A Safety Study of RTA 744 in Recurrent, Progressive or Refractory Neoplastic Meningitis

Neoplastic meningitis refers to the deposition of malignant cells in the lining (leptomeninges) of the brain and spine. Neoplastic meningitis from solid tumors most often occurs in patients with advanced systemic disease who have failed prior chemotherapy; it is also frequent in patients with CNS parenchymal metastasis. Patient survival remains low, and better treatments are needed to penetrate the blood brain barrier and treat the entire neuraxis. RTA 744 is a close chemical analogue of the well characterized anti-cancer agent doxorubicin. Unlike doxorubicin, RTA 744 has shown ability to cross the blood brain barrier and to achieve high concentration in CNS tumor tissue in animal models. Dose escalation will continue as pre-determined until first occurrence of a dose-limiting toxicity. Maximum tolerated dose will be determined as defined in protocol.