A Phase II Evaluation of Docetaxel and Carboplatin Followed by Tumor Volume Directed Pelvic Plus or Minus Para-Aortic Irradiation for Stage III/IV Endometrial Carcinoma
Endometrial carcinoma is the most common malignancy in the female reproductive tract. For
the percentage of patients with advanced stage (III - IV) optimum adjuvant therapy
status-post surgical staging and/or optimal cytoreductive surgery is not well defined and
limited in the rates of response. Survival rates range from 18 - 49% with high levels of
toxicity with the current treatment regimens.(1)
The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) explored the use of chemotherapy in protocol #107
comparing adriamycin with a combination of adriamycin and cisplatin.(2) This trial boasted
a 45% response rate for the combination arm compared to a 27% response rate in the
adriamycin only arm. Although no difference was seen in overall survival, the combination
arm showed an improvement in progression free survival from 3.8 to 5.7 months.
Subsequently, GOG protocol #122 randomized patients to this chemotherapeutic regimen versus
whole abdominal radiation therapy. This trial is now closed to accrual and results are
pending.
Ball et. al. reported on a phase II trial of paclitaxel in advanced or recurrent endometrial
cancer done through the GOG.(3) At 250 mg/m2 (200mg/m2 for patients with previous radiation
therapy) over 24 hours, every 21 days, 10/28 patients responded. There were 4 complete
responders and 6 partial responders with an overall response rate of 35.7%. Toxicity was
remarkably high with grade 3 and 4 neutropenia and neurotoxicity seen in 62% and 10.7%,
respectively.
Dimpoulos et. al. reported the use of paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 over 3 hours and cisplatin
75mg/m2 every 21 days in advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma.(4) A 67% objective
response rate was seen with 29% showing a complete response and 38% partial response.
Toxicities included a 9%
grade 3 and 4 peripheral neuropathy rate. These response rates changed the standard of
care in the community setting from the more toxic regimen of adriamycin and cisplatin to
paclitaxel and carboplatin.
Hoskins et. al. substituted carboplatin for cisplatin in an effort to reduce the peripheral
neuropathy seen in the Dimpoulos trial. This phase II combination of paclitaxel and
carboplatin with radiation therapy in advanced endometrial cancer resulted in a 75% response
rate. The median failure-free survival time was 23 months, with a 62% 3-year overall
survival rate. Toxicities were primarily hematologic and reversible.(5)
The ongoing GOG protocol, #184, is exploring the combination of tumor directed radiation
followed by a randomization to adriamycin and cisplatin versus adriamycin, cisplatin and
paclitaxel with G-CSF support. Increased toxicity will be expected in the three-drug
regimen. With a significant response rates to a combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin
along with radiation therapy in the phase II setting it is hard to justify the added
toxicity of this three-drug regimen.
The SCOTROC phase III trial comparing docetaxel (75 mg/m2) over 1 hour plus carboplatin (AUC
6) vs. paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) over 3 hours plus carboplatin (AUC 6) yielded equivalent
overall response rates in 1,077 patients with ovarian cancer.(6) The docetaxel arm resulted
in significantly less overall grade 2 and 3 sensory and motor neurotoxicity. Only 4
patients withdrew from the trial due to neurotoxicity on the docetaxel arm vs. 32 patients
on the paclitaxel arm. However, the docetaxel arm resulted in a higher incidence of
neutropenia and associated complications without compromising treatment delivery of overall
safety.
Based on the information to date, it seems prudent to explore a phase II trial of docetaxel
plus carboplatin every 3 weeks for 6 cycles followed by radiation therapy in the management
of patients with advanced endometrial cancer. The proposed protocol design requires that
chemotherapy be administered prior to radiation therapy in order to control distant
metastatic disease before attempting to control for local-regional recurrences with
radiation.
Interventional
Allocation: Non-Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment
to estimate the overall response rate (ORR) for women with newly diagnosed stages III-IV or recurrent endometrial carcinoma treated with docetaxel and carboplatin followed by tumor volume directed pelvic plus or minus para-aortic irradiation.
6 cycles of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy
Dennis R Scribner, JR, MD
Principal Investigator
United States: Institutional Review Board
EndoRT
NCT00285415
April 2005
April 2099
Name | Location |
---|---|
Carilion GYN Oncology Associates | Roanoke, Virginia 24014 |
Gynecologic Oncology Research & Development, LLC | Greenville, South Carolina 29601 |