A phase I clinical trial was conducted to determine the clinical safety of Telomelysin, a human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter driven modified oncolytic adenovirus, in patients with advanced solid tumors. A single intratumoral injection (IT) of Telomelysin was administered to three cohorts of patients (1 x 10(10), 1 x 10(11), 1 x 10(12) viral particles). Safety, response and pharmacodynamics were evaluated. Sixteen patients with a variety of solid tumors were enrolled. IT of Telomelysin was well tolerated at all dose levels. Common grade 1 and 2 toxicities included injection site reactions (pain, induration) and systemic reactions (fever, chills). hTERT expression was demonstrated at biopsy in 9 of 12 patients. Viral DNA was transiently detected in plasma in 13 of 16 patients. Viral DNA was detectable in four patients in plasma or sputum at day 7 and 14 post-treatment despite below detectable levels at 24 h, suggesting viral replication. One patient had a partial response of the injected malignant lesion. Seven patients fulfilled Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) definition for stable disease at day 56 after treatment. Telomelysin was well tolerated. Evidence of antitumor activity was suggested.

Selective delivery of therapeutic molecules to primary and metastatic tumors is optimal for effective cancer therapy. A liposomal nanodelivery complex (scL) for systemic, tumor-targeting delivery of anticancer therapeutics has been developed. scL employs an anti-transferrin receptor (TfR), scFv as the targeting molecule. Loss of p53 suppressor function, through mutations or inactivation of the p53 pathway, is present in most human cancers. Rather than being transiently permissive for tumor initiation, persistence of p53 dysfunction is a continuing requirement for maintaining tumor growth. Herein, we report results of a first-in-man Phase I clinical trial of restoration of the normal human tumor suppressor gene p53 using the scL nanocomplex (SGT-53). Minimal side effects were observed in this trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. Furthermore, the majority of patients demonstrated stable disease. One patient with adenoid cystic carcinoma had his status changed from unresectable to resectable after one treatment cycle. More significantly, we observed an accumulation of the transgene in metastatic tumors, but not in normal skin tissue, in a dose-related manner. These results show not only that systemically delivered SGT-53 is well tolerated and exhibits anticancer activity, but also supply evidence of targeted tumor delivery of SGT-53 to metastatic lesions.

We performed a phase I trial of FANG vaccine, an autologous tumor-based product incorporating a plasmid encoding granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF) and a novel bifunctional short hairpin RNAi (bi-shRNAi) targeting furin convertase, thereby downregulating endogenous immunosuppressive transforming growth factors (TGF) β1 and β2. Patients with advanced cancer received up to 12 monthly intradermal injections of FANG vaccine (1 × 10(7) or 2.5 × 10(7) cells/ml injection). GMCSF, TGFβ1, TGFβ2, and furin proteins were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Safety and response were monitored. Vaccine manufacturing was successful in 42 of 46 patients of whom 27 received ≥1 vaccine. There were no treatment-related serious adverse events. Most common grade 1, 2 adverse events included local induration (n = 14) and local erythema (n = 11) at injection site. Post-transfection mean product expression GMCSF increased from 7.3 to 1,108 pg/10(6) cells/ml. Mean TGFβ1 and β2 effective target knockdown was 93.5 and 92.5% from baseline, respectively. Positive enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) response at month 4 was demonstrated in 9 of 18 patients serially assessed and correlated with survival duration from time of treatment (P = 0.025). Neither dose-adverse event nor dose-response relationship was noted. In conclusion, FANG vaccine was safe and elicited an immune response correlating with prolonged survival. Phase II assessment is justified.

Purpose: SAR245408 is a pan-class I phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. This phase I study determined the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of two dosing schedules [first 21 days of a 28-day period (21/7) and continuous once-daily dosing (CDD)], pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles, and preliminary efficacy.Experimental Design: Patients with refractory advanced solid malignancies were treated with SAR245408 using a 3 þ 3 design. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined after single and repeated doses. Pharmacodynamic effects were evaluated in plasma, hair sheath cells, and skin and tumor biopsies.Results: Sixty-nine patients were enrolled. The MTD of both schedules was 600 mg; dose-limiting toxicities were maculopapular rash and hypersensitivity reaction. The most frequent drug-related adverse events included dermatologic toxicities, diarrhea, nausea, and decreased appetite. Plasma pharmacokinetics showed a median time to maximum concentration of 8 to 22 hours, mean terminal elimination half-life of 70 to 88 hours, and 5-to 13-fold accumulation after daily dosing (first cycle). Steady-state concentration was reached between days 15 and 21, and exposure was dose-proportional with doses up to 400 mg. SAR245408 inhibited the PI3K pathway ($40%-80% reduction in phosphorylation of AKT, PRAS40, 4EBP1, and S6 in tumor and surrogate tissues) and, unexpectedly, also inhibited the MEK/ERK pathway. A partial response was seen in one patient with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Eight patients were progression-free at 6 months. Pharmacodynamic and clinical activity were observed irrespective of tumor PI3K pathway molecular alterations.Conclusions: SAR245408 was tolerable at doses associated with PI3K pathway inhibition. The recommended phase II dose of the capsule formulation is 600 mg administered orally with CDD. Clin Cancer Res; 20(1); 233-45. Ó2013 AACR.

The development of numerous oral chemotherapy agents has led to a new paradigm in cancer treatment. Oral chemotherapy can be self-administered conveniently, so patients with cancer can receive their treatments in their homes instead of in a supervised and controlled healthcare environment. Cancer now is recognized as a treatable chronic disease, and new oral chemotherapy agents have been developed that offer targeted cancer treatment. Although the newer oral chemotherapy agents offer additional treatment options, they also pose challenges for patients and healthcare providers. Patient adherence and monitoring can be challenging, and reimbursement issues abound. Oncology nurses play a key role in assessing, educating, and monitoring patients receiving oral chemotherapy. In addition, they may be involved in assisting patients with obtaining reimbursement and, in some cases, may be instrumental in locating patient assistance programs. This article discusses patient care issues related to treatment with oral chemotherapy agents and provides a historical overview of their development and use.