A phase I/II trial of vandetanib for patients with recurrent malignant glioma

Teri N Kreisl1, Katharine A McNeill, Joohee Sul

  • 1Neuro-Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. kreislt@mail.nih.gov

Neuro-Oncology
|October 27, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Vandetanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, showed limited efficacy in recurrent malignant glioma patients. The maximum tolerated dose was 400 mg/day, with toxicities including QTc prolongation and thromboembolism.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Clinical Trials

Background:

  • Vandetanib is a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor impacting VEGFR-2, EGFR, and RET.
  • Recurrent glioma presents a significant challenge in neuro-oncology treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the pharmacokinetics and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of vandetanib in recurrent glioma patients on enzyme-inducing anti-epileptic drugs (EIAEDs).
  • To evaluate the efficacy of vandetanib in recurrent malignant glioma patients not on EIAEDs, measured by 6-month progression-free survival (PFS6).

Main Methods:

  • Phase I trial: Dose escalation of vandetanib (300, 400, 500 mg/day) in 15 patients on EIAEDs to find MTD.
  • Phase II trial: 300 mg/day vandetanib in 64 patients (32 glioblastoma multiforme, 32 anaplastic gliomas) not on EIAEDs.

Main Results:

  • The MTD for vandetanib in patients on EIAEDs was 400 mg/day. Dose-limiting toxicities included QTc prolongation and thromboembolism.
  • In the phase II trial, PFS6 was 6.5% for glioblastoma multiforme and 7.0% for anaplastic gliomas. Radiographic response was observed in 6 patients.
  • Unexpected toxicity of seizures was noted. Vandetanib demonstrated limited activity in unselected recurrent malignant glioma patients.

Conclusions:

  • Vandetanib at 300 mg/day did not show significant efficacy in recurrent malignant glioma.
  • The MTD was established at 400 mg/day in patients on EIAEDs, with notable toxicities.
  • Further investigation may be warranted for specific glioma subtypes or in combination therapies.