2023 Publications

Explore some of the most recent research and publications by our oncologists. Click each title to read the full article.

• SAINT: A Phase I/Expanded Phase II Study Using Safe Amounts of Ipilimumab, Nivolumab and Trabectedin as First-Line Treatment of Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma
• Activity of TNT: a phase 2 study using talimogene laherparepvec, nivolumab and trabectedin for previously treated patients with advanced sarcomas
• Early-stage CCNG1+ HR+ HER2+ Invasive Breast Carcinoma in Older Women: Current Treatment and Future Perspectives for DeltaRex-G, a CCNG1 Inhibitor
• Three year results of Blessed: Expanded access for DeltaRex-G for an intermediate size population with advanced pancreatic cancer and sarcoma (NCT04091295) and individual patient use of DeltaRex-G for solid malignancies

Press Releases

ANTICANCER RESEARCH International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment

• From Mendel to Gene Therapy

Press Release DeltaRex-G Molecular Therapy Journal

• Press Release DeltaRex-G Molecular Therapy Journal

Exploiting Oncogenic Drivers 2018

• Exploiting Oncogenic Drivers along the CCNG1 Pathway for Cancer Therapy and Gene Therapy

Sarcoma Oncology Center Leverages BostonGene’s AI-driven Molecular and Immune Profiling Platform to Identify Novel Treatment Options for Patients with Advanced Cancers

• BostonGene’s Identification of Elevated CCNG1 Levels in Multiple Cancer Types Unlocks Potential of Tumor-Targeted Gene Therapy

Phase 1b/2 Aldoxorubicin Clinical Trial Results in Cancer

• A Phase 1b/2 Study of Aldoxorubicin (INNO-206; EMCH-Doxorubicin) in Patients With Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Study of the safety and efficacy of Aldoxorubicin, a prodrug of Doxrubicin, in patients with recurrent malignant solid tumors, including soft tissue sarcoma. The patients in the clinical trial received intravenous infusions every 3 weeks for a total of 8 cycles. Written by our oncologists in collaboration with other leading physicians.

Conclusion: 

Aldoxorubicin administered at the above-mentioned dose was found to be acceptably safe and showed preliminary efficacy in patients with advanced solid tumors, including soft tissue sarcoma. Further investigation of aldoxorubicin is ongoing.

Journal of Clinical Oncology

• Phase II Study of the Safety and Antitumor Activity of Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug TH-302 in Combination With Doxorubicin in Patients With Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

Written by Dr. Sant Chawla in collaboration with co-authors from Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Stanford University Medical Center, University of Arizona Cancer Center, Washington University, Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Mayo Clinic, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Conclusion

PFS, overall survival, and tumor response compared favorably with historical outcomes achieved with other first-line chemotherapies for advanced STS. A phase III study of TH-302 is ongoing (NCT01440088).

Cancer Discovery

• Tumor Hypoxia Is a Therapeutic Target in Soft-Tissue Sarcoma

Article, co-authored by Dr. Sant Chawla, explains the antitumor activity found in the treatment of soft-tissue sarcoma patients with TH-302.

A Phase 2b Randomized Clinical Trial published in Jama Oncology

• First-Line Aldoxorubicin vs Doxorubicin in Metastatic or Locally Advanced Unresectable Soft-Tissue Sarcoma

Written by Dr. Sant P. Chawla in collaboration with Zsuzsanna Papai, MD; Guzel Mukhametshina, MD; Kamalesh Sankhala, MD; Leonid Vasylyev, MD; Alexander Fedenko, MD; Kenneth Khamly, MD; Kristen Ganjoo, MD; Rajnish Nagarkar, MD; Scott Wieland, PhD; Daniel J. Levitt, MD. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of aldoxorubicin, an albumin-binding prodrug of doxorubicin, vs doxorubicin in patients with advanced soft-tissue sarcoma.

Conclusion

Single-agent aldoxorubicin therapy showed superior efficacy over doxorubicin by prolonging progression-free survival and improving rates of 6-month progression-free survival and tumor response. Aldoxorubicin therapy exhibited manageable adverse effects, without unexpected events, and without evidence of acute cardiotoxicity. Further investigation of aldoxorubicin therapy in advanced soft-tissue sarcoma is warranted.

Journal of Molecular and Clinical Oncology

• Cell cycle checkpoint control: The cyclin G1/Mdm2/p53 axis emerges as a strategic target for broad-spectrum cancer gene therapy – A review of molecular mechanisms for oncologists.

This paper provides a focused review of cycle checkpoint control as a practicum for clinical oncologists with an interest in applied molecular medicine.

Conclusion 

Clinically, the utility of companion diagnostics for cyclin G1 pathways is anticipated in the staging, prognosis and treatment of cancers, including the potential for rational combinatorial therapies.

Rare Tumors

• A multicenter phase II study of Q3 week or weekly paclitaxel in combination with bevacizumab for the treatment of metastatic or unresectable angiosarcoma.

Paclitaxel (P) and bevacizumab (B) are agents that provide clinical benefit in advanced angiosarcoma (AS). The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of P-B in two different scheduled regimens.

Conclusion

The breakdown between the two regimens revealed comparable efficacy and safety. Paclitaxel and Bevacizumab are an active regimen in angiosarcoma. Q3 week and weekly paclitaxel appear similar in efficacy and safety.

Future Oncology

• Eribulin therapy for the treatment of patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

In this article, we review the pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action of eribulin with focus on preclinical and clinical data in sarcoma and also the role of miRNAs in soft tissue sarcomas.

Journal of Clinical Oncology

• Activity of Eribulin in Patients With Advanced Liposarcoma Demonstrated in a Subgroup Analysis From a Randomized Phase III Study of Eribulin Versus Dacarbazine.

A phase III study comparing eribulin with dacarbazine in patients with advanced liposarcoma (LPS) or leiomyosarcoma showed a significant improvement in overall survival (OS) for the eribulin arm, with a manageable toxicity profile. We now report the histology-specific subgroup analysis of the efficacy and safety of eribulin compared with dacarbazine in patients with LPS, an independently randomized stratified subgroup of this phase III trial.

Conclusion

In patients with previously treated LPS, eribulin was associated with significantly superior OS and PFS compared with dacarbazine. Eribulin represents an important treatment option for patients with LPS, a sarcoma subtype for which limited effective systemic treatments are available.