Amifostine plus cisplatin plus vinorelbine in the treatment of advanced non small cell lung cancer: a multicenter phase II study

Efficacy and tolerability of amifostine in elderly cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Amifostine is a cytoprotective agent used to prevent cisplatin nephrotoxicity. It is associated with dose-limiting acute toxicities of emetic symptoms (nausea and vomiting) and transient hypotension.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy and tolerability of amifostine in elderly cancer patients.

METHODS

This 18-month, prospective, comparative study was conducted at the Department of Internal Medicine, Adnan Menderes University Hospital (Aydin, Turkey). Adult (aged 40-<85 years) hospitalized patients with advanced-stage cancer without comorbid diseases were enrolled. Patients were divided into 2 groups: age <70 years (group 1) and ≥70 years (group 2). All patients were treated with amifostine + cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CT). Amifostine 910 mg/m(2) (maximum, 1500 mg) was administered as a 15-minute IV infusion. Clinical systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP, respectively) were measured at 0 minute (baseline), at 8 and 15 minutes of amifostine infusion, and at 30 minutes after the start of amifostine infusion. In addition to physical examination, chest radiography, electrocardiography, blood chemistry (including serum electrolytes and renal function tests), complete blood count, and complete urinalyses were performed before each CT administration and at the post-CT day of toxicity assessment.

RESULTS

Thirty-five consecutive patients were enrolled (22 men, 13 women; mean [SD] age, 61 [12] years; group 1, n = 22; group 2, n = 13). Patients received a total of 153 CT cycles (median, 4 cycles/patient; group 1, 96 cycles; group 2, 57 cycles). Amifostine caused significant SBP and DBP reductions at 8 minutes of infusion compared with baseline in groups 1 (both P < 0.001) and 2 (P = 0.002 and P = 0.006, respectively). Overall, 20 patients (57.1%) experienced ≥ 1 symptomatic hypotensive episode; these rates were not significantly different between groups 1 (11 cases, 50.0%) and 2 (9 cases, 69.2%). Amifostine infusion was interrupted a similar number of times (6 times in group 1 and 4 times in group 2 [6.3% and 7.0% of administrations, respectively]) due to hypotension, but could be restarted in all. At 15 minutes, mean SBP and DBP values were not significantly different from baseline in either group. The mean baseline SBP values were similar between groups at baseline, and, overall, the differences in mean SBP and DBP values were not significant between groups at any time point. All other toxicities were comparable, and serum creatinine concentrations did not change significantly from baseline with CT in either group.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study of the efficacy and tolerability of amifostine in elderly patients with advanced-stage cancer without comorbid diseases, amifostine was effective in reducing cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, with transient systolic and diastolic hypotension being the most prominent adverse effect. All other toxicities were either low grade or preventable. No significant differences in amifostine tolerability or toxicities were observed between the study groups.

Randomized phase 2 study of subcutaneous amifostine versus epoetin-alpha given 3 times weekly during concurrent chemotherapy and hyperfractionated radiotherapy for limited-disease small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the role of amifostine and epoetin-alpha in reducing severe toxicities during concurrent chemo-hyperfractionated radiotherapy (CCRT) for limited disease small cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC).

METHODS

Seventy-six patients with LD-SCLC were enrolled. The treatment schedule was consisted of two 28-day cycles of cisplatin at a dose of 30 mg/m2 (Days 1 and 8) and irinotecan at a dose of 60 mg/m2 (Days 1, 8, and 15) followed by two 21-day cycles of cisplatin at a dose of 60 mg/m2 (Day 1) and etoposide at a dose of 100 mg/m2 (Days 1-3) with concurrent twice-daily thoracic radiotherapy for a total of 45 grays. Patients were randomly assigned at registration to either amifostine at a dose of 500 mg or epoetin-alpha at a dose of 10,000 IU subcutaneously 3 times weekly (n = 36 patients and 40 patients, respectively). Fifteen of 36 patients assigned to the amifostine arm did not receive amifostine because of a lack of supply.

RESULTS

Amifostine treatment was associated with higher febrile neutropenia (P = .003) and grade 2 or 3 nausea (according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria [version 3.0]) (P = .03). It also demonstrated a trend toward higher grade 4 leukopenia (P = .05). Grade 3 esophagitis was reported in 30% of patients treated with amifostine and 9% of patients treated with epoetin-alpha (P = .059). Epoetin-alpha treatment was associated with less grade 2 or 3 anemia (P = .031) and lower decreases in hemoglobin level during CCRT (P = .016). The median survival times for both treatment arms were comparable (22.6 months in the amifostine arm vs 25.6 months in the epoetin-alpha arm; P = .447).

CONCLUSIONS

Although amifostine administered 3 times weekly during CCRT did not significantly reduce severe toxicities, epoetin-alpha was effective in preventing severe anemia during CCRT in patients with LD-SCLC. Other radioprotective strategies to minimize severe toxicities should be investigated.

Amifostine in clinical oncology: current use and future applications

Amifostine (Ethyol), an inorganic thiophosphate, is a selective broad-spectrum cytoprotector of normal tissues that provides cytoprotection against ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic agents, thus preserving the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This review summarizes the preclinical data and clinical experience with amifostine, and provides insight into future clinical directions. Amifostine, an inactive pro-drug, is transformed to an active thiol after dephosphorylation by alkaline phosphatase found in the normal endothelium. The absence of alkaline phosphatase in the tumoral endothelium and stromal components, and the hypovascularity and acidity of the tumor environment, may explain its cytoprotective selectivity. The cytoprotective mechanism of amifostine is complicated, involving free radical scavenging, DNA protection and repair acceleration, and induction of cellular hypoxia. Intravenous administration of amifostine 740-900 mg/m(2) before chemotherapy and 250-350 mg/m(2) before each radiotherapy fraction are widely used regimens. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of amifostine as a cytoprotector for cisplatin chemotherapy and for radiation-induced xerostomia. Ongoing trials are being conducted to determine the efficacy of amifostine in reducing radiation-induced mucositis and other toxicities. Novel schedules and routes of administration are under investigation, and may further simplify the use of amifostine and considerably broaden its applications.

Amifostine: chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic protective effects

Amifostine (Ethyoltrade mark, Alza Pharmaceuticals) is an inorganic thiophosphate cytoprotective agent known chemically as ethanethiol, 2-[3- aminopropyl)amino]dihydrogen phosphate. It is a prodrug of free thiol (WR-1065) that may act as a scavenger of free radicals generated in tissues exposed to cytotoxic drugs and binds to reactive metabolites of such drugs. Amifostine was originally developed as a radioprotective agent in a classified nuclear warfare project. Following declassification of the project it was evaluated as a cytoprotective agent against toxicity of the alkylating drugs and cisplatin. Differences in the alkaline phosphatase concentration of normal versus tumour tissues can result in greater conversion of amifostine in normal tissues. Inside the cell, WR-1065 provides an alternative target to DNA and RNA for the reactive molecules of alkylating or platinum agents and acts as a potent scavenger of the oxygen free radicals induced by ionizing radiation and some chemotherapy agents. Preclinical animal studies have demonstrated that the administration of amifostine protects against a variety of chemotherapy-related toxicities including cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity, cyclophosphamide- and bleomycin-induced pulmonary toxicity and the cytotoxicities (including cardiotoxicity) induced by doxorubicin and related chemotherapeutic agents. Amifostine has been shown to protect a variety of animal species from lethal doses of radiation. Amifostine gives haematological protection from cyclophosphamide, carboplatin, mitomycin C, fotemustine and radiotherapy; renal and peripheral nerve protection from cisplatin; mucosa, skin and salivary gland protection from radiotherapy. Multiple Phase I studies were carried out with amifostine in combination with chemotherapy for various neoplasms. Appropriate doses of amifostine were found to be 740 - 910 mg/m(2) in single-dose regimens and 340 mg/m(2) in multiple-dose regimens. In radioprotection, doses are generally 200 - 350 mg/m(2). For all these characteristics, amifostine has been recently approved and suggested in ASCO clinical practice guidelines as a radioprotector for head and neck cancer treatment and supportive agent during cisplatin-based chemotherapy, in lymphomas and solid tumours. Moreover, its spectrum of possible applications is enlarging. As data have been provided indicating that amifostine stimulates haematopoiesis, it has been employed with intriguing results in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).