Roswell Park Research Presented at National Hematology Meeting

Newswise — Scientists from the Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, presented preliminary laboratory and clinical results of new therapies for hematologic cancers earlier this month at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, Atlanta, GA.Hematologic cancers include, among others, leukemias and lymphomas.

Leukemias are cancers of the blood-forming system and account for about two percent of all cancers. Lymphomas, cancers of the lymphatic system, account for approximately three percent of all malignancies. While survival rates vary according to the type of cancer, research has led to treatment advances which have improved cure rates. Promising RPCI studies may provide important new treatment directions for patients with leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) " Abtract #489 Myron Czuczman, MD, Department of Medicine, is the principal investigator of a multi-center phase II clinical trial where 40 patients with relapsed or refractory NHL were given a first-of-its-class monoclonal antibody, HGS-ETR1. The monoclonal antibody targets a cell surface "death" receptor called TRAIL-R1 at two dose levels for up to six cycles. Three patients (8%) had clinical responses; 12 patients (40%) had stable disease and the remainder had progressive disease at the time of first evaluation. Two cell death receptors, TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 are expressed in a number of cancer cell types including lymphoma. HGS-ETR1 is a monclonal antibody that has demonstrated preclinical evidence of antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo.

Data shows that treatment with HGS-ETR1 is well tolerated with minimal toxicity. While it is important to note that these results are preliminary and involve a relatively small number of patients, they provide adequate evidence of potential therapeutic benefits of HGS-ETR1, and serve as the basis for continued evaluation in patients. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia " Abstract #447Asher A. Chanan-Khan, MD, Department of Medicine, is the principal investigator of the first study to report clinical activity of lenalidomide in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In the phase II clinical trial, 29 patients with relapsed or refractory CLL received 25 mg of lenalidomide for 21 days, followed by seven days of rest on a 28-day cycle. Responses for 17 out of 29 patients were evaluated after a maximum of 12 months. Complete remissions were noted in two (11.7%) patients; partial remissions in nine (52.9%) patients and five (29.4%) patients had stabilized disease. These findings are encouraging and provide evidence of the anti-CLL activity of lenalidomide. Longer follow-up data will determine the durability of responses noted to date.

Lenalidomide is one of a new class of oral cancer drugs that are chemically similar to thalidomide, but are more potent in the laboratory and appear to lack some of the more common side effects of thalidomide.

Tumor Angiogenesis - Abstract #2662Michael K.K. Wong, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine, examined thromboembolic disease, a condition characterized by blood clots carried by the blood stream to distant parts of the body which has been associated with morbidity and mortality among cancer patients. Clinical studies have shown that patients with thromobosis benefit from therapy with heparins, anticoagulants, although the mechanisms have not been determined. RPCI researchers found that heparins inhibit tumor angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels. This finding provides molecular evidence that heparins exert significant anti-angiogenic effect by directly sequestering fibroblast growth factor from receptors on tumor endothelial cells.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation's first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation's leading cancer centers. For more information, visit the RPCI website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail [email protected].