Phase II Results With Zeneca's Tomudex

Zeneca's new anticancer agent Tomudex (ZD1694), a quinazoline-based thymidylate synthase inhibitor, has significant activity in advanced colorectal cancer with tolerable toxicity, said David Cunningham, a clinical researcher at the UK Institute of Cancer Research, at the 19th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Lisbon, Portugal last week. Dr Cunningham presented data from Phase II trials of the agent.

A total of 177 patients with advanced colorectal cancer were enrolled into the study and received Tomudex 3mg/m2 intravenously every three weeks. Evaluations included weekly blood counts and objective tumor assessment every two courses. All patients had measurable disease at entry and 83% had liver metastases. Of the 169 assessable patients, four were complete responders, 41 were partial responders, 86 had stable disease and 38 were progressive, indicating an overall response rate of 26%. The average duration of response was three months, although some patients responded for 12 months.

Dr Cunningham noted that among the patients with stable disease, seven had a minor response (40%-49% reduction in tumor load) and 26 had a response of less than 40%.