Dasatinib is the most potent BCR-ABL inhibitor, with 325-fold higher potency than imatinib against unmutated BCR-ABL in vitro. Studies have demonstrated the benefits of dasatinib 70 mg twice daily in patients with accelerated-phase chronic myeloid leukemia intolerant or resistant to imatinib. A phase 3 study compared the efficacy and safety of dasatinib 140 mg once daily with the current twice-daily regimen. Here, results from the subgroup with accelerated-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (n = 317) with a median follow-up of 15 months (treatment duration, 0.03-31.15 months) are reported. Among patients randomized to once-daily (n = 158) or twice-daily (n = 159) treatment, rates of major hematologic and cytogenetic responses were comparable (major hematologic response, 66% vs 68%; major cytogenetic response, 39% vs 43%, respectively). Estimated progression-free survival rates at 24 months were 51% and 55%, whereas overall survival rates were 63% versus 72%. Once-daily treatment was associated with an improved safety profile. In particular, significantly fewer patients in the once-daily group experienced a pleural effusion (all grades, 20% vs 39% P < .001). These results demonstrate that dasatinib 140 mg once daily has similar efficacy to dasatinib 70 mg twice daily but with an improved safety profile. This trial is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #CA180-035.

We evaluated the pharmacodynamic effects of the O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) inactivator lomeguatrib (LM) on patients with melanoma in two clinical trials. Patients received temozolomide (TMZ) for 5 days either alone or with LM for 5, 10 or 14 days. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated before treatment and during cycle 1. Where available, tumour biopsies were obtained after the last drug dose in cycle 1. Samples were assayed for MGMT activity, total MGMT protein, and O(6)-methylguanine (O(6)-meG) and N7-methylguanine levels in DNA. MGMT was completely inactivated in PBMC from patients receiving LM, but detectable in those on TMZ alone. Tumours biopsied on the last day of treatment showed complete inactivation of MGMT but there was recovery of activity in tumours sampled later. Significantly more O(6)-meG was present in the PBMC DNA of LM/TMZ patients than those on TMZ alone. LM/TMZ leads to greater MGMT inactivation, and higher levels of O(6)-meG than TMZ alone. Early recovery of MGMT activity in tumours suggested that more protracted dosing with LM is required. Extended dosing of LM completely inactivated PBMC MGMT, and resulted in persistent levels of O(6)-meG in PBMC DNA during treatment.

It has been reported that activating KRAS mutations negatively affect response to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer. The mutation status of signaling molecules downstream of the EGFR target is thus crucial to predict clinical benefit to EGFR-targeted therapies. Other mechanisms of resistance to EGFR inhibitors could involve activating mutations of the other main EGFR effector pathway, i.e., the PI3K/PTEN/AKT pathway.

To determine whether (1) immunohistochemical (IHC) HER2 status (ie, 2+ or 3+), (2) degree of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) amplification according to (2a) HER2/CEP17 ratio or (2b) HER2 gene copy number, or (3) polysomy significantly influenced clinical outcome for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -positive breast cancer enrolled in the Herceptin Adjuvant trial of trastuzumab versus no trastuzumab administered after completion of chemotherapy.

Studying chemotherapy-induced gene expression changes in vivo, which could provide insights into mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance.

Family history (FH) of lung cancer is an established risk factor for lung cancer, but the modifying effect of smoking in relatives has been rarely examined. Also, the role of FH of nonmalignant lung diseases on lung cancer risk is not well known. We examined the role of FH of cancer and nonmalignant lung diseases in lung cancer risk overall, and by personal smoking, FH of smoking and histology in 1,946 cases and 2,116 population-based controls within the Environment And Genetics in Lung cancer Etiology (EAGLE) study. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI from logistic regression were calculated adjusting for age, gender, residence, education and cigarette smoking. FH of lung cancer in any family member was associated with increased lung cancer risk (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.25-1.98). The odds associated with fathers', mothers' and siblings' history of lung cancer were 1.41, 2.14 and 1.53, respectively. The associations were generally stronger in never smokers, younger subjects and for the adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma subtypes. FH of chronic bronchitis and pneumonia was associated with increased (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.23-1.80) and decreased (OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.61-0.87) lung cancer risk, respectively. FH of lung cancer and nonmalignant lung diseases affected lung cancer risk independently, and did not appear to be modified by FH of smoking.

Irinotecan plus cisplatin (IP) improved survival over etoposide plus cisplatin (EP) in Japanese patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (E-SCLC). To confirm those results and discern the potential role of population-related pharmacogenomics (PG) in outcomes, we conducted a large randomized trial of identical design to the Japanese trial in North American patients with E-SCLC.

We evaluated the role of glutathione-related genotypes on overall survival, time to progression, adverse events, and quality of life (QOL) in stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer patients who were stable or responding from initial treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and subsequently randomized to receive daily oral carboxyaminoimidazole or a placebo.

Functional SNPs in the COX-2 promoter region have been associated with susceptibility to esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this study, we investigated SNPs in the COX-2 coding region and their impact on risk of ESCC. The coding region of COX-2 in DNAs from 30 Han Chinese individuals was sequenced to identify SNPs. Different coding region variants identified were cloned and expressed in MCE-7 cells for the measurement of COX-2 enzymatic activity. Genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP in 1026 patients with ESCC and 1270 controls and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed by logistic regression model. A SNP at exon 10 (1759G>A, rs3218625) was identified, which causes (587)Gly to (587)Arg amino acid substitution. Enzymatic assays using different recombinant COX-2 variants showed that COX-2-(587)Arg had significantly higher activity towards arachidonic acid than COX-2-(587)Gly (13.8 +/- 3.2 U/mg vs. 11.2 +/- 2.4 U/mg; P = 0.012). Case-control analysis showed that 10.2% of ESCC patients carried the 1759A allele whereas only 5.4% of controls had this allele (P < 0.0001). No homozygous 1759AA genotype was presented in controls albeit two patients carrying this genotype. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that subjects with at least one 1759A allele had increased risk for the development of ESCC (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.39-2.62) compared with those with the 1759GG genotype. These results extend our previous findings and indicate that inherited variant in arachidonic acid-metabolizing enzyme, which results in heightened enzymatic activity, may confer susceptibility to ESCC.

We investigated the efficacy of cetuximab plus irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFIRI) as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer and sought associations between the mutation status of the KRAS gene in tumors and clinical response to cetuximab.

Global loss of methylated cytosines in DNA, thought to predispose to chromosomal instability and aneuploidy, has been associated with an increased risk of colorectal neoplasia. Little is known about the relationships between global hypomethylation and lifestyle, demographics, dietary measures, and genetic factors.

Patients with early-onset breast and/or ovarian cancer frequently wish to know if they inherited a mutation in one of the cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 or BRCA2. Accurate carrier prediction models are needed to target costly testing. Two widely used models, BRCAPRO and BOADICEA, were developed using data from non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), but their accuracies have not been evaluated in other racial/ethnic populations.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) BRCA testing may expand access to genetic testing and enhance cancer prevention efforts. It is not known, however, if current DTC websites provide adequate risk information for informed medical decision making.

A pooled analysis was conducted to examine the association between select variants in DNA repair genes and glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and deadliest form of adult brain tumors. Genetic data for approximately 1,000 glioblastoma multiforme cases and 2,000 controls were combined from four centers in the United States that have conducted case-control studies on adult glioblastoma multiforme, including the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and the University of California at San Francisco. Twelve DNA repair single-nucleotide polymorphisms were selected for investigation in the pilot collaborative project. The C allele of the PARP1 rs1136410 variant was associated with a 20% reduction in risk for glioblastoma multiforme (odds ratio(CT or CC), 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.95). A 44% increase in risk for glioblastoma multiforme was found for individuals homozygous for the G allele of the PRKDC rs7003908 variant (odds ratio(GG), 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.84); there was a statistically significant trend (P = 0.009) with increasing number of G alleles. A significant, protective effect was found when three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (ERCC2 rs13181, ERCC1 rs3212986, and GLTSCR1 rs1035938) located near each other on chromosome 19 were modeled as a haplotype. The most common haplotype (AGC) was associated with a 23% reduction in risk (P = 0.03) compared with all other haplotypes combined. Few studies have reported on the associations between variants in DNA repair genes and brain tumors, and few specifically have examined their impact on glioblastoma multiforme. Our results suggest that common variation in DNA repair genes may be associated with risk for glioblastoma multiforme.

Nucleotide excision repair is a vital response to DNA damage, including damage from tobacco exposure. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the nucleotide excision repair pathway may encode alterations that affect DNA repair function and therefore influence the risk of pancreatic cancer development.

We performed a randomized phase II trial comparing pemetrexed with pemetrexed plus carboplatin (PC) in patients experiencing relapse after platinum-based chemotherapy.

CYP1B1 is a key enzyme involved in estrogen metabolism and may play an important role in the development and progression of breast cancer. In a population-based case-control study, we examined eight CYP1B1 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms in relation to invasive breast cancer risk. Analyses were based on 1,655 cases and 1,470 controls; all women were Caucasian. Among the individual single nucleotide polymorphisms, one (rs9341266) was associated with increased risk of breast cancer (P(trend) = 0.021), although the association was no longer significant after adjusting for multiple tests. A marginally significant haplotype effect was identified (P(global) = 0.015), with significant associations identified for 2 uncommon haplotypes comprising 4% of the controls. Results suggest that genetic variation in CYP1B1 has at most a minor influence on breast cancer susceptibility among Caucasian women.

Colon cancers exhibiting DNA mismatch repair (MMR) defects demonstrate distinct clinical and pathologic features, including better prognosis and reduced response to fluorouracil (FU) -based chemotherapy. This prospective study investigated adjuvant chemotherapy containing FU and irinotecan in patients with MMR deficient (MMR-D) colon cancers.

National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group CO.17 demonstrated the antiepidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) monoclonal antibody cetuximab improves overall and progression-free survival in patients with advanced, chemotherapy-refractory colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly in patients with wild-type KRAS tumors. This article reports the health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) outcomes from CO.17.

Imatinib mesylate (IM), 400 mg daily, is the standard treatment of Philadelphia-positive (Ph(+)) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Preclinical data and results of single-arm studies raised the suggestion that better results could be achieved with a higher dose. To investigate whether the systematic use of a higher dose of IM could lead to better results, 216 patients with Ph(+) CML at high risk (HR) according to the Sokal index were randomly assigned to receive IM 800 mg or 400 mg daily, as front-line therapy, for at least 1 year. The CCgR rate at 1 year was 64% and 58% for the high-dose arm and for the standard-dose arm, respectively (P = .435). No differences were detectable in the CgR at 3 and 6 months, in the molecular response rate at any time, as well as in the rate of other events. Twenty-four (94%) of 25 patients who could tolerate the full 800-mg dose achieved a CCgR, and only 4 (23%) of 17 patients who could tolerate less than 350 mg achieved a CCgR. This study does not support the extensive use of high-dose IM (800 mg daily) front-line in all CML HR patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00514488.