Purpose: This phase I trial evaluated intraperitoneal (i.p.) pemetrexed, cisplatin, and paclitaxel in optimally debulked ovarian cancer. ExperimentalDesign:Dose escalation of day 1 i.p. pemetrexed accrued three patients to eachof five dose levels (60–1,000 mg/m), along with day 2 i.p. cisplatin (75 mg/m) and day 8 i.p. paclitaxel (60 mg/m). The goals were to determine maximum tolerated dose (MT...

PURPOSE A recent phase III study (PARAMOUNT) demonstrated that pemetrexed continuation maintenance therapy is a new treatment paradigm for advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The majority of patients enrolled in PARAMOUNT were Caucasian (94%). We reviewed efficacy and safety data from two clinical trials, which enrolled East Asian (EA) patients, to supplement data from PARA...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The efficacy and safety of pemetrexed, gefitinib, and erlotinib administration in previously treated patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were compared. METHODS THE STUDY PATIENTS MET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: histologically confirmed, previously treated advanced (stage IIIB or IV) or recurrent NSCLC; a measurable lesion; ≥ 18 years of age; Eastern Cooperative Oncolo...

BACKGROUND This phase I study investigates the feasibility of carboplatin plus dose-dense (q2-week) pemetrexed given concurrently with radiotherapy (XRT) for locally advanced and oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS Eligible patients had Stage III or IV (oligometastatic) NSCLC. Patients received XRT to 63 Gy in standard fractionation. Patients received concurrent carbop...

PURPOSE To determine if combination treatment with pemetrexed and sorafenib is safe and tolerable in patients with advanced solid tumors. RESULTS Thirty-seven patients were enrolled and 36 patients were treated (24 in cohort A; 12 in cohort B). The cohort A dose schedule resulted in problematic cumulative toxicity, while the cohort B dose schedule was found to be more tolerable. The maximum t...

Currently, chemotherapy and targeted therapies share the principal limitation of the emergence of drug resistance, which prevents these strategies from having lasting clinical benefits. The combination of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) with concurrent chemotherapy has been proposed as one strategy to overcome acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs. The purpose...

Purpose: The pemetrexed/platinum agent combination represents the standard of care in first-line treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). However, there are no established indicators of responsiveness that can be used to optimize the treatment. This retrospective study aimed to assess the role of excision repair cross-complementing group-1 (ERCC1) and thymidylate synthase (TS) in tum...

PURPOSE Previous retrospective studies suggest that anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutation-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are sensitive to pemetrexed. To determine its efficacy, we retrospectively evaluated clinical outcomes of pemetrexed-based chemotherapy in patients with ALK+ NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified 126 patients with advanced, ALK+ NSCLC w...

BACKGROUND Platinum-based chemotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, but the efficacy of adding cisplatin to single-agent chemotherapy remains to be demonstrated in prospective phase III trials dedicated to elderly patients. Furthermore, the superiority of cisplatin/pemetrexed over cisplatin/gemcitabine in non-squamous NSCLC has not bee...

BACKGROUND Pemetrexed is an antifolate drug approved for maintenance and second-line therapy, and, in combination with cisplatin, for first-line treatment of advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer. The side-effect profile includes fatigue, hematological and gastrointestinal toxicity, an increase in hepatic enzymes, sensory neuropathy, and pulmonary and cutaneous toxicity in various deg...