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The treatment of symptomatic single-level cervical spondylosis with PCM achieves clinical outcomes that are at least equivalent to ACDF while maintaining motion. At 2 years, patients with PCM had lower NDI scores, statistically lower rate of prolonged dysphagia, greater patient satisfaction, and superior overall success.

Objective This phase II, multicenter, single-arm, two-stage study in platinum-resistant, advanced epithelial ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of weekly single-agent volociximab. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies were also performed. Methods Sixteen patients were enrolled in Stage 1. Volociximab was administered at 15 mg/kg IV qwk until progression of disease or drug intolerability. Tumor response was assessed every 8 weeks. Serum samples for PK or whole blood for the evaluation of circulating tumor cells, endothelial cells, and endothelial progenitor cells were obtained on Days 1, 8, 15, 29, and 50. Ascites from one patient was collected for volociximab concentration analysis. Archived tumor tissue was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for α5 integrin expression. Results Safety data are available on all 16 patients; 14 were evaluable for efficacy. One patient had stable disease at 8 weeks. The remaining 13 progressed on treatment. Twelve patients (75%) experienced study-related adverse events (AEs); the most common (≥20%) were headache and fatigue. Three patients experienced possible study-related serious AEs (SAEs): reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome, pulmonary embolism, and hyponatremia. Peak serum concentrations of volociximab increased 2–3 fold from Day 1 to Day 50. Clinically relevant trough levels were achieved (>150 µg/mL). IHC analysis of archived tumor sections showed low-to-moderate expression of α5 integrin on all ovarian cancer tissue evaluated. Conclusion Despite insufficient clinical activity in this refractory patient population to continue the study, weekly volociximab was well tolerated, and the gained understanding of the mechanism of action of volociximab will inform future development efforts.

Objective. To assess the safety of rituximab in combination with a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor and methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods. Adult patients with active RA (>5 swollen and >5 tender joints) receiving a stable dose of MTX (10-25 mg/week) and stable dose of TNF inhibitor (etanercept or adalimumab) for >12 weeks were randomized 2:1 to receive one course of rituximab or placebo, given intravenously at a dose of 2 ؋ 500 mg. The primary end point was the proportion of patients developing >1 serious infection through week 24.Results. Fifty-one patients were treated with either rituximab or placebo in combination with background MTX and a TNF inhibitor. Baseline characteristics were generally balanced between groups, except for corticosteroid usage (36% in the rituximab arm versus 17% in the placebo arm). A serious infection (pneumonia) was observed in 1 patient (3%) in the rituximab group after 14.4 patient-years of exposure (6.95 events per 100 patient-years, 95% confidence interval 0.98-49.35), compared with none in the placebo group at week 24. Infections were reported in 18 patients (55%) and 11 patients (61%) in the rituximab and placebo groups, respectively. Grade 3 infections were reported in 3 patients (9%) receiving rituximab and in none of the patients receiving placebo. No grade 4 infections were observed, nor were there any opportunistic, fungal, or tuberculosis infections. Serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported in 2 rituximabtreated patients (pneumonia and coronary artery occlusion), whereas there were no SAEs reported in placebo-treated patients. At week 24, the percentage of patients achieving an American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR20) improvement response was 30% in the rituximab group compared with 17% in the placebo group, and ACR50 responses were achieved by 12% and 6% of patients, respectively.Conclusion. The preliminary safety profile of rituximab in combination with a TNF inhibitor and MTX was consistent with the safety profile of rituximab in combination with MTX in other RA trials without a TNF inhibitor, with no new safety signals observed. SAEs were numerically more frequent in the rituximab group, and there was no clear evidence of an efficacy advantage in patients receiving rituximab in combination with a TNF inhibitor and MTX.