Clinical advances in hematology & oncology : H&O
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Clin Adv Hematol Oncol · Apr 2014
ReviewSelective Bcl-2 inhibition to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
ABT-199, a second-generation BH3 mimetic, is an orally bioavailable, small molecule inhibitor that selectively targets B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 2 (Bcl-2). Bcl-2 is a key protein that inhibits the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. First-generation BH3 mimetics such as navitoclax (ABT-263) had a broad range of inhibitory activity against Bcl-2 family members, including Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and Bcl-w. ⋯ This selectivity has been consistent with the early results of the ongoing phase 1 clinical trial of ABT-199 in which the drug has demonstrated high rates of activity in relapsed/refractory CLL and NHL without dose-dependent thrombocytopenia. On-target tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) has been observed in a subset of patients treated with ABT-199, but changes in initial dosing and stepwise dose escalation have now been implemented to mitigate this risk. Ongoing correlative studies are being performed to help identify patients with the highest chance of response and the greatest risk for TLS.
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Clin Adv Hematol Oncol · Feb 2014
ReviewProgrammed death-1 inhibition in renal cell carcinoma: clinical insights and future directions.
The treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has evolved markedly over the past decade, broaden- ing beyond immune-based strategies (eg, interleukin-2 and interferon-α) to include targeted agents (eg, sunitinib [Sutent, Pfizer] and sorafenib [Nexavar, Bayer]). Recently, there has been a renewed interest in immune-based strategies, with clinical trials underway to assess vaccines and other immunomodulatory agents. ⋯ Monoclonal antibodies to PD-1 (eg, nivolumab, lambrolizumab, and pidilizumab) and PD-L1 (MPDL3280A and BMS-936559) are in various stages of clinical development. The clinical trajectory of these agents is discussed herein, with specific attention to the potential placement of PD-1/ PD-L1 inhibition in the crowded therapeutic landscape of mRCC.