Phase II Trial of Sorafenib in Combination with Capecitabine in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: INST 08-20.

Lessons Learned: There continues to be a lack of systemic options for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); sorafenib and, very recently, regorafenib are the only approved options. There exists a potential to combine sorafenib with chemotherapeutic agents shown to be active in HCC, such as capecitabine, safely.Good tumor response was observed, with objective improvement in a few patients seldom seen by single agent sorafenib; however, because of the limited number of patients, meaningful conclusions on survival cannot be drawn.

A phase I study of flavopiridol in combination with gemcitabine and irinotecan in patients with metastatic cancer.

Background: Flavopiridol (HMR 1275) is a synthetic flavone with antineoplastic properties through inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. Flavopiridol synergizes in a sequence-dependent fashion with chemotherapy. Major adverse events of flavopiridol in single agent phase I studies are secretory diarrhea, neutropenia, thrombosis, and fatigue.

SNS-595, a naphthyridine cell cycle inhibitor and stimulator of apoptosis for the treatment of cancers.

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Inc, under license from Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co Ltd, is developing SNS-595, a naphthyridine cell cycle inhibitor and apoptosis stimulator, for the potential treatment of a variety of solid and hematological malignancies. Phase I clinical trials had been completed in several solid tumor types and phase II clinical trials had been completed in patients with small-cell lung cancer and NSCLC. A phase II clinical trial in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and phase I/II and phase II clinical trials in patients with acute leukemias were ongoing at the time of publication.