Conditions: Adult Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma Advanced Adult Primary Liver Cancer Localized Unresectable Adult Primary Liver Cancer Recurrent Adult Primary Liver Cancer
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 19
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This phase II trial is studying selumetinib to see how well it works in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic liver cancer. Selumetinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for their growth.

Detailed description:
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To ascertain the objective response rate (complete response and partial response) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma treated with AZD6244 (selumetinib).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess the safety and tolerability of AZD6244 when administered to patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and mild (Child's A to compensated Child's B) liver dysfunction.

II. To describe the pharmacokinetics (PK) of AZD6244 in this patient population and compare in exploratory fashion to the established PK profile in patients with normal hepatic function.

III. To estimate the time to event functions of progression, progression-free survival (PFS), (and PFS associated with treatment), and overall survival.

IV. To explore, preliminarily, the possible correlations between baseline mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) activation (i.e., presence of phospho-MEK) and radiographic response or time to progression.

V. To investigate the effects of AZD6244 on MEK kinase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients treated with this drug.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive a single dose of selumetinib on day 1 and undergo blood collection for pharmacokinetic (PK) sampling pre-dose (within 30 min of dosing), 15 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours post-dose. Beginning 48 hours after the initial dose and continuing until day 21, patients receive oral selumetinib twice daily. Patients also undergo blood collection for PK sampling on day 15 of course 1. In all subsequent courses, patients receive selumetinib on days 1-21. Treatment repeats every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Selumetinib blood concentrations are quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Patients also undergo tumor biopsy by CT or ultrasound guidance at baseline and on day 8. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and tumor tissue are evaluated for mitogen-activated protein kinase baseline activity and post-treatment activity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically for up to 2 years.

Arms:
arm 1: Patients receive a single dose of selumetinib on day 1 and undergo blood collection for PK sampling pre-dose (within 30 min of dosing), 15 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours post-dose. Beginning 48 hours after the initial dose and continuing until day 21, patients receive oral selumetinib twice daily. Patients also undergo blood collection for PK sampling on day 15 of course 1. In all subsequent courses, patients receive selumetinib on days 1-21. Treatment repeats every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Interventions: intervention 1: selumetinib intervention 2: pharmacological study
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Given orally intervention 2: None

Protocol document: