Abstract

BackgroundPatients with chemotherapy refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) have a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. In this phase Ib/II clinical trial, we established the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase II dose (RPTD) for the combination of capecitabine and ziv-aflibercept, and then we evaluated the efficacy of the combination in patients with chemotherapy refractory metastatic CRC.MethodsAll patients were required to have a Karnofsky Performance Status > 70% and adequate organ function. The phase Ib dose escalation cohort included patients with advanced solid tumors who had progressed on all standard therapies. Using a standard 3 + 3 design, we identified the MTD and RPTD for the combination. Fifty patients with metastatic CRC who had progressed on or were intolerant of a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and bevacizumab were then enrolled in a single-arm phase II expansion cohort, and were treated at the RPTD. Prior EGFR antibody therapy was required for subjects with RAS wildtype tumors. The primary endpoint for the expansion cohort was progression-free survival (PFS) at two months. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS).ResultsA total of 63 patients were enrolled and evaluable for toxicity (13 dose escalation; 50 expansion). The MTD and RPTD were: capecitabine 850 mg/m2, P.O. bid, days 1–14, and ziv-aflibercept 6 mg/kg I.V., day 1, of each 21-day cycle. In the expansion cohort, 72% of patients were progression-free at two months (95% confidence interval [CI], 60–84%). Median PFS and OS were 3.9 months (95% CI, 2.3–4.5) and 7.1 months (95% CI: 5.8–10.0), respectively. Among all patients evaluable for toxicity, the most common treatment related adverse events (all grade [%]; grade ≥ 3 [%]) included palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (41%; 6%), hypertension (33%; 22%), and mucositis (19%; 5%). RNA was isolated from archived tumor specimens and gene expression analyses revealed no association between angiogenic biomarkers and clinical outcomes.ConclusionThe combination of capecitabine and ziv-aflibercept at the RPTD demonstrated acceptable safety and tolerability. PFS at 2 months in patients with chemotherapy refractory metastatic CRC was significantly greater than that in historical controls, indicating that this combination warrants further study.Trial registrationThis clinical trial was registered in the www.clinicaltrials.gov system as NCT01661972 on July 31, 2012.

Highlights

  • Patients with chemotherapy refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) have a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options

  • Patient characteristics Subject accrual occurred between September 2012 and October 2015

  • Various tumor types were included in the dose escalation cohort, including colon cancer (5 patients), breast cancer (4 patients), gastric and esophageal cancers (3 patients), and other GI malignancies (1 patient)

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Summary

Methods

All patients were required to have a Karnofsky Performance Status > 70% and adequate organ function. The phase Ib dose escalation cohort included patients with advanced solid tumors who had progressed on all standard therapies. Using a standard 3 + 3 design, we identified the MTD and RPTD for the combination. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS). Study design This multi-center phase Ib/II clinical trial was conducted at Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina), Duke Cancer Network clinical sites, Virginia Oncology Associates (Hampton, Virginia), and Lexington Medical Center (West Columbia, South Carolina). In the Phase Ib dose escalation cohort, we utilized a standard “3 + 3” design to identify the MTD and RPTD of the combination of capecitabine (Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA) and ziv-aflibercept (Sanofi-Aventis, Bridgewater, NJ, USA) in patients with advanced solid tumors. The RPTD was selected based on safety and tolerability in all cycles

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