Phase 1/2 study of atrasentan combined with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer overexpresses ET-1, and in vitro studies have shown that ET-1 confers resistance to anthracycline-containing chemotherapy. Atrasentan has been developed as an oral selective endothelin-A receptor antagonist. The objective of the study was to investigate the feasibility and toxicity of adding increasing doses of atrasentan (to a maximum of 10 mg/d) and liposomal doxorubicin in patients with progressive ovarian cancer, refractory for platinum and paclitaxel.
METHODS: Patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer were treated with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) 50 mg/m(2) on day 1 (and repeated every 4 weeks) in combination with escalating doses of atrasentan once daily. The starting dose was 2.5 mg and escalated in cohorts of three patients from 5 to 10 mg.
RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (mean age = 60 years, range = 42-74 years) were treated at the three dose levels. Atrasentan could be safely administered in combination at a dose of 10 mg. All patients were evaluable for toxicity, and 19 patients, included in the phase 2 period, were evaluable for response. Adverse events included nausea, vomiting, mucositis, skin toxicity, and rhinitis. Clinical cardiac toxicity, intensively monitored, was not observed, although two patients had a decrease in cardiac ejection fraction. Three objective responses were observed and another six patients had stable disease with a median time to progression of 14 weeks and an overall survival of 13.1 months.
CONCLUSIONS: The addition of atrasentan to standard dose PLD in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer is feasible with some suggestion of prolonged survival.