Phase I study of safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of TSU-68 plus S-1 combination in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract

262 Background: Sorafenib is the standard chemotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its efficacy is limited. TSU-68 is an oral anti-angiogenesis agent that blocks VEGFR-2 and PDGFR. TSU-68 and S-1 have shown favorable efficacy and safety profile for advanced HCC (Kanai et al. 2011; Furuse et al. 2010). This study investigated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and efficacy of the TSU-68 plus S-1 combination in patients (pts) with advanced HCC. We also determined the maximum tolerated dose of TSU-68 plus S-1 on the basis of the frequency of associated dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) in this population. Methods: Pts who had not received any prior systemic therapy received 400 mg/day TSU-68 orally and one of the following doses of S-1: 50 mg/m2 (level 0), 80 mg/m2 (level 1), or 100 mg/m2 (level 2). Treatment duration was 4 weeks followed by 2-week rest (A group) or 2 weeks followed by 1-week rest (B group). The starting treatment dose and duration level was 1B, followed by progression to levels 2A and 2B. Treatment safety and tolerability at each level were assessed by enrolling 6 pts according to CTCAE v3.0. Results: Eighteen pts (6 each at levels 1B, 2A, and 2B) were enrolled (age, 58-85 years; male/female, 15/3; HCV/HBV/nBnC, 12/3/4; Child-Pugh class A/B, 18/0). Two pts each at levels 1B (grade 3 gastrointestinal bleeding, grade 2 ascites) and 2A (grade 3 fatigue, grade 3 hand-foot skin reaction) showed DLTs, but no pts at level 2B showed DLTs. The common adverse events were hemoglobin decrease, hypoalbuminemia, and anorexia; these were mild in severity (grade 1-2). PK data from 12 pts at levels 1B and 2A indicated that the area under the curve (AUC) of TSU-68 and 5-FU was unlikely to be affected by TSU-68 plus S-1. Response rate, disease control rate, median time to progression, and median overall survival time were 27.8%, 61.1%, 160 days, and 391 days, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings revealed thatthe TSU-68 plus S-1 combination was well tolerated and had favorable efficacy in patients with advanced HCC, and we recommend treatment with 400 mg/day TSU-68 and 100 mg/m2 S-1 for 4 weeks followed by 2-week rest in these patients. Clinical trial information: Japic CTI-121970.