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Purpose: This phase I/II study evaluated safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of escalating, multiple doses of siltuximab, a chimeric anti-interleukin (IL)-6 monoclonal antibody derived from a new Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line in patients with advanced/refractory solid tumors.Experimental Design: In the phase I dose-escalation cohorts, 20 patients with advanced/refractory solid tumors received siltuximab 2.8 or 5.5 mg/kg every 2 weeks or 11 or 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks intravenously (i.v.). In the phase I expansion (n ¼ 24) and phase II cohorts (n ¼ 40), patients with Kirsten rat sarcoma-2 (KRAS)-mutant tumors, ovarian, pancreatic, or anti-EGF receptor (EGFR) refractory/resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal, or H&N cancer received 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks. The phase II primary efficacy endpoint was complete response, partial response, or stable disease >6 weeks.Results: Eighty-four patients (35 colorectal, 29 ovarian, 9 pancreatic, and 11 other) received a median of three (range, 1-45) cycles. One dose-limiting toxicity occurred at 5.5 mg/kg. Common grade !3 adverse events were hepatic function abnormalities (15%), physical health deterioration (12%), and fatigue (11%). Ten percent of patients had siltuximab-related grade !3 adverse events. Neutropenia (4%) was the only possibly related adverse event grade !3 reported in >1 patient. Serious adverse events were reported in 42%; most were related to underlying disease. The pharmacokinetic profile of CHO-derived siltuximab appears similar to the previous cell line. No objective responses occurred; 5 of 84 patients had stable disease >6 weeks. Hemoglobin increased !1.5 g/dL in 33 of 47 patients. At 11 and 15 mg/kg, completely sustained C-reactive protein suppression was observed.Conclusions: Siltuximab monotherapy appears to be well tolerated but without clinical activity in solid tumors, including ovarian and KRAS-mutant cancers. The recommended phase II doses were 11 and 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks.

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We compared the safety and efficacy of siltuximab (S), an anti-interleukin-6 chimeric monoclonal antibody, plus bortezomib (B) with placebo (plc)+B in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in a randomized phase II study. Siltuximab was given by 6 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks. On progression, B was discontinued and high-dose dexamethasone could be added to S/plc. Response and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed pre-dexamethasone by EBMT criteria. For the 281 randomized patients, median PFS for S+B and plc+B was 8.0 and 7.6 months (HR 0.869, p=0.345), overall response rate was 55% vs. 47% (p=0.213), complete response rate was 11% vs. 7%, and median overall survival (OS) was 30.8 vs. 36.8 months (HR 1.353, p=0.103). Sustained suppression of C-reactive protein, a marker reflective of inhibition of interleukin-6 activity, was seen with S+B. Siltuximab did not affect B pharmacokinetics. S/plc discontinuation (75% vs. 66%), grade ≥3 neutropenia (49% vs. 29%), thrombocytopenia (48% vs. 34%), and all-grade infections (62% vs. 49%) occurred more frequently with S+B. The addition of siltuximab to bortezomib did not appear to improve PFS or OS despite a numerical increase in response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Background:Helicobacter pylori infection has been identified as a risk factor for certain types of gastric cancer. However, the extent to which H pylori eradication decreases the risk of gastric cancer is unknown, raising the question of whether population-based H pylori screening should be undertaken.