Dataset Information

Cetuximab pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics relationships in advanced head and neck carcinoma patients.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Cetuximab associated with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil is used to treat patients with inoperable or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) up until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. To date, no biomarkers of efficacy are available to select patients who will benefit from treatment.

Methods

An ancillary pharmacokinetics (PK) exploration was performed in the context of a prospective study investigating circulating-tumour cells vs progression-free survival (PFS). Cetuximab plasma concentrations were analysed according to a population PK model. Individual exposure parameters were confronted with soluble epidermal growth factor receptor (sEGFR) concentrations, tumour response and PFS.

Results

PK data (28 patients, 203 observations) were best described by a two-compartment model with linear elimination. Performance status (PS) significantly correlated to both cetuximab clearance and central volume of distribution with both parameters increasing by 33.3% (95% CI 1-65.6) for each 1-point increase of PS compared to PS = 0. Univariate analysis showed that patients with higher trough cetuximab concentrations at Day 7 (C_min,D7 ) had better tumour response (P = 0.03) and longer PFS (P = 0.035). However, multivariate analysis revealed that only PS and tumour size at baseline remained significantly associated with PFS. Levels of sEGFR increased during cetuximab treatment but were not associated with PFS in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

Our study prospectively indicates that PS is likely a confounding factor in the relationship between cetuximab PK and PFS, patients with a poor PS having lower cetuximab plasma exposure and lower PFS.

SUBMITTER: Le Louedec F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6533440 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Cetuximab pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics relationships in advanced head and neck carcinoma patients.

Le Louedec Félicien F Alix-Panabières Catherine C Lafont Thierry T Allal Ben C BC Garrel Renaud R Digue Laurence L Guigay Joël J Cupissol Didier D Delord Jean-Pierre JP Lallemant Benjamin B Alfonsi Marc M Aubry Karine K Mazel Martine M Becher François F Perriard Françoise F Chatelut Etienne E Thomas Fabienne F

British journal of clinical pharmacology 20190413 6

<h4>Aims</h4>Cetuximab associated with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil is used to treat patients with inoperable or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) up until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. To date, no biomarkers of efficacy are available to select patients who will benefit from treatment.<h4>Methods</h4>An ancillary pharmacokinetics (PK) exploration was performed in the context of a prospective study investigating circulating-tumour cells vs progression-fre ...[more]

PMID: 30811063

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Project description:Cetuximab remains to date the only targeted therapy approved for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The EGFR pathway plays a key role in the tumorigenesis and progression of this disease as well as in the resistance to radiotherapy (RT). While several anti-EGFR agents have been tested in HNSCC, cetuximab, an IgG1 subclass monoclonal antibody against EGFR, is the only drug with proven efficacy for the treatment of both locoregionally-advanced (LA) and recurrent/metastatic (R/M) disease. The addition of cetuximab to radiotherapy is a validated treatment option in LA-HNSCC. However, its use has been limited to patients who are considered unfit for standard of care chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with single agent cisplatin given the lack of direct comparison of these two regimens in randomized phase III trials and the inferiority suggested by metanalysis and phase II studies. The current use of cetuximab in HNSCC is about to change given the recent results from randomized prospective clinical trials in both the LA and R/M setting. Two phase III studies evaluating RT-cetuximab vs. CRT in Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-positive LA oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (De-ESCALaTE and RTOG 1016) showed inferior overall survival and progression-free survival for RT-cetuximab combination, and therefore CRT with cisplatin remains the standard of care in this disease. In the R/M HNSCC, the EXTREME regimen has been the standard of care as first-line treatment for the past 10 years. However, the results from the KEYNOTE-048 study will likely position the anti-PD-1 agent pembrolizumab as the new first line treatment either alone or in combination with chemotherapy in this setting based on PD-L1 status. Interestingly, cetuximab-mediated immunogenicity through antibody dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) has encouraged the evaluation of combined approaches with immune-checkpoint inhibitors in both LA and R/M-HNSCC settings. This article reviews the accumulated evidence on the role of cetuximab in HNSCC in the past decade, offering an overview of its current impact in the treatment of LA and R/M-HNSCC disease and its potential use in the era of immunotherapy.

Project description:ObjectivesInduction chemotherapy (ICT) followed by definitive treatment is an accepted non-surgical approach for locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC). However, ICT remains a challenge for cisplatin-unfit patients. We evaluated paclitaxel and cetuximab (P-C) as ICT in a cohort of LA-HNSCC patients unfit for cisplatin.Materials and methodsThis is a retrospective analysis of patients with newly diagnosed LA-HNSCC considered unfit for cisplatin-based chemotherapy (age >70 and/or ECOG≥2 and/or comorbidities) treated with weekly P-C followed by definitive radiotherapy and cetuximab (RT-C) between 2010 and 2017. Toxicity and objective response rate (ORR) to ICT and RT-C were collected. Median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine baseline predictors of OS and PFS.ResultsA total of 57 patients were included. Grade 3-4 toxicity rate to ICT was 54.4%, and there was a death deemed treatment-related (G5). P-C achieved an ORR of 66.7%, including 12.3% of complete responses (CR). After P-C, 45 patients (78.9%) continued with concomitant RT-C. Twenty-six patients (45.6%) achieved a CR after definitive treatment. With a median follow-up of 21.7 months (range 1.2-94.6), median OS and PFS were 22.9 months and 10.7 months, respectively. The estimated 2-year OS and PFS rates were 48.9% and 33.7%, respectively. Disease stage had a negative impact on OS (stage IVb vs. III-IVa: HR = 2.55 [1.08-6.04], p = 0.03), with a trend towards worse PFS (HR = 1.92 [0.91-4.05], p = 0.09). Primary tumor in the larynx was associated with improved PFS but not OS (HR = 0.45 [0.22-0.92], p = 0.03, and HR = 0.69 [0.32-1.54], p = 0.37, respectively).ConclusionP-C was a well-tolerated and active ICT regimen in this cohort of LA-HNSCC patients unfit for cisplatin-based chemotherapy. P-C might represent a valid ICT option for unfit patients and may aid patient selection for definitive treatment.

Project description:To show the relationship between antibody delivery and therapeutic efficacy in head and neck cancers, in this study we evaluated the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted immunotherapy and radioimmunotherapy by quantitative positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.EGFR expression on UM-SCC-22B and SCC1 human head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) cells were determined by flow cytometry and immunostaining. Tumor delivery and distribution of cetuximab in tumor-bearing nude mice were evaluated with small animal PET using (64)Cu-DOTA-cetuximab. The in vitro toxicity of cetuximab to HNSCC cells was evaluated by MTT assay. The tumor-bearing mice were then treated with four doses of cetuximab at 10 mg/kg per dose, and tumor growth was evaluated by caliper measurement. FDG PET was done after the third dose of antibody administration to evaluate tumor response. Apoptosis and tumor cell proliferation after cetuximab treatment were analyzed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling and Ki-67 staining. Radioimmunotherapy was done with (90)Y-DOTA-cetuximab.EGFR expression on UM-SCC-22B cells is lower than that on SCC1 cells. However, the UM-SCC-22B tumors showed much higher (64)Cu-DOTA-cetuximab accumulation than the SCC1 tumors. Cetuximab-induced apoptosis in SCC1 tumors and tumor growth was significantly inhibited, whereas an agonistic effect of cetuximab on UM-SCC-22B tumor growth was observed. After cetuximab treatment, the SCC1 tumors showed decreased FDG uptake, and the UM-SCC-22B tumors had increased FDG uptake. UM-SCC-22B tumors are more responsive to (90)Y-DOTA-cetuximab treatment than SCC1 tumors, partially due to the high tumor accumulation of the injected antibody.Cetuximab has an agonistic effect on the growth of UM-SCC-22B tumors, indicating that tumor response to cetuximab treatment is not necessarily related to EGFR expression and antibody delivery efficiency, as determined by PET imaging. Although PET imaging with antibodies as tracers has limited function in patient screening, it can provide guidance for targeted therapy using antibodies as delivery vehicles.

Project description:BackgroundIn addition to inhibiting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling, anti-EGFR antibodies of the IgG1 'subtype' can induce a complementary therapeutic effect through the induction of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Glycoengineering of therapeutic antibodies increases the affinity for the Fc-gamma receptor, thereby enhancing ADCC.Patients and methodsWe investigated the changes in immune effector cells and EGFR pathway biomarkers in 44 patients with operable, advanced stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with two preoperative doses of either glycoengineered imgatuzumab (GA201; 700 or 1400 mg) or cetuximab (standard dosing) in a neoadjuvant setting with paired pre- and post-treatment tumor biopsies.ResultsSignificant antitumor activity was observed with both antibodies after just two infusions. Metabolic responses were seen in 23 (59.0%) patients overall. One imgatuzumab-treated patient (700 mg) achieved a 'pathological' complete response. An immediate and sustained decrease in peripheral natural killer cells was consistently observed with the first imgatuzumab infusion but not with cetuximab. The functionality of the remaining peripheral natural killer cells was maintained. Similarly, a pronounced increase in circulating cytokines was seen following the first infusion of imgatuzumab but not cetuximab. Overall, tumor-infiltrating CD3+ cell counts increased following treatment with both antibodies. A significant increase from baseline in CD3+/perforin+ cytotoxic T cells occurred only in the 700-mg imgatuzumab group (median 95% increase, P < 0.05). The most prominent decrease of EGFR-expressing cells was recorded after treatment with imgatuzumab (700 mg, -34.6%; 1400 mg, -41.8%). The post-treatment inflammatory tumor microenvironment was strongly related to baseline tumor-infiltrating immune cell density, and baseline levels of EGFR and pERK in tumor cells most strongly predicted therapeutic response.ConclusionsThese pharmacodynamic observations and relationship with efficacy are consistent with the proposed mode of action of imgatuzumab combining efficient EGFR pathway inhibition with ADCC-related immune antitumor effects.Clinical trial registration numberNCT01046266 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Project description:BackgroundMET signaling is a well described mechanism of resistance to anti-EGFR therapy, and MET overexpression is common in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). In the current trial, the authors compared the oral MET inhibitor tivantinib (ARQ197) in combination with cetuximab (the TC arm) versus a control arm that received cetuximab monotherapy (C) in patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC.MethodsIn total, 78 evaluable patients with cetuximab-naive, platinum-refractory HNSCC were enrolled, including 40 on the TC arm and 38 on the C arm (stratified by human papillomavirus [HPV] status). Patients received oral tivantinib 360 mg twice daily and intravenous cetuximab 500 mg/m2 once every 2 weeks. The primary outcome was the response rate (according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1), and secondary outcomes included progression-free and overall survival. After patients progressed on the C arm, tivantinib monotherapy was optional.ResultsThe response rate was 7.5% in the TC arm (N = 3; 1 complete response) and 7.9% in the C arm (N = 3; not significantly different [NS]). The median progression-free survival in both arms was 4 months (NS), and the median overall survival was 8 months (NS). Both treatments were well tolerated, with a trend toward increased hematologic toxicities in the TC arm (12.5% had grade 3 leukopenia). The response rate in 31 HPV-positive/p16-positive patients was 0% in both arms, whereas the response rate in HPV-negative patients was 12.7% (12.5% in the TC arm and 13% in the C arm). Fifteen patients received tivantinib monotherapy, and no responses were observed.ConclusionsCombined tivantinib plus cetuximab does not significantly improve the response rate or survival compared with cetuximab alone but does increase toxicity in an unselected HNSCC population. Cetuximab responses appear to be limited to patients who have HPV-negative HNSCC. MET-aberration-focused trials for HNSCC and the use of higher potency, selective MET inhibitors remain of interest.

Dataset Information

Cetuximab pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics relationships in advanced head and neck carcinoma patients.

Aims

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Cetuximab pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics relationships in advanced head and neck carcinoma patients.

Similar Datasets

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