Combination therapy shows antitumor activity in resistant cancers.

2003 JUL 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc., (CTI) (CTIC) announced that encouraging interim, phase I data, among 21 patients in a study of escalating doses of Xyotax (175 mg/m[superscript]2 - 250 mg/m[superscript]2) in combination with standard dose cisplatin (75 mg/m[superscript]2), were presented at the 2003 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Among 17 patients evaluable for response, Xyotax resulted in partial remissions (PR) in 30% of the patients studied. Disease control was observed in 82% of patients (5PR + 9SD). Four of the five major responses were reported in tumors that were resistant to prior taxane and/or cisplatin therapy or in tumor types that are intrinsically resistant to taxanes, including patients with refractory ovarian cancer, and patients with mesothelioma and malignant schwannoma.

"This combination shows encouraging antitumor activity in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, both sensitive and resistant disease, as well as those with solid tumor types not typically responsive to taxanes," noted Jack W. Singer, executive VP and research chair at CTI. "We are impressed that patients tolerated up to 12 cycles of the combination treatment and that responses were long-lasting, in some cases up to 11 months."

Toxicities were manageable and consistent with prolonged cisplatin- and/or paclitaxel-containing regimens. No patients had hypersensitivity reactions or significant hair loss. Grade 4 neutropenia was reported in 14 of the 17 patients and easily ...