title: Phase I/II trial of accutane as a potentiator of carboplatin and paclitaxel in squamous cell carcinomas.
abstract: This study investigated the toxicity and efficacy of a 13-cis retinoic acid, carboplatin, and paclitaxel (Taxol) regimen in 18 patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinomas (12 head and neck, 4 cervix, 1 esophagus, and 1 anus). Three patients were treated at each dose level with fenretamide (Accutane) 1 mg/kg/d orally for 14 days, carboplatin AUC of 5 mg/ml.min intravenously (IV) and paclitaxel at a dose of 135, 155, 175, 195, 205, or 225 mg/m(2) IV on day 8 every 4 weeks for 6 cycles. Fifteen evaluable patients had a total of 72 treatment cycles. There were 21 grade III or IV toxicities distributed among all the dose levels, including neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, elevated prothrombin time/partial thromboplastin time, elevated alkaline phosphatase, weight loss, alopecia, and three deaths from aspiration pneumonia and septic shock. The maximum tolerated dosage included 205 mg/m(2) paclitaxel. There was one complete response, three partial responses, and 2 stable diseases. The three partial responses were in the four patients with cervical cancer. Responses did not correlate with expression of retinoic acid receptor subtypes. Toxicity profiles and overall response rates were comparable to prior studies with similar chemotherapy regimens alone. The data support further study in a phase II trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wieder
authors.forename: Anna C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pavlick
authors.forename: Margarette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bryan
authors.forename: Meera
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hameed
authors.forename: Soly
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baredes
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pliner
authors.forename: Tracie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Reju
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Korah
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015474:Isotretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012074:Remission Induction; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016190:Carboplatin; D015474:Isotretinoin; D017239:Paclitaxel