A prospective study of patients receiving cis-diaminedichloroplatin I1 (DDP) was carried out to determine if risk factors could be identified related to the patient's living habits or past medical history that would predict in which patients DDP neuropathy might develop. Sixty-nine patients receiving six different combinations of chemotherapeutic agents, including DDP were examined. Twenty-eight of these patients received DDP in combination with the radioprotective agent S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)-ethylphosporothioic acid (WR 2721). No risk factors were identified relating to personal habits or past medical history of the patients. However, patients receiving DDP (40 mg/m2) on 5 consecutive days had a significantly higher incidence of neuropathy. Patients receiving DDP in combination with WR 2721 had a significantly lower incidence of neuropathy, and the mean dose at onset was significantly higher than the mean dose at onset of neuropathy for all other groups. In addition, five of six patients who were available for long-term follow-up demonstrated nearly complete reversal of the signs and symptoms of neuropathy.Cancer 61:2192-2195,1988.HE NEUROPATHY ASSOCIATED WITH cis-diamine-The character of the neuropathy is remarkably uniform in the literature and is replacing the nephropathy as the dose-limiting toxicity. 1-5 Patients usually complain of numbness or tingling as the first symptom, and examination initially shows decreased vibratory sensation and decreased or absent deep tendon reflexes. As the neuropathy continues, position sense also is impaired, and a marked sensory ataxia develops in severely affected patients.Although the neuropathy is generally dose-dependent, we had noticed a wide variation in the severity of symptoms among patients at equivalent doses. This prompted us to do a prospective study of patients receiving DDP at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to see if we could identify risk factors that would predict in which patients neuropathy would develop and how severely they might be affected.We found that the schedule of administration is one important factor in determining the incidence of neuFrom the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Supported in part by the NIH (NS00563, NS08075, NS00865), the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America, and the Bnstol-Meyers Company.The authors thank the National Cancer Institute for supplying the WR 2721.Address for reprints: Joan E. Mollman, MD, Department of Neurology, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Accepted for publication November 13, 1987. ropathy. We also found that S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)-ethylphosporothioic acid (WR 272 l), a radioprotective compound, partially protects peripheral nerves from DDP toxicity. In addition, we have been able to observe five patients long enough to see partial or complete resolution of symptoms. Patients and MethodsPatients receiving DDP were evaluated by a single neurologist before beginning therapy and periodically throughout their course. Sixty-eight of 69 p...

Background. Treatment of the symptoms of bone metastases currently involves the use of narcotic medication, radiation therapy, or hormonal therapy. Pamidronate disodium, a bisphosphonate, may prove helpful in the palliative treatment of bone metastases in patients with breast cancer as demonstrated in this multicenter, dose‐ranging trial. Methods. Ambulatory female patients age 18 years or older with breast cancer metastatic to bone and a life expectancy of at least 3 months were eligible for the study. Bone metastases were confirmed by bone scan or bone survey within 6 months of enrollment. Sixty‐one patients were treated as outpatients and were randomized to receive one of four intravenous pamidronate regimens for 12 weeks: 30 mg administered every 2 weeks, 60 mg every 4 weeks, 60 mg every 2 weeks, or 90 mg every 4 weeks. The primary efficacy parameter for this study was pain score. The change from baseline in pain score was determined for each patient at each study visit and at endpoint, defined as the last postbaseline evaluation for each patient before or at week 12. Secondary efficacy variables included narcotic scores, urinary calcium/creatinine and hydroxyproline/creatinine ratios, serum osteocalcin and bone alkaline phosphatase concentrations, and bone lesion (radiologic) response. Results. At 3 months, the regimens of 60 mg every 4 weeks, 60 mg every 2 weeks, and 90 mg every 4 weeks resulted in significant reduction in bone pain beginning by week 6 of treatment. The regimen of 30 mg every 2 weeks was not effective. Narcotic use, as reflected by narcotic scores, did not parallel the pain scores, because there was little evidence of any effect for any of the treatment groups. Reduction in bone pain was accompanied by decreases in urinary calcium/creatinine and hydroxyproline/creatinine ratios, and bone alkaline phosphatase concentrations. Side effects of pamidronate were mild and transient. Radiographic changes consistent with healing of lytic lesions were observed in 15 patients (25%). Conclusion. Intravenous pamidronate is a well tolerated treatment that produced significant relief of bone pain in the majority of patients with metastatic breast cancer at the three highest doses tested.

Cisplatin, alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents, is relatively inactive against metastatic melanoma. Prior trials have demonstrated partial response (PR) rates of less than 10% with cisplatin alone. WR-2721 is an organic thiophosphate compound, which in the animal model, selectively protects normal tissues against the toxicity of cisplatin chemotherapy. During the course of a phase I trial of WR-2721 and cisplatin, objective PRs were noted in patients with far advanced metastatic melanoma. These observations led us to perform a phase II trial of WR-2721 and cisplatin. Thirty-six patients received 128 courses of WR-2721 before cisplatin (60 to 150 mg/m2). All patients had progressive disease before treatment. Objective PRs were observed in 19 of 36 evaluable patients (53%). Three additional patients had minor responses (MRs). PRs occurred in 53% of patients with prior chemotherapy (ten of 19). Sites of responding metastases were subcutaneous disease (15 of 19 patients), lymph nodes (16 of 21 patients), lung (four of ten patients), and liver (eight of 17 patients). The median duration of response was 4 months, with a mean of 4.5 months (range, 1 to 8 months). Transient nephrotoxicity was observed in less than 5% of courses. In all cases, renal function returned to normal within 1 to 2 weeks. Hematologic toxicity was mild and infrequent. Nine patients developed peripheral neuropathy following a median cisplatin dose of 670 mg/m2. Twenty patients experienced mild clinical hearing loss. These data suggest that WR-2721 may potentiate the antitumor activity of cisplatin in metastatic melanoma.

WR-2721 S-2-(3-aminopropylamino) ethyl phosphorothioic acid, is an organic thiophosphate compound that in the animal model selectively protects against the hematologic toxicity of cyclophosphamide by factors of 1.5 to 2.0. Preliminary data from our controlled phase I trial of WR-2721 and cyclophosphamide suggested that WR-2721 protected against cyclophosphamide-induced granulocytopenia. Since variable drug doses and infusion rates were used in these early studies, we initiated a controlled phase II trial using constant drug doses to establish more precisely WR-2721's level of protection. Initially, 21 patients received 1,500 mg/m2 of cyclophosphamide alone and were retreated 4 weeks later after hematologic recovery was complete with 740 mg/m2 of WR-2721 before the same dose of cyclophosphamide. With WR-2721 pretreatment, 19 of 21 (90%) patients had improved WBC and granulocyte counts. The mean WBC increased from 1,760/mL with cyclophosphamide alone to 2,500/mL with WR-2721 pretreatment (P less than .0005). The mean granulocyte count increased from 541/mL on cyclophosphamide to 1,247/mL with WR-2721 and cyclophosphamide (P less than .0005). Following cyclophosphamide administration alone, neutropenic fevers developed in three patients. No patient experienced a febrile episode following WR-2721 and cyclophosphamide administration. Platelet nadirs below 100,000/mL were only noted in two patients treated with cyclophosphamide alone. Objective partial responses were observed in four of 19 (21%) patients with measurable or evaluable disease. These data suggest that WR-2721 provides significant protection against cyclophosphamide-induced hematologic toxicity.

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