Local recurrence is the most common pattern of failure for retroperitoneal, abdominal, and pelvic (RAP) sarcomas. Despite a macroscopically complete resection, surgical margins are typically positive due to large tumor size and anatomic complexity, resulting in 5-year local recurrence rates of 50% to 90%. Mortality is due to locoregional rather than distant failure and therefore, strategies to improve survival must reduce locoregional failure rates. Trials evaluating perioperative and/or intraoperative external beam radiation therapy, single-dose hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, and systemic chemotherapy have failed to demonstrate benefit. We recently developed a novel, flexible, tissue-conforming, biocompatible polymer film (Biomacromolecules, 2012, 13, 406-411) that can be placed intraoperatively over the entire tumor resection bed to slowly elute the chemotherapeutic drug paclitaxel (Pax-films) locally and kill residual tumor cells. When utilized in our mouse surgical model of recurrent sarcoma, Pax-films markedly increased local tissue paclitaxel levels, avoided systemic toxicity, reduced locoregional recurrence rates, and improved overall survival without healing complications (Annals of Surgical Oncology, 2012, 19, 199-206.). Utilizing an organotypic in vitro culture method that preserves tumor architecture and microenvironment, enables pharmacodynamics profiling of a given tumor's response to chemotherapeutic drug delivery providing the means to predict which specific histologies, or potentially which specific patients, benefit the most from Pax-films. Lastly, we have established mouse xenograft models capable of rapid local tumor recurrence after surgery which allows us to evaluate efficacy of anti-neoplastic therapy against a variety of human sarcomas in vivo. With these skill sets and resources in hand, we can now address the following three specific aims:
SPECIFIC AIM 1 : Investigate efficacy and pharmacodynamic profiling of the Pax-film response against resected patient-derived sarcomas in vitro.
SPECIFIC AIM 2 : Define the pharmacodynamic profile and mechanism of action of Pax-films in the prevention of locoregional recurrence of human sarcoma xenografts in vivo.
SPECIFIC AIM 3 : Assess safety, feasibility, and perioperative morbidity of Pax-film implantation in a pre- clinical large animal model of surgical resection. Successful completion of this proposal will answer the hypothesis that prolonged exposure to paclitaxel-loaded polymer films will: 1) reduce tumor cell viability in vitro for human-derived sarcoma cell lines and patient tumor samples as assessed via organotypic culture; 2) reduce locoregional recurrence rates and improve survival in mouse surgical models of human sarcoma; and 3) prove to be safe and feasible for locoregional drug delivery, achieving high local tissue drug levels with low systemic delivery, when implanted in a large animal along tissue planes and vital structures commonly exposed during clinical extirpative sarcoma surgery.

Public Health Relevance

New treatments are needed for retroperitoneal, abdominal, and pelvic (RAP) sarcomas, as the 5-year overall survival rates vary between 36% to 63% with local recurrence rates as high as 50% to 90%. Despite a macroscopically complete resection (the standard of care), margins are typically positive due to large tumor size and anatomic complexity. The current proposal evaluates a new, biocompatible, flexible polymeric device capable of local delivery of anti-neoplastic agents directly to the surgical bed in order to preven tumor recurrence and extend survival.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EB017722-02
Application #
9206159
Study Section
Bioengineering, Technology and Surgical Sciences Study Section (BTSS)
Program Officer
Rampulla, David
Project Start
2016-01-14
Project End
2019-11-30
Budget Start
2016-12-01
Budget End
2017-11-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
030811269
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Mahvi, David A; Liu, Rong; Grinstaff, Mark W et al. (2018) Local Cancer Recurrence: The Realities, Challenges, and Opportunities for New Therapies. CA Cancer J Clin 68:488-505
Wang, Julia; Colson, Yolonda L; Grinstaff, Mark W (2018) Tension-Activated Delivery of Small Molecules and Proteins from Superhydrophobic Composites. Adv Healthc Mater 7:e1701096
Tevis, Kristie M; Colson, Yolonda L; Grinstaff, Mark W (2017) Embedded Spheroids as Models of the Cancer Microenvironment. Adv Biosyst 1:
Digesu, Christopher S; Wiesel, Ory; Vaporciyan, Ara A et al. (2016) Management of Sarcoma Metastases to the Lung. Surg Oncol Clin N Am 25:721-33
Ricapito, Nicole G; Ghobril, Cynthia; Zhang, Heng et al. (2016) Synthetic Biomaterials from Metabolically Derived Synthons. Chem Rev 116:2664-704
Falde, Eric J; Yohe, Stefan T; Colson, Yolonda L et al. (2016) Superhydrophobic materials for biomedical applications. Biomaterials 104:87-103