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Phase I Dose-Finding Study of Weekly Docetaxel Followed by Flavopiridol for Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

Authors' Affiliations: ¹ Breast Cancer Medicine Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine; ² Genitourinary Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology; ³ Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology; ⁴ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; ⁵ Department of Radiology; and ⁶ Department of Melanoma and Sarcoma Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York

Requests for reprints: Gary K. Schwartz, Melanoma and Sarcoma Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, Box 457, New York, NY 10021. Phone: 212-639-8324; Fax: 212-717-3340; E-mail: schwartg{at}mskcc.org.

Purpose: Flavopiridol is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that enhances docetaxel-induced apoptosis in a sequence-specific manner. In vivo, docetaxel must precede flavopiridol by at least 4 h to induce this effect. We conducted a phase I trial of weekly, sequential docetaxel followed 4 h later by flavopiridol in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Experimental Design: Docetaxel at a fixed dose of 35 mg/m² was administered over 30 min, followed 4 h later by escalating doses of flavopiridol, ranging from 20 to 80 mg/m² in successive cohorts, administered weekly over 1 h. This schedule was repeated for 3 weeks of each 4-week cycle.

Results: Twenty-seven evaluable patients were enrolled. The combination was well tolerated, with one dose-limiting toxicity occurring at flavopiridol 70 mg/m² (grade 3 mucositis) and one dose-limiting toxicity at 80 mg/m² (grade 4 neutropenia). We observed 1 complete response in a patient with pancreatic carcinoma and 4 partial responses in pancreatic (1), breast (2), and ovarian (1) cancer patients. Stable disease was seen in 10 patients. Pharmacokinetic studies showed C_max ranging from 1.49 ± 0.69 µmol/L (flavopiridol 20 mg/m²) to 4.54 ± 0.08 µmol/L (flavopiridol 60 mg/m²) in cycle 1.

Conclusions: Treatment with weekly, sequential docetaxel followed by flavopiridol is an effective and safe regimen at all flavopiridol dose levels. The pharmacokinetic data indicate that concentrations of flavopiridol that enhance the effects of docetaxel both in vitro and in vivo can be achieved. Clinical activity is encouraging, even in patients who have received a prior taxane and in patients with gemcitabine-refractory metastatic pancreatic cancer.

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