Phase II Trial of Doxorubicin and Bortezomib in Patients With Incurable Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Patients will be treated with bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2, intravenously on days 1, 4, 8 and 11, and doxorubicin 20 mg/m2, intravenously on days 1 and 8, every 21 days. Zinecard will be added at the 8th cycle and all subsequent cycles with doxorubicin. After the completion of 14 cycles, if there is no progression, bortezomib once a week at a dose of 1.6 mg/m2 on days 1,8,15, every 28 days, will be administered alone. Treatment will continue unless disease progression or intolerable toxicity emerges (see section 5 for detailed treatment plan and dose modifications).

Inclusion criteria

• Patients must have locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck which is considered incurable by known therapies, as judged by the investigator.
• Patients should have cytologically or histologically confirmed adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck.
• Patients must have unidimensionally measurable disease (RECIST criteria). If the only site of measurable disease is a previously irradiated area, the patient must have documented progression of disease in this area.
• All available prior computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans should be reviewed and noted, and measurements showing progression of disease should be documented whenever possible. However, documentation of disease progression is not mandatory for enrollment.
• Patients must have multigated acquisition scan (MUGA) scan showing left ventricular ejection function (LVEF) at or above the institutional lower limits of normal.
• Patients must have ECOG performance status 0-2.
• Patients should have recovered from prior surgery or radiation therapy. A minimum time period of 3 weeks should elapse between the completion of extensive radiation therapy for recurrent/metastatic disease and enrollment in the study.
• Patients must have normal organ and marrow function (as defined below) measured within one week prior to registration:
• Absolute neutrophil count >1,500/mm3.
• Platelets greater than or equal to 100,000/mm3.
• Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits.
• Transaminases (AST and ALT) <3 X ULN.
• Creatinine within normal institutional limits or creatinine clearance (CrCl) greater than or equal to 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal. CrCl will be calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula:
• Calculated Creatinine Clearance = (140-age) X actual body wt.(kg) 72 X serum creatinine. Multiply this number by 0.85 if the patient is female.
• Myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to enrollment, uncontrolled angina, severe uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias, or electrocardiographic evidence of acute ischemia or active conduction system abnormalities. Prior to study entry, any ECG abnormality at screening has to be documented by the investigator as not medically relevant. Patients must not have history of congestive heart failure of any grade according to Heart Association (NYHA) (see Appendix 2).
• Age > 18 years and capacity to give informed consent.
• All patients must have given signed, informed consent prior to registration to the study.

Exclusion criteria

• No prior chemotherapy for recurrent / metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma. Up to 1 prior biologic/targeted therapy regimen is allowed. Also, chemotherapy as part of initial potentially curative therapy (i.e. concurrent chemoradiotherapy) is allowed, if it was completed >6 months earlier.
• Patients must not have any prior anthracyclines (doxorubicin, epirubicin, daunorubicin, idarubicin) or mitoxantrone, or bortezomib.
• No history of prior malignancy, with the exception of curatively treated squamous cell or basal carcinoma of the skin or in situ cervical cancer, unless there is a 3-year disease-free interval.
• Patients must not have history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to bortezomib, boron or mannitol.
• Patients must not have any pre-existing neuropathy of grade > 1.
• Patients must not have uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
• Female patients who are pregnant or breast feeding or patients of reproductive potential not using an effective method of birth control will be excluded. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 2 weeks of the first administration of chemo. Also, male patients whose sexual partners are women of child bearing potential not using effective birth control will be excluded.
• Patients with known positivity for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will be excluded due to possible pharmacokinetic interactions with bortezomib. Appropriate studies will be undertaken in HIV-positive patients who are receiving or not receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy when indicated.
• Patient must not have received other investigational drugs within 14 days before enrollment.