OBJECTIVES:
- To determine the maximum tolerated dose of gold sodium thiomalate in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
- To describe the toxicities associated with this treatment.
- To describe any preliminary evidence of biologic activity.
- To further assess the correlation between PKCι expression and the antitumor effects of gold sodium thiomalate.
- To study the association of clinical (toxicity and/or tumor response or activity) with pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters.
- To describe anti-proliferative activity of gold sodium thiomalate through 3-deoxy-3-[^18F]-fluorothymidine positron emission tomography imaging.
OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of gold sodium thiomalate.
Patients receive gold sodium thiomalate intramuscularly on days 1, 8, 15 and 22. Treatment repeats every 4 weeks for 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive gold sodium thiomalate once every 4 weeks until a total cumulative dose of 1 gram is delivered.
Blood samples are collected at baseline and prior to therapy in weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Samples are analyzed by mass spectometry for pharmacokinetics. Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples are analyzed for PKC_l expression and antitumor activity. Antiproliferative effects of gold sodium thiomalate are analyzed by 3-deoxy-3-[^18F]-fluorothymidine positron emission tomography imaging.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
- Histologically confirmed advanced non-small cell lung cancer
- No known standard therapy for disease that is potentially curative or definitely capable of extending life expectancy
- No symptomatic or worsening CNS metastases despite optimal therapy
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
- ECOG performance status 0-2
- Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks
- ANC ≥ 1,500/µL
- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/µL
- Total bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
- AST ≤ 3 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver involvement)
- Creatinine ≤ 1.2 times ULN
- Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
- Not pregnant or nursing
- Negative pregnancy test
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception
- Must be willing to provide blood and tissue samples
- No uncontrolled infection
- No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
- No known allergy to gold sodium thiomalate
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
- Recovered from acute, reversible effects of prior chemotherapy regardless of interval since last treatment
- No prior chemotherapy within the past 3 weeks
- No prior mitomycin C or nitrosoureas within the past 6 weeks
- No prior immunotherapy within the past 3 weeks
- No prior biologic therapy within the past 3 weeks
- No prior radiotherapy within the past 3 weeks
- No prior radiotherapy to > 25% of bone marrow
- No other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or any ancillary therapy considered investigational (i.e., utilized for a non-FDA-approved indication and in the context of a research investigation)
- No concurrent prophylactic colony stimulating factors
Last updated: 03/26/2012