An investigational drug that combats ovarian cancer by inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels has shown promise in a phase II trial, according to a presentation at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm.
Prof. Michael Friedlander from Australia presented the results of an international collaborative trial which administered the drug to 35 patients with recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal carcinoma. At the ESMO Congress, he presented final results of the trial on behalf of his co-investigators.
Women who had already been treated with one or two previous chemotherapy regimens were eligible for the study provided they only had an elevated CA-125 or small tumors on scans. Each participant received 800mg of the oral drug daily, and the primary outcome measure was a decrease in blood levels of the protein CA-125.
CA-125 is a biological marker used to predict tumor recurrence and response to chemotherapy. Levels of the protein rise on average about 3 months before onset of symptoms or scan evidence of recurrence. Hence, it is an attractive marker to assess the efficacy of new agents such as pazopanib when the tumor volume is low.
The study showed that 31% of the patients had a greater than 50% decrease in CA-125 levels, with median duration of response at 113 days, Prof. Friedlander said. It was generally well tolerated, with a similar spectrum of side-effects seen with other angiogenesis inhibitors.
"Many patients with ovarian cancer will have a recurrence of cancer following initial chemotherapy," he said. "This study clearly demonstrates that pazopanib is an active, well-tolerated drug for women with recurrent ovarian cancer."
The findings of this study support further investigation of the potential role of pazopanib in the management of women with ovarian cancer, Prof. Friedlander added. An international phase III study investigating the drug for ovarian cancer will now go ahead.
"The majority of patients with ovarian cancer will have advanced disease at the time of initial diagnosis," Prof. Friedlander said. "Typically, these patients are managed with surgery followed by combination chemotherapy. Unfortunately most patients will relapse usually within 2 years following the initial therapy. There is therefore a real need to investigate novel agents such as pazopanib to ensure new therapeutic options for patients with ovarian cancer."
Source: European Society for Medical Oncology
Related stories:
New platinum-phosphate compounds kill ovarian cancer cells
A new class of compounds called phosphaplatins can effectively kill ovarian, testicular, head and neck cancer cells with potentially less toxicity than conventional drugs, according to a new study published this week in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Bevacizumab better than gold standard imaging at detecting tumors
Scientists have developed a new imaging agent that can be used in scanning for tumours, and which gives a much clearer and more precise image than existing methods. The discovery has the potential to revolutionise pre-clinical cancer research and clinical diagnostic practice, and it makes use of compounds that have already been approved for treating patients: the anti-cancer drug bevacizumab (Avastin) and Copper-64, a radioactive copper nuclide, which is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for some clinical trials.
New way of inhibiting cell cycle shows promise
Geneva, Switzerland: A new anti-cancer compound that works by blocking a part of the cell's machinery that is crucial for cell division has shown promising results in a phase I clinical trial in patients who have failed to respond to other treatments. Now it is going forward into a phase II clinical trial programme. In addition, the compound will also be tested in combination with other anti-cancer drugs to see whether combined therapies could be even more effective.
New approach to genetic testing could halve deaths from inherited bowel cancer
Changing the approach to genetic screening for cancers in Australia could effectively halve deaths caused by an inherited form of bowel cancer, says a University of Melbourne expert.
Vascular marker of ovarian cancer identified
Researchers have identified TEM1 as a specific genetic marker for the vascular cells associated with tumor growth, a finding that could aid in diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.
Scientists deliver toxic genes to effectively kill pancreatic cancer cells
A research team, led by investigators at the Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, has achieved a substantial "kill" of pancreatic cancer cells by using nanoparticles to successfully deliver a deadly diphtheria toxin gene. The findings – set to be published in the October issue of
Cancer Biology & Therapy – reflect the first time this unique strategy has been tested in pancreatic cancer cells, and the success seen offers promise for future pre-clinical animal studies, and possibly, a new clinical approach.
Risk of breast cancer mutations underestimated for Asian women, study shows
Oncologist Allison Kurian, MD, and her colleagues at the Stanford University School of Medicine were perplexed. Computer models designed to identify women who might have dangerous genetic mutations that increase their risk of breast and ovarian cancer worked well for white women. But they seemed to be less reliable for another ethnic group.
Study challenges routine use of MRI scans to evaluate breast cancer
A new study suggests women with newly-diagnosed breast cancer who receive an MRI after their diagnosis face delays in starting treatment and are more likely to receive a mastectomy. The study, presented today at the 2008 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium, also shows that despite lack of evidence of their benefit, the routine use of MRI scans in women newly diagnosed increased significantly between 2004 and 2005, and again in 2006.