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Clinical Trials |
Department of Hematology Oncology, Childrens National Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20010 [N. L. S., R. B. M., G. H. R.]; Texas Childrens Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 [S. M. B.]; Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 [M. OB., F. M. B.]; Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033 [M. K.]; and Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0914 [R. H.]
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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In our prior Phase I trial of docetaxel in pediatric patients (17) , the MTDs1 in heavily pretreated and less-heavily pretreated patient populations were 65 mg/m2 and 125 mg/m2, respectively. The toxicity profile in children was similar to that reported in adults. Nonhematological toxicities included stomatitis, asthenia, myalgias, skin rashes, and mild elevations of serum transaminases. Peripheral edema and weight gain were observed in two of five patients who received more than three cycles of docetaxel. The primary DLT was neutropenia, but thrombocytopenia was minimal even in patients who experienced dose-limiting neutropenia (defined as neutrophil count <500/µl for more than 7 days; Ref. 17 ). The median platelet count nadir at the 125-mg/m2 dose level was 142,000/µl.
The lack of thrombocytopenia (in both pediatric and adult trials) suggests that further escalation of the docetaxel dose could be accomplished with G-CSF support. The objectives of this Phase I trial of docetaxel plus G-CSF were to determine the MTD, the DLT, and the incidence and severity of other toxicities associated with this combination in pediatric patients with limited prior radiation of marrow-producing bones. Pharmacokinetics of docetaxel in children were performed and will be reported separately.
| PATIENTS AND METHODS |
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1 year of age and
21 years of age with a histologically confirmed solid tumor refractory to standard therapy were eligible for this trial. Other eligibility criteria included: (a) an Eastern Oncology Group performance status of
2; (b) a life expectancy >8 weeks; (c) adequate bone marrow function (an absolute neutrophil count >1500/µl, hemoglobin level >9 g/dl, and platelet count >100,000/µl); (d) adequate liver function (serum bilirubin level <1.5 mg/dl, alanine aminotransferase <2 x the upper limit of normal); (e) adequate renal function (creatinine level <1.5 mg % or creatinine clearance >60 ml/min/1.73 m2); (f) recovery from the toxicity of prior therapy; (g) no other chemotherapy within 2 weeks (6 weeks for prior nitrosourea therapy) of entry into this protocol; (h) no prior central axis (skull, spine, ribs, or pelvis) radiotherapy; and (i) no prior bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Informed consent was obtained from the patient or his/her legal guardian before entry onto the study in accordance with individual institutional policies.
Trial Design.
Docetaxel in polysorbate 80 was supplied by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program of the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, MD) in 80-mg vials (concentration, 40 mg/ml). The docetaxel was initially diluted to a concentration of 10 mg/ml with 95% ethanol and then to a 1 mg/ml concentration with D5W. The drug was administered i.v. at a constant infusion rate over 1 h through either a peripheral venous or a central venous catheter. All of the patients were premedicated with diphenhydramine (1 mg/kg four times daily) and dexamethasone (3 mg/m2 twice daily) for 24 h before drug administration. Dexamethasone administration was continued for 4 days after docetaxel administration. The starting dose of docetaxel in this pediatric Phase I trial was 150 mg/m2, the dose at which neutropenia was dose-limiting in less-heavily pretreated patients on our previous pediatric Phase I trial using the same dosing schedule without G-CSF (17)
. Subsequent planned dose escalations were to 185 mg/m2 and 235 mg/m2.
G-CSF was supplied by Amgen (Thousand Oaks, CA) and was administered at a dose of 5 µg/kg/day s.c., starting 48 h after docetaxel and continuing until the postnadir neutrophil count reached 10,000/µl. A minimum of three patients evaluable for toxicity were treated at each dose level. If one of the first three patients entered at any level experienced a dose-limiting toxicity during the first course of therapy, an additional three patients were entered at that dose level.
Toxicities were graded according to the National Cancer Institute common toxicity criteria (18)
. Dose-limiting nonhematological toxicity was defined as any grade 3 or 4 nonhematological toxicity, with the specific exclusion of grade 3 nausea and vomiting, grade 3 fever, and grade 3 hepatic toxicity that returned to grade 1 before the scheduled time for the next treatment. Dose-limiting hematological toxicity was defined as grade 4 neutropenia (<500/µl), or thrombocytopenia (<25,000/µl) for > 7 days duration. Each course was evaluated for hematological and nonhematological toxicity. The MTD of docetaxel is defined as the dose level immediately below the level at which
2 patients from a cohort of
6 patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity. Courses were repeated every 21 days in the absence of dose-limiting toxicity. In the absence of PD, patients with reversible dose-limiting toxicity could receive additional cycles of docetaxel at one dose-level below the dose that resulted in dose-limiting toxicity in that patient.
Patient history, physical examination, and laboratory studies were obtained before treatment and then weekly throughout the course of study. Laboratory evaluation included electrolytes, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and liver function tests. Complete blood counts were obtained at least twice weekly throughout the course of the study. Patients with measurable disease had appropriate radiographic or bone marrow evaluations at baseline and then before subsequent cycles of docetaxel to assess tumor response.
Evaluation of Response.
Patients with measurable disease at the time of enrollment were considered evaluable for response. A complete response was defined as the complete resolution of all of the measurable tumors and no progression of bony disease for a duration of at least 4 weeks. Partial response was defined as a
50% reduction in the sum of the products of the two longest perpendicular diameters of all of the measurable tumors for a duration of at least 4 weeks, and a MR was a
25% but <50% reduction in the sum of the products of the 2 longest perpendicular diameters of all of the tumors. PD was defined as the appearance of a new tumor or a
25% increase in the product of the 2 longest perpendicular diameters of any measurable lesion (excluding bone). Patients with PD after
1 course of docetaxel were removed from the study.
| RESULTS |
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Other non-DLTs included mild nausea and vomiting, constipation (n = 2), conjunctivitis (n = 1), transient grade 1 elevation of hepatic transaminases (n = 2), stomatitis (
grade 2, n = 6), back pain (n = 1), fatigue (n = 1), fever (n = 6), infection (
grade 2, n = 5), hypokalemia (n = 1), hypocalcemia (n = 1), and peripheral neuropathy (n = 1).
Response.
A MR was observed in 1 patient of the 16 patients who were evaluable for response. This patient was a 15-year-old female with colon cancer who experienced gradual decrease in the size of an axillary lymph node after two courses of docetaxel at 150 mg/m2. However, the patient refused further therapy.
| DISCUSSION |
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A generalized desquamative dermatitis that has been reported previously (18, 19, 20) in both pediatric and adult trials was the primary dose-limiting toxicity in this study. The incidence and severity of the rash seemed to be dose-related. The prolonged course of dexamethasone did not prevent the rash, although the onset of the rash in all of the patients was >24 h after completion of the 5-day course of dexamethasone. Skin reactions in adults at lower docetaxel doses have been reported in 5075% of patients, and the rashes are characterized as erythematous, pruritic maculopapular rashes that affect the forearms and hands. This is similar to the skin toxicity observed in our pediatric patients. Other cutaneous effects reported in adults include desquamation of the hands and feet, palmar-plantar erythrodesia that may respond to pyridoxine or cooling, and onchodystrophy characterized by brown discoloration, ridging, oncholysis, soreness, and brittleness of fingernails (13) . Similar reactions, except for onchodystrophy, were observed on our trial. The cutaneous reactions seen in adults are usually mildly symptomatic, localized and self-limited with rare cases described as severe, whereas the reactions in pediatric patients at higher doses were more generalized and severe.
Dose-limiting myalgias were observed only at 235 mg/m2 on the present trial, but myalgias were also dose-limiting in our previous Phase I trial of docetaxel in a single patient treated at the 150 mg/m2 dose level (17) . Therefore, it is unclear whether myalgias are a dose-related toxicity of docetaxel in children. G-CSF may produce skin rashes and myalgias, but it is unlikely that G-CSF contributed to these dose-limiting toxicities. Skin rashes and myalgias similar to those observed in our patients have been previously reported in patients receiving docetaxel alone.
Fluid retention, weight gain, and edema, which have been described in adult and pediatric patients receiving multiple courses of docetaxel, were not observed in this study despite the substantially higher doses administered, possibly because only three patients received more than three courses of docetaxel. This toxicity may be more problematic in children in the Phase II setting because more patients receive multiple courses of docetaxel.
The minimal antitumor activity observed in this trial, despite the higher doses administered, probably reflects the small number of patients treated and the somewhat skewed patient population (9 of 17 patients had osteosarcoma). In our prior pediatric Phase I trial of docetaxel, responses were observed in rhabdomyosarcomas, peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors, and colon cancer. In this study, one MR was seen in a patient with colon cancer, but the other previously responsive tumor types were not represented in the present trial.
Myelosuppressive drugs are often tested in separate Phase I trials in relapsed leukemia patients to identify an MTD that is independent of the myelosuppressive effects of the agent. Escalation of the docetaxel dose with G-CSF support identified the nonhematological dose-limiting toxicity of docetaxel. We would predict that 185 mg/m2 of docetaxel without G-CSF would be the MTD in relapsed leukemia patients, but because the myelosuppressive effects did not seem to be dose-related at the higher dose levels, it is unclear if this dose would be myeloablative.
The use of G-CSF after high doses of docetaxel seems to be well tolerated, and G-CSF effectively circumvents the dose-limiting neutropenia caused by docetaxel. Consideration should be given to administering G-CSF after docetaxel in future trials.
| FOOTNOTES |
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1 Supported in part by Grant U10CA57746 from Cancer Therapy Evaluation Programs Division Cancer Treatment/National Cancer Institute (to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation), USPHS, and Amgen. ![]()
2 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Childrens Cancer Group, P. O. Box 60012, Arcadia, CA 91066-6012. Phone: (202) 884-2800; Fax: (202) 884-5685; E-mail: nseibel{at}cnmc.org ![]()
3 The abbreviations used are: DLT, dose limiting toxicity; G-CSF, filgrastim; MTD, maximum tolerated dose; MR, minimal response; PD, progressive disease. ![]()
Received 8/26/98; revised 1/21/99; accepted 1/22/99.
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