1-arabinofuranosylcytosine-5--stearylphosphate and Anorexia

Twenty-three patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were enrolled in this cooperative study conducted in Hirosaki University Hospital. They were treated with YNK-01, a prodrug of cytarabine for oral administration. YNK-01 was given for 2 weeks and repeated every 4 weeks for as long as possible. There were 13 patients with NC, 10 with PD, and no PR. Among NC cases, 5 patients were maintained with NC for longer than 6 months. The main side effects of YNK-01 were anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and symptoms of the alimentary tract (nausea, anorexia, diarrhea, etc), but no severe side effects over Grade 3 were observed.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Aged; Anemia; Anorexia; Antineoplastic Agents; Arabinonucleotides; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Cytidine Monophosphate; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Humans; Leukopenia; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Thrombocytopenia

Phase I study of YNK01 (1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine-5'-stearylphosphate), a derivative of cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C), was conducted by cooperative study groups between January 1986 and June 1987. The dosage for the single and 5-day oral administration ranged 50 to 1,200 and 100 to 900 mg/body/day, respectively. The main adverse effects were myelo-suppression and gastrointestinal toxicities such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia and diarrhea. In the single administration, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) could not be determined, however, in the 5-day schedule MTD was considered to be 700 to 900 mg/body/day, and the dose limiting factor to be thrombocytopenia. After the single administration (800 mg/body/day) of YNK01, the plasma concentration of Ara-C, an active metabolite of YNK01, was 3.43 ng/ml (Cmax) at 24 hrs. and 0.82 ng/ml at 72 hrs. During the 5-day administration for 300 mg/body/day and 500 mg/body/day, the Ara-C concentration changed from 2.3 to 4.1 ng/ml, and from 1.5 to 11.9 ng/ml respectively, and sustained almost the same concentration as to during the administration period until the 2nd day after the completion of the administration.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anorexia; Antineoplastic Agents; Arabinonucleotides; Cytidine Monophosphate; Diarrhea; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Evaluation; Female; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Myelodysplastic Syndromes; Nausea; Vomiting