Modulation of clinical drug resistance in a B cell lymphoma patient by the protein kinase inhibitor 7-hydroxystaurosporine: Presentation of a novel therapeutic paradigm

Wyndham H. Wilson*, Lynn Sorbara, William D. Figg, Erik K. Mont, Edward Sausville, Katherine E. Warren, Frank M. Balis, Ken Bauer, Mark Raffeld, Adrian M. Senderowicz, Anne Monks

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests that apoptosis is an important mechanism of tumor cell death from antineoplastic therapy. 7-hydroxystaurosporine (UCN-01) is a novel protein kinase inhibitor that increases chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in vitro and is in early phases of clinical development. In this report, we present a 68-year-old patient with chemotherapy-resistant lymphoma treated with UCN-01 and chemotherapy. He had a stage IV plasmacytoid lymphoma that failed to enter remission with high-dose EPOCH II (etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin) chemotherapy. Due to disease progression and transformation to large cell lymphoma in the liver and bone marrow, he received UCN-01. Four weeks later, he received 'standard- dose' EPOCH because of progression, developed severe neutropenia for 9 days, and expired from Candida sepsis on day 23. At autopsy, there was no histological evidence of residual lymphoma, although PCR for immunoglobulin gene rearrangement analysis revealed a faint clonal band in two of six nodes but none in the liver. Significantly, no B cells were detected by immunohistochemistry in lymph nodes, and a polyclonal ladder pattern associated with the presence of normal B cells was not seen in the immunoglobulin gene rearrangement PCR assay. Profound peripheral lymphopenia (50 cells/μl) was also observed. Pharmacokinetics showed UCN-01 salivary concentrations, a surrogate for free drug concentrations, to be within an effective range in vitro (45 nmol/L) as a modulator of DNA-damaging agent cytotoxicity. In vitro, UCN-01 is synergistic with multiple cytotoxic agents and increases fludarabine-induced apoptosis in a human breast cell line. These results suggest that UCN-01 sensitized the lymphoma to the cytotoxic effects of EPOCH, possibly by modulating the 'threshold' for apoptosis, and may illustrate a new paradigm for reversal of drug resistance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)415-421
Number of pages7
JournalClinical Cancer Research
Volume6
Issue number2
StatePublished - Feb 2000
Externally publishedYes

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