: The addition of bevacizumab and erlotinib to first-line combined modality therapy was feasible in a community-based setting, producing toxicity comparable to other effective combined modality regimens for head and neck cancer. The high level of efficacy suggests that incorporation of these targeted agents into first-line therapy should be further explored.

BACKGROUND: In this phase 2 study, the activity and tolerability of the combination of bevacizumab, an inhibitor of angiogenesis, and everolimus, an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), was evaluated in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. METHODS: Patients with metastatic melanoma who had received up to 2 previous systemic regimens (chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy) were eligible. Previous treatment with angiogenesis or mTOR inhibitors was not allowed. All patients received bevacizumab at a dose of 15 mg/kg intravenously every 21 days and everolimus at a dose of 10 mg orally daily. Patients were re‐evaluated every 6 weeks; those with an objective response or stable disease (according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors [RECIST]) continued therapy until tumor progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred. RESULTS: Fifty‐seven patients with metastatic melanoma received a median of 4 treatment cycles (range, 1‐14+ cycles). Seven patients (12%) achieved major responses, whereas 33 patients (58%) were found to have stable disease at the time of first evaluation. The median progression‐free and overall survivals were 4 months and 8.6 months, respectively. Approximately 43% of patients were alive after 12 months of follow‐up. The treatment regimen was well tolerated by the majority of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of bevacizumab and everolimus was found to have moderate activity and was well tolerated in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. Further exploration of agents with these mechanisms of action is indicated, perhaps in combination with inhibitors of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.

Lessons Learned. The addition of the heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27)‐targeting antisense oligonucleotide, apatorsen, to a standard first‐line chemotherapy regimen did not result in improved survival in unselected patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.Findings from this trial hint at the possible prognostic and predictive value of serum Hsp27 that may warrant further investigation.Background.This randomized, double‐blinded, phase II trial evaluated the efficacy of gemcitabine/nab‐paclitaxel plus either apatorsen, an antisense oligonucleotide targeting heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) mRNA, or placebo in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.Methods.Patients were randomized 1:1 to Arm A (gemcitabine/nab‐paclitaxel plus apatorsen) or Arm B (gemcitabine/nab‐paclitaxel plus placebo). Treatment was administered in 28‐day cycles, with restaging every 2 cycles, until progression or intolerable toxicity. Serum Hsp27 levels were analyzed at baseline and on treatment. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS).Results.One hundred thirty‐two patients were enrolled, 66 per arm. Cytopenias and fatigue were the most frequent grade 3/4 treatment‐related adverse events for both arms. Median progression‐free survival (PFS) and OS were 2.7 and 5.3 months, respectively, for arm A, and 3.8 and 6.9 months, respectively, for arm B. Objective response rate was 18% for both arms. Patients with high serum level of Hsp27 represented a poor‐prognosis subgroup who may have derived modest benefit from addition of apatorsen.Conclusion.Addition of apatorsen to chemotherapy does not improve outcomes in unselected patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer in the first‐line setting, although a trend toward prolonged PFS and OS in patients with high baseline serum Hsp27 suggests this therapy may warrant further evaluation in this subgroup.

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