Purpose: A phase I study was conducted with the primary objective of determining the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of AUY922 in patients with advanced solid tumors. Secondary objectives included characterization of the safety, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles.Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced solid tumors received 1-hour i.v. infusions of AUY922 once a week in a 28-day cycle. An adaptive Bayesian logistic regression model that employed observed doselimiting toxicities (DLT) in the first treatment cycle was used to guide dose-escalation decisions, with the established MTD to be used in phase II studies.Results: One hundred and one patients were enrolled and explored at doses in the range of 2 to 70 mg/m

Background:The mechanism underlying MDSC persistence in tumor-bearing hosts is elusive. Results: IRF8 is down-regulated in MDSCs, resulting in Fas, Bax, and Bcl-xL deregulation and decreased spontaneous apoptosis. Conclusion: Increased resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis is at least partially responsible for MDSC accumulation. Significance: Targeting Bcl-xL is potentially an effective approach to suppress MDSCs in cancer therapy.

Purpose Some breast cancer survivors report cognitive difficulties greater than 1 year after chemotherapy. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI) may improve cognitive impairment. We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, pilot study to assess the feasibility of using the AChEI, donepezil, to improve subjective and objective measures of cognitive function in breast cancer survivors. Methods Women who received adjuvant chemotherapy 1–5 years prior with current cognitive dysfunction symptoms were randomized to 5 mg of donepezil/day vs placebo for 6 weeks and if tolerated 10 mg/day for 18 weeks for a total of 24 weeks. A battery of validated measures of attention, memory, language, visuomotor skills, processing speed, executive function, and motor dexterity and speed was administered at baseline and at 24 and 36 weeks. Subjective cognitive function, fatigue, sleep, mood, and health-related quality of life were evaluated at baseline and at 12, 24, and 36 weeks. Results Sixty-two patients were enrolled, 76 % completed the study, self-reported compliance was 98 %, and toxicities were minimal. At the end of treatment, the donepezil group performed significantly better than the control group on two parameters of memory—the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test -Revised (HVLT-R) Total Recall (p=0.033) and HVLT-R Discrimination (p=0.036). There were no significant differences on other cognitive variables or in subjective cognitive function or quality of life. Conclusion Accrual to this feasibility trial was robust, retention was good, compliance was excellent, and toxicities were minimal. Implications for Cancer Survivors Randomized clinical trials in breast cancer survivors to improve cognitive dysfunction are feasible. A phase III trial testing the efficacy of donepezil is warranted given these pilot results.