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Phase 1b-2a study to reverse platinum resistance through use of a hypomethylating agent, azacitidine, in patients with platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory epithelial ovarian cancer.

Author(s): Fu S, Hu W, Iyer R, Kavanagh JJ, Coleman RL, Levenback CF, Sood AK, Wolf JK, Gershenson DM, Markman M, Hennessy BT, Kurzrock R, Bast RC Jr

Affiliation(s): Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. siqingfu@mdanderson.org

Publication date & source: 2011-04-15, Cancer., 117(8):1661-9. Epub 2010 Nov 8.

Publication type: Clinical Trial, Phase I; Clinical Trial, Phase II; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

BACKGROUND: Sequential treatment with azacitidine can induce re-expression of epigenetically silenced genes through genomic DNA hypomethylation and reverse carboplatin resistance of epithelial ovarian cancer cells. A phase 1b-2a clinical trial of this sequential combination of azacitidine and carboplatin was initiated in patients with platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: Patients with pathologically confirmed intermediate-grade or high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer who developed disease progression within 6 months (resistant disease, n = 18 patients) or during a platinum-based therapy (refractory disease, n = 12 patients) were eligible. All patients had measurable disease. RESULTS: Thirty patients received a total of 163 cycles of treatment. This regimen produced 1 complete response, 3 partial responses (overall response rate [ORR], 13.8%), and 10 cases of stable disease among 29 evaluable patients. For those patients who achieved clinical benefits, the median duration of the treatment was 7.5 months. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for all patients were 3.7 months and 14 months, respectively. Patients with platinum-resistant disease achieved an ORR of 22%, with a median PFS of 5.6 months and a median OS of 23 months. The predominant toxicities were fatigue and myelosuppression. Correlative studies indicated that DR4 methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes was decreased during treatment in 3 of 4 objective responders (75%), but in only 5 of 13 nonresponders (38%). CONCLUSIONS: To the authors' knowledge, the results of the current study provide the first clinical evidence that a hypomethylating agent may partially reverse platinum resistance in patients with ovarian cancer. Further clinical evaluation of hypomethylating agents in combination with carboplatin is warranted. Copyright (c) 2010 American Cancer Society.

Page last updated: 2011-12-09

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