7th Annual Conference Of The British HIV Association [BHIVA] 27 – 29 April 2001, The Hove Centre, Brighton

[AUTHOR(S):] M Bower¹, T Powles¹, A Mohith¹, C Fletcher¹, P Hewitt², MR Nelson¹, BG Gazzard^1
1 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK, and ² Bristol-Myers Squibb Europe, Waterloo, Belgium

BHIVA Conf 2001 Apr 27-29;7:O28

AIM: As part of a multicentre open-label treatment protocol, 11 patients (10 males) were recruited who had AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) refractory to liposomal anthracyclines. They had either not responded to anthracycline (n=8) or had progressed within 6 months of completion of the anthracycline (n=3).

METHODS: Paelitaxel (Taxol) at 100 mg/m2 was given over 3 hours every 2 weeks until maximum response or disease progression. Three patients had visceral disease (two gastric, one gastric and pulmonary), five had tumour-associated oedema and 10 were receiving concomitant highly active antiretroviral therapy. A median of 12 cycles (range 2–21+) were administered. The best responses according to the ACTG criteria were nine partial remissions and two stable diseases (response rate 82% (95% confidence interval 58–100%)). The median time to response was 6 weeks (range 4–18). Three responders have progressed. Three grade 3 and one grade 4 episodes of neutropenia were recorded in 122 treatment cycles. Three patients developed grade 2 and one grade 1 peripheral neuropathy. One patient developed grade 2 and seven grade 1 alopecia. The median CD4 cell count at entry was 286 cells/µl (range 62–549) and rose to 352/ml at completion of the study (P>0.05). Similarly, there was no significant change in the HIV viral load, CD8 cells, B cells or natural killer cells during the study. The study has now closed to recruitment due to slow patient accrual; 14 patients were enrolled in total. Paelitaxel is an effective and tolerable therapy for anthracycline-refractory AIDS-KS which does not have adverse shortterm effects upon immune parameters.

SPONSORSHIP: The study was supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb Europe.

PRESENTING AUTHOR: T Powles

Download Presentation

010427
O28

Copyright © 2001 - British HIV Association (BHIVA) Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the BHIVA Organising Secretariat 1 Mountview Court, 310 Friern Barnet Lane, London N20 0LD