. Conclusion Sirolimus can be feasibly administered orally, once weekly with a similar toxicity and pharmacokinetic profile compared to other mTOR inhibitors and warrants further evaluation in studies of its comparative effectiveness relative to recently approved sirolimus analogues.

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Acute chest syndrome (ACS) in sickle cell disease is caused by thromboemboli in the pulmonary vasculature. The diagnostic criteria include the presence of pulmonary infiltrate(s) on chest x-ray. This case report suggests that a V/Q scan may play a diagnostic role in sickle cell patients with symptoms of ACS and a negative chest x-ray. Am.