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NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Physician-Scientists Present Latest Cancer Findings at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting

NEW YORK (May 30, 2008)

Leading oncologists and cancer researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are presenting new basic and clinical research findings at the 44th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, May 30 to June 3.

Highlights from the symposium presentations and posters to be made by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell physician-scientists include the following:

Phase II trial of 177Lutetium radiolabeled anti-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) monoclonal antibody J591 in patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. [Abstract number: 5140; Poster number: 13H]

Time: Saturday, May 31. 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Authors: S. T. Tagawa, M. I. Milowsky, M. J. Morris, S. Vallabhajosula, S. Goldsmith, D. Matulich, J. Kaplan, F. Berger, H. I. Scher, N. H. Bander, D. M. Nanus

Drs. Scott Tagawa, Neil Bander and their colleagues at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell will present data from a Phase II clinical trial showing that a monoclonal antibody designated "J591," carrying a payload of a radioactive isotope (177Lu), is both safe and effective in the treatment of late-stage metastatic prostate cancer.  The antibody works by targeting only prostate cancer cells anywhere in the body while leaving the healthy cells around them unharmed. Patients in this trial had progressing, hormone-independent, metastatic prostate cancer with rapidly increasing prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Following only one dose of the J591 antibody loaded with the maximum radiation dose, PSA levels fell in two-thirds of patients with half of all the patients achieving a significant threshold of at least a 30-percent PSA decline. The 30-percent PSA decline threshold has been shown in two large, independent registration trials to be the best PSA surrogate for survival benefit. Additionally, the clinician-scientists found that none of the patients developed symptomatic side effects as a result of the radioactive antibody drug. Currently, two other monoclonal antibodies carrying a radioactive payload are FDA approved, both for the treatment of non-Hodgkins' lymphoma. The researchers are expanding their clinical trials to include earlier stage patients who are more likely to respond, and expanding the trials to other centers around the country.

A phase II study of oral mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, RAD001 (everolimus), in patients with recurrent endometrial carcinoma (EC). Oral Presentation; [Abstract number: 5502; Location: S406 (Vista Room)]

Time: Sunday, June 1, 5:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Dr. Brian Slomovitz will present results from a Phase II clinical trial (during an oral presentation) showing that the orally administered experimental drug RAD001, a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, is beneficial in patients with recurrent endometrial cancer. The drug blocks the activity of the mTOR protein within the cytoplasm of cancer cells, responsible for cancer cell proliferation and growth. The physician-scientists found that the drug slowed cancer progression in 44 percent of subjects in the study. The study was conducted in collaboration with the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Preoperative treatment with pazopanib (GW786034), a multikinase angiogenesis inhibitor in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): A proof-of-concept phase II study. [Abstract number: 7557; Poster number 34G]

Time: Sunday, June 1, 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Nasser Altorki will present final data from a Phase II clinical trial showing that a drug that stops blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) to tumors is safe and highly effective for the treatment of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Pazopanib works by blocking the action of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR)-1, -2 and -3, c-kit and platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGF-R), which both work by growing bloods vessels that supply nutrition to tumors. Prior to surgery to remove their tumors, 87 percent of the 26 subjects tested had a significant reduction in tumor growth.

Palonosetron (PALO) for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients receiving high-dose melphalan prior to stem cell transplant (SCT). [Abstract number: 9617; Poster number 47B]

Time: Saturday, May 31, 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Principal investigator Dr. Michael Schuster's multicenter trial group will present findings from a Phase II clinical trial showing that a new drug called Palonosetron (PALO) is safe and effective at reducing vomiting and nausea — common side effects of chemotherapy — in multiple myeloma patients undergoing multi-day high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. All of the subjects studied were taking a common chemotherapy agent called melphalan at the time of the study. The researchers found that those who were on multiple daily doses of PALO reported fewer incidences of vomiting and nausea.

LE-SN38 for metastatic colorectal cancer after progression on oxaliplatin: Results of CALGB 80402. [Abstract number: 4109; Poster number: 16A]

Time: Monday, June 2, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Dr. Allyson Ocean will present data showing that LESN-38, the active molecule of the chemotherapy drug irinotecan, did not have benefit in slowing the progression of metastatic colorectal cancer. The drug was reformulated and packaged into a liposome, a spherical molecule resembling a bubble made from lipid (fat) molecules, for delivery into the body, with the hope of reducing common side effects of chemotherapy. However, while the results for reduced toxicity are promising, the findings show that the drug did not slow cancer progression at the dose and formulation tested in this trial.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service. Weill Cornell physician-scientists have been responsible for many medical advances — from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and, most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally-conscious brain-injured patient. NewYork-Presbyterian, which is ranked sixth on the U.S.News & World Report list of top hospitals, also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion. Weill Cornell Medical College is the first U.S. medical college to offer a medical degree oversees and maintains a strong global presence in Austria, Brazil, Haiti, Tanzania, Turkey and Qatar. For more information, visit www.med.cornell.edu.