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Nimotuzumab safe for treatment of pontine gliomas
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Nimotuzumab is well tolerated and safe for the treatment of newly-diagnosed diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas in children and adolescents.
Preliminary data from the phase-3 trial were available on a poster presentation at the 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting. Nimotuzumab (YM BioSciences) is also being studied for use in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and in non–small cell lung cancer.
Forty-two patients were enrolled into the study between March 2006 and August 2007. The patients were aged 3 to 16 years. All had newly-diagnosed pontine gliomas.
The induction therapy included a weekly infusion of 150 mg/m2 nimotuzumab for 12 weeks, which was given concomitantly with radiotherapy during weeks three to eight. Forty-one patients were evaluable for response.
The primary endpoint was progression-free survival at six months after diagnosis. The median progression-free survival was 5.9 months. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, response rate, toxicity and quality of life. The median overall survival was 9.7 months. Twelve of the 41 patients remain alive.
Bode U, Windelberg M, Massimino M, et al. #2058. Presented at: 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting; May 30, 2008 - June 3, 2008; Chicago.
We are looking for new therapies that will improve quality of life and lead to a greater rate of long-term survival and cure for these patients. It is reasonable to use a monoclonal antibody like nimotuzumab, but we do not know what percentage of patients with pontine gliomas has this target. The treatment may be comparable with radiation and chemotherapy, but it is not really an advance to the field. The question is how this drug would be best used in combination with other therapies like radiation, chemotherapy or biologic agents.
– Roger Packer, MD
HemOnc Today Editorial Board member