New Trial Tests Triple
Whats new Cleveland Clinic researchers have started recruitment for a new clinical trial aimed at testing a vaccine to prevent triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and lethal form of the disease.
Research details This phase 1 study is designed to test and determine the maximum tolerated dose and immune responses of the vaccine in 18 to 24 participants whove completed treatment for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, are tumor-free, and are at high risk of recurrence. All study participants will receive three vaccine doses two weeks apart, and be closely monitored for side effects. The vaccine targets a protein associated with the production of breast milk during breast-feeding, and that is also present in the majority of triple-negative cancers. Research in laboratory mice has shown that activating the immune system to act against this protein creates a proactive strike against emerging breast tumors and helps prevent their growth.
Why it matters Triple-negative breast cancer is difficult to treat because it does not carry as many targets vulnerable to available cancer treatments.
Repurposing An Experimental Treatment
Seviteronel was originally developed as a standalone therapy for breast and prostate cancers that carry the androgen receptor and was proven safe for patients in Phase II clinical trials.
Our research has revealed that seviteronel may be far more beneficial as an adjunct therapy. We found that androgen inhibition blocks cancer cell state switching, locking cancer cells in a chemotherapy-sensitive state. This is why chemotherapy plus seviteronel treatment was more effective than chemotherapy alone at targeting cancer in our preclinical studies, says Dr Perez San Juan.
We hope that this new combination treatment approach will drastically reduce drug resistance to improve the effectiveness of standard-of-care chemotherapy and, ultimately, improve outcomes for patients.
For further information about the 4CAST clinical trial or to register your interest for the trial, please contact St Vincents Hospital Sydney Research Office,
–ENDS
The clinical trial is sponsored by St Vincents Hospital Sydney and supported by Kembi Therapeutics Pty Ltd. The trial was made possible by research supported by The NELUNE Foundation, The Paramor Family, Australias National Health & Medical Research Council, Cancer Institute NSW, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Girgensohn Foundation and the St Vincents Hospital Research Foundation.
The research has ethics approval from St Vincents Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee .
What Is Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for 15% of all cancers and 30% of cancers in females.
The latest figures showed 8,353 women in Wales were diagnosed with breast cancer over a three-year period.
This equates to 176 cases per 100,000 women, a rise from 156 cases per 100,000 in the three years to 2003.
When diagnosed at its earliest stage, almost all people with breast cancer will survive the disease for five years or more, compared with about one in four people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.
Former post-mistress Farhana Badat, from Newport, found out she had breast cancer after attending her first mammogram aged 50.
The now 59-year-old had part of her breast removed, and later began hormone treatment, but in August 2016 she was told the cancer had spread to the bones of her ribs and spine.
“I thought I’d gone into remission and that I was progressing as much as possible,” she said.
“But unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be, I think it affects the family a lot, they feel helpless- it was a very emotional time for us all.”
Shortly after, she was invited to take part in the clinical trial at Velindre Cancer Centre.
Farhana goes to Velindre for regular check-ups and is feeling well. She said she was proud to have taken part in research that could help extend the lives of others with incurable breast cancer.
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Gene Found To Be A Key Player In Helping Breast Cancer To Spread Around The Body
Dr Sara Sigismund at the European Institute of Oncology in Italy has helped to discover that a gene called EPN3 plays a crucial role in helping breast cancer to grow and spread around the body to other organs. The researchers have worked out exactly how this gene works and suggest that EPN3 could be used as a new target for the design of new breast cancer drugs.
Incredible discoveries like this would not happen without research – and research cannot happen without the support of people like you. If you’re feeling inspired, why not help us make the breakthroughs of the future by donating and stating new cancer cures today?
New Treatment Method For Breast Cancer With Less Side Effects
Thomas Hatschek, associate professor at the department of Oncology-Pathology, together with colleagues, has recently published an article in JAMA Oncology showing that a new treatment for breast cancer with an antibody linked to a cytotoxic drug is as good as the previous combination, but with fewer side effects.
The development of treatment with antibodies directed towards HER2 positive breast cancertrastuzumab and pertuzumab, has proven better possibility to treatment and cure of this cancer type if these antibodies are combined with chemotherapy, often taxaner. Preoperative treatment with this combination gives a high proportion of cases with complete response. Trastuzumab emtansin consists of trastuzumab and the cytotoxic substance emtansin which in clinical trials has shown good effect and comparably low toxicity.
The randomized phase 2 study PREDIX HER2 was conducted at 9 Swedish cinics with the aim to investigate the effect in relation to frequency and degree of side effects. Standard treatment was the combination of docetaxel, trastuzumab and pertuzumab which was compared with T-DM1 as experimental treatment. The patients received six treatments every third week. The treatment effect was monitored with mammography and PET-CT with 18- fluorodeoxyglucose . Repeated tissue and blood samples where taken from the patients for later analysis.
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Expert Review And References
- Bursein HJ, Harris JR, Morrow M. Malignant tumors of the breast. Devita, V. T., Jr., Lawrence, T. S., & Rosenberg, S. A. Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2008: 43.2: pp. 1606-54.
- Foxson SB, Lattimer JG & Felder B. Breast cancer. Yarbro, CH, Wujcki D, & Holmes Gobel B. . Cancer Nursing: Principles and Practice. 7th ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett 2011: 48: pp. 1091-1145.
- National Cancer Institute. Breast Cancer Treatment Health Professional Version. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute 2010.
- Breast cancer. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2010.
- Tripathy D, Eskenazi LB, Goodson, WH, et al. Breast. Ko, A. H., Dollinger, M., & Rosenbaum, E. Everyone’s Guide to Cancer Therapy: How Cancer is Diagnosed, Treated and Managed Day to Day. 5th ed. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing 2008: pp. 473-514.
Positive Results But Limited Follow
To participate in the monarchE trial, participants had to have evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes nearest to their tumor, as well as at least one of several other disease characteristics linked to an increased risk of the cancer recurring. The trial was funded by Eli Lilly, which manufactures abemaciclib.
Participants were assigned at random to receive standard adjuvant hormone therapy alone or in combination with abemaciclib. Many trial participants also received some form of adjuvant chemotherapy. The median patient follow-up thus far in the trial is approximately 19 months, and only about a quarter of participants have completed 2 years of adjuvant therapy.
The findings reported at the San Antonio meeting included a 3-month update of a planned early analysis of the trial published in September.
Along with the nearly 30% reduction in the risk of developing invasive cancer in participants who received abemaciclib , there was also a similar decrease in the risk of cancer returning as metastatic disease .
The development of metastatic cancer is an important indicator for people with early-stage breast cancer, Dr. Korde said, because when it returns in another part of the body, such as the liver or lungs, the cancer is no longer considered to be curable.
Dr. Rastogi also presented results for the subgroup of patients with a high Ki-67 index score.
| 30.9% |
Only includes the 2,498 patients for which Ki-67 was assessed at a central laboratory.
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Latest Developments In Cancer Research And Treatment For August 2021
The Food and Drug Administration is undecided about robotically assisted breast cancer surgery, vitamin D may help prevent early colon cancer, and more cancer news from August 2021.
Canva Everyday Health
News breaks in the cancer arena all the time. Sometimes its big like word that a breakthrough drug has increased survival for a hard-to-treat cancer. Sometimes its smaller. Any of it may matter to you and your family as you navigate your cancer journey. We do our best to keep you up to date with a monthly roundup of some of the most significant recent cancer news.
Surgery: Lymph Node Transplants And Time
Breast cancer often spreads to the lymph nodes, so patients who have breast cancer surgery often also have a lymph node under their arm removed and examined. If cancer is found, more lymph nodes may need to be removed.
An unfortunate but common long-term side effect of this process is lymphedema, or swelling in the arm. Its caused by fluid buildup in the arm tissue that occurs when the lymphatic system is damaged.
MedStar Health now has a plastic surgeonLaura Tom, MDwho specializes in an innovative lymphovenous bypass surgery that relieves the swelling. Transferring lymph nodes from a healthy part of the body into the swollen arm helps the fluid drain appropriately.
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Testing Cdk4/6 Inhibitors In Early
Largely due to advances in treatment over the past several decades, the long-term prognosis for people diagnosed with early-stage, HR-positive, HER2-negative cancer is generally very good.
Standard treatment includes surgery and radiation, followed by adjuvant treatment with hormone-blocking drugs and, for many patients, chemotherapy. In some instances, patients will receive a short course of chemotherapy before surgery, also known as neoadjuvant therapy, to shrink the tumor and improve the chances that it can be completely removed.
The chances of the cancer returning under this general treatment approach are modest. But several factors are known to increase the risk, including whether the cancer has spread to several lymph nodes near the breast , having a large tumor in the breast, and having a higher grade cancer, meaning there are certain physical features of tumor tissue that are indicative of more aggressive cancer.
Another factor that doctors have begun to use in this risk calculation is the percentage of tumor cells in a biopsy sample that express the Ki-67 protein, which is associated with cell division. However, this markercalled the Ki-67 indexis not routinely determined for all patients.
There is an unmet need for new treatment options for patients with high-risk disease, Dr. Rastogi said. And thats where abemaciclib entered the picture.
$55 Million For Clinical Trials To Treat Low
Two clinical trials which could save lives through new therapies to treat breast cancers that have low rates of survival have been funded, thanks to the Australian Government.
- Listen
The Hon Greg Hunt MP Former Minister for Health and Aged Care
Two clinical trials which could save lives through new therapies to treat breast cancers that have low rates of survival have been funded, thanks to the Morrison Government.
Tragically, young women diagnosed with breast cancer have a higher rate of recurrence and death from the disease.
To combat this, researchers at the University of Melbourne have conducted a genomic analysis of breast cancer samples from women under 45 years of age. They have identified a new drug target that may improve the prognosis for these young women.
The Morrison Government is directing more than $4.9 million to the researchers to evaluate these new therapies in a clinical trial.
In addition, researchers at the University of New South Wales have turned their attention to treatment resistant triple-negative breast cancer, where new therapies are urgently needed to improve survival rates.
The researchers discovered that blocking whats called an androgen receptor prevents and treats chemotherapy-resistant triple-negative breast cancer. Pre-clinical models have shown that, when combined with chemotherapy, overall survival rates are significantly improved.
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New Advances In Targeted Therapy Of Her2
- 1Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- 2State Key Laboratory Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Celcuity And Pfizer Collaborate On Phase 3 Palbociclib Clinical Trial
Celcuity and Pfizer have entered into a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement, in which Pfizer provides palbociclib for use in a phase 3 clinical study being conducted by Celuity at no cost to the company.3
A phase 3 clinical trial is expected to launch in the first half of 2022 assessing the use of the pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibitor gedatolisib in combination with palbociclib and fulvestrant for patients with estrogen receptor positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. Celcuity will release further details about the clinical trial following discourse and subsequent feedback from the FDA.
We are excited that Pfizer is providing palbociclib for this important phase 3 clinical trial, said Brian Sullivan, chief executive officer and co-founder of Celcuity, said in a press release. Our goal is to address the significant unmet need for new therapeutic options for patients who progressed on their first line of treatment for ER-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.
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The Barbican Clinical Trial For Women With Triple Negative Breast Cancer
The BARBICAN clinical trial is a randomised phase II study which is aiming to determine the contribution of the drug ipatasertib to neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus atezolizumab in women with early stage triple negative breast cancer.
144 patients took part in this clinical trial, with an equal number receiving the trial treatment of ipatasertib with atezolizumab and chemotherapy, and atezolizumab and chemotherapy alone. Unfortunately, there was no difference in pathological complete response between the two groups.
While this result isnt what the researchers were hoping for, ipatasertib is being used in other clinical trials for different types of breast cancer. Further analysis of this and other trials using this drug will look at blood and cancer samples to find if there is a marker to indicate a group of patients more likely to benefit from it. Not every treatment is suitable for different types of breast cancer, and researchers often trial drugs across several different breast cancer types and stages to find where it can work best. So, while there was no clinically significant result found in the BARBICAN clinical trial, this does not mean ipatasertib will not benefit other breast cancer patients.
Clinical Trial To Test Potential New Combination Therapy For Aggressive Breast Cancer
Associate Professor Christine Chaffer
Media Release: 21 June 2022
NSW researchers are calling for volunteers for a new clinical trial to test a new strategy in cancer treatment: using a new therapy to target a defence switch on cancer cells that alerts cancer to the threat of chemotherapy.
The trial aims to improve survival rates for patients with triple negative breast cancer, a treatment-resistant form of cancer that can quickly adapt against chemotherapy.
It will be led by Associate Professor Christine Chaffer and Dr Beatriz San Juan from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and Senior Staff Specialist in medical oncology Dr Rachel Dear of St Vincents Hospital Sydney. The trial will be conducted at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre in Darlinghurst.
The research leading to the trial has been supported by the NELUNE Foundation, which awarded Associate Professor Chaffer with the Rebecca Wilson Fellowship in Cancer Research in 2017 enabling her to bring her research back to Sydney from the USA. The Fellowship is a lasting legacy to sports journalist the late Rebecca Wilson.
Triple negative breast cancer is an aggressive disease with a greater likelihood of spreading around the body and recurring within five years than other breast cancers.
In preclinical studies, we found that an experimental drug, seviteronel, combined with chemotherapy, could be twice as effective in reducing the size of tumours than chemotherapy alone, says Associate Professor Chaffer.
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Radiation: A Larger Dose Means Fewer Trips To The Clinic
In the past, patients with smaller, less aggressive tumors who received a lumpectomy received radiation for their whole breast for five or six weeks.
Now, many patients can receive just one, larger dose of radiation during their lumpectomy. This treatment is called intraoperative radiation therapy and is best suited for patients with early breast cancer and low risk factors for cancer recurrence.
IORT delivers incredible time-saving benefits by eliminating the need to continually drive to the clinic to receive small doses of radiation. This has been especially helpful for patients who dont receive paid time off from work or are single parents.
New Discovery In Breast Cancer Treatment
- Date:
- University of Adelaide
- Summary:
- Researchers have found new evidence about the positive role of androgens in breast cancer treatment with immediate implications for women with estrogen receptor-driven metastatic disease.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide have found new evidence about the positive role of androgens in breast cancer treatment with immediate implications for women with estrogen receptor-driven metastatic disease.
Published today in Nature Medicine, the international study conducted in collaboration with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, looked at the role of androgens — commonly thought of as male sex hormones but also found at lower levels in women — as a potential treatment for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
In normal breast development, estrogen stimulates and androgen inhibits growth at puberty and throughout adult life. Abnormal estrogen activity is responsible for the majority of breast cancers, but the role of androgen activity in this disease has been controversial.
Androgens were historically used to treat breast cancer, but knowledge of hormone receptors in breast tissue was rudimentary at the time and the treatment’s efficacy misunderstood. Androgen therapy was discontinued due to virilising side effects and the advent of anti-estrogenic endocrine therapies.
“I was diagnosed with a hormone positive breast cancer in July 2017 and subsequently found out I carried the BRACA gene,” she said.
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