Phase I Dose Escalation Study of MK-0457, a Novel Aurora Kinase Inhibitor, in Adult Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

Purpose: To assess the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), safety, and tolerability of the 24-h continuous intravenous (CIV) infusion of MK-0457, a novel pan-Aurora kinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors and to determine the bioavailability of an oral dose of 100 mg MK-0457.

Study Design: MK-0457 was administered as a 24-h CIV infusion every 21 days. Dose escalation proceeded per toxicity criteria. A 100-mg oral dose was administered to seven patients 48 h prior to the CIV infusion dose of 64 mg/m(2)/h.

Results: Twenty-seven patients received a total of 86 infusions of MK-0457. Dose-limiting toxicity at 96 mg/m(2)/h included grade 4 neutropenia and grade 3 herpes zoster. The MTD was identified as 64 mg/m(2)/h. The most common adverse events were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Pharmacokinetic analyses revealed that CIV infusion MK-0457 had an estimated mean terminal half-life of approximately 6.6-10.2 h and that end-of-infusion concentrations and mean AUCs were approximately dose proportional. The estimated mean oral bioavailability of MK-0457 was 7.9%. One patient with advanced ovarian cancer attained prolonged stable disease for 11 months.

Conclusions: MK-0457 was well tolerated in this schedule. Almost half the patients attained stable disease. Further development of this class of agents will likely occur in combination with other anti-cancer treatments.