Breaking Research News from sources other than Breastcancer.org

debbew

Cancer drug: New treatment halts tumour growth [not bc-specific]

More than half of the 40 patients given berzosertib [an ATR kinase inhibitor aka VX-970, M6620] had the growth of their tumours halted [in a phase 1 trial].

Berzosertib was even more effective when given alongside chemotherapy, the trial run by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Royal Marsden NHS Trust suggested.

...One of the study's authors, Prof Chris Lord, a professor of cancer genomics at the ICR, said these early signs were "very promising", adding that it was unusual in phase one trials to see a clinical response.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53137328

Looks like there's at least one clinical trial testing this drug with bc: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04052555

LoMa

debbew, I read about the trial and if I read correctly an exclusion is MBC. ??

JoynerL

I don't see where it says that breast cancer is excluded. Here's the only reference I see to BC:

I hope that my cutting and pasting works!

Whereas the traditional approach to cancer treatment has been to categorise it by tumour site - breast cancer, lung cancer and so on - the precision-medicine approach targets the genetic abnormality in the tumour, regardless of where it is.

JoynerL

LoMa, maybe you saw that information on a different site rather than on this one? Perhaps you saw something more in-depth? I hope not!

Anonymous

joynerL

“the precision-medicine approach targets the genetic abnormality in the tumour, regardless of where it is.“

I wish more doctors would sign into this philosophy but they still go by standard of care in my experience even at MDACC.

I know we can ask for expanded access or compassionate right to try which I may have to do with my Neuroendocrine features. Right now so many centers will not include me in Neuroendocrine drug trials or even Neuroendocrine standard of care because it is breast cancer. Sarah Cannon cancer institute in Nashville said I don’t qualify for their breast trials because of the Neuroendocrine! Arggggggg

i asked about the MATCH trial and my MO said that is in their phase 1 department. I met with a phase 1 doc along time ago and they have not sent me a single trial to even look at.

I talked to the RACHEL trial coordinator ( Bintrafusp Alfa + radiation NCT03524170)BTW- She said early results are not good but a new one should follow this one that looks more promising. I ran a bunch of trials by her that listed MDACC as a trial site. She told me they were all in the phase 1 department not breast! 🙄🤪

So I continue to check here and compile my Trial list. thankfully my current line is working but it's only a matter of time as we all know.

Sorry for the rant.

Dee

JoynerL

Dee, wow....you're way down the road past me in terms of knowledge of trials and how they work! Thanks for the explanation, though we all wish it were more encouraging!

Here's the latest post from PracticeUpdate. I thought that there would be more excitement about progress in immunotherapies than seems apparent to me:

https://www.practiceupdate.com/C/102335/56?elsca1=emc_enews_topic-alert

LoMa

Sorry for my delay in answering. Under NCT04052555 in the Exclution section the 5th dot says metastatic disease. So maybe it’s just for BC and not MBC

BlueGirlRedState

AlabamaDee - disappointing to read that MDACC (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ?) doesn't practice what they seem to preach. After reading Lorenzo Cohen and Alison Jeffires "Anti Cancer Living" , I had more hope for integrated and new approaches. I think they are or were based out of MDACC. Not medical DRs but part of an integrative approach used at MDACC focusing on lifestyle. I looked into trials a year o so ago, I wish I had known more at the time . When I called once place after my MO sent records, they said they had nothing for me, and probably wouldn't prescribe anything different than my MO had. It seems like my MO mad the comment that my history with cancer is unusual/rare, that the cancer itself is not - that it is one of the most common kinds of BC

JoynerL

Here are two new articles on MBC from Practice Update:

Cabazitaxel as Second-Line in Patients With HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer Previously Treated With Taxanes

ctDNA Markers of Progression in Advanced Breast Cancer Treated With Fulvestrant With or Without Palbociclib

JoynerL

New article..

Long term results from ablative radiotherapy

Anonymous

Joyner

I’m so excited you posted that article about ablative radiation. I am sending it to both my MOs. Neither thought my SBRT to the single lung lesion would have much effect on OSR since there was no study. Now there is!!!

My RO was quick to say SBRT was feasible.She is fantastic and warned me that while she saw real benefit, there wasn’t a lot of long term data. I bet she already has a copy of this article to show to the MO community.

Thanks for posting.

Dee

trinigirl50

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53137328

Bliss58

Joyner, very interesting article on SABR. Thanks for posting!

BSandra

Not "breaking" news but still: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-approvals-and-databases/fda-approves-combination-pertuzumab-trastuzumab-and-hyaluronidase-zzxf-her2-positive-breast-cancer

ShetlandPony

Quoted by Dee above: "the precision-medicine approach targets the genetic abnormality in the tumour, regardless of where it is."

It is starting to happen. I am in a Phase 2 basket trial that is testing neratinib for tumors with ERBB2 mutations. The trial has arms for various types of cancer (including cervical, salivary gland, lung, bladder, breast), the common requirement being that they have an ERBB2 mutation or related EGFR exon 18 mutation.

P.S. It's working!

santabarbarian

ShetlandPony that is amazing!

morrigan_2575

So happy to hear Shetland Pony!

Lumpie

ShetlandPony: Yeah! That is great news. I knew you were in a clinical trial but couldn't recall which one.

For others interested in this topic, I am also in a clinical trial. It is the Aviator trial. Long story short, it seeks to harness the immune system to attach cancer. Won't get my first set of scans for a month or so. You can read more about the trial here:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03414658

morrigan_2575

Thanks Lumpie! That's interesting and hopefully successful. Would be great if we could figure out away to use the bodies natural defense system to kill cancer.

JoynerL

Effectiveness and Safety of Pyrotinib in Patients With HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer

Anonymous

yay Shetland Pony- great news

Lumpie- hoping for good results!

I’ve been contacted to submit to a Neuroendocrine trial at UCSF -Keytruda with taxol or keytruda with Camptosar. I’m excited to be considered, but it would be too far from home for the number/ frequency of Infusions required. Still looking for something to put in my pocket should my current line fail.

Dee

JoynerL

Great news, Shetland! Keep us posted!!

Lumpie

Functional Status May Predict Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients With Advanced Cancer

A new study is suggesting many hospitalized adults with advanced cancer have problems with functional impairment and this is affecting their outcomes. The study findings, which were published in JNCCN — Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, revealed that 40.2% of hospitalized patients with advanced, incurable cancer were functionally impaired at the time of hospital admission. The study also showed that functional impairment was associated with higher rates of pain, depression, anxiety, longer hospital stays, and worse survival.

https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/home/cancer-types/general-oncology/functional-status-at-hospital-admission-may-predict-outcomes-in-advanced-cancer/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ona-update-hay-20200701&cpn=&hmSubId=nIej-0ANyLQ1&hmEmail=02k_9hvA1kiS6nmG9LnGT5WH-O6RhZf90&NID=&email_hash=f6f19b3bf12938acdd2c69cb86958025&mpweb=1323-97534-6515878

Lage DE, El-Jawahri A, Fuh CX, et al. Functional impairment, symptom burden, and clinical outcomes among hospitalized patients with advanced cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2020;18(6):747–754.

Lumpie

High Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence With Breast Cancer Suggests Potential Overlap of Risk Factors

Urinary incontinence was highly prevalent at diagnosis in women with early-stage breast cancer, a prospective, observational study has found. These findings were reported in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

...approximately 80% of patients had prevalent urinary incontinence at baseline.

"The incidence [of urinary incontinence] we observed seems higher than one would expect of women in this age group without breast cancer," noted the study authors. "This frequency raises the question of whether risk factors for developing breast cancer overlap with those for developing [urinary incontinence], an extremely common problem in breast cancer survivors."

They ... identified a need for management approaches for patients with cancer experiencing urinary incontinence, given that survivorship guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) do not currently address this issue.

https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/home/cancer-types/breast-cancer/risk-factors-for-breast-cancer-may-overlap-with-those-for-urinary-incontinence/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ona-update-hay-20200701&cpn=&hmSubId=nIej-0ANyLQ1&hmEmail=02k_9hvA1kiS6nmG9LnGT5WH-O6RhZf90&NID=&email_hash=f6f19b3bf12938acdd2c69cb86958025&mpweb=1323-97534-6515878

1. Chung CP, Behrendt C, Wong L, Flores S, Mortimer JE. Serial assessment of urinary incontinence in breast cancer survivors undergoing (neo)adjuvant therapy. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2020;18(6):712-716.

2. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) Survivorship V1.2020 — March 17, 2020. Accessed June 26, 2020. https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/survivorship.pdf

santabarbarian

A quick peek at "risk factors for incontinence" finds: BMI, smoking, and diabetes are among risk factors for incontinence-- these are also cancer higher-risk groups...

JoynerL

Lumpie, fingers crossed for great progress on your trial!

BlueGirlRedState

Lumpie - thanks for posting the incontinence associations with BC. It is so interesting the various associations with cancer with other medical problems. Does one suggest the other? Years ago, ong beore any BC, I complained about more frequent/urgent peeing issues. Assumptions were, well I'm getting older, perimenopausal etc, maybe the fibroids. Just wish there were better very early detection tests, long before any lump shows up

moth

post treatment incontinence issues may be due to neuropathy. Early on I mistakenly assumed only feet and hands were affected but urethra and eye neuropathy are also possible.

Also any hormone blockers can exacerbate it as drop in estrogen is a factor in incontinence.

Lumpie

Moth, yes, the article implies that there may be a connection to estrogen (which is not surprising).

BlueGrilRedState: Yes, I am so hopeful that better detection and very early treatment methods will evolve. I think that if we can really make progress on the CTC and cfDNA testing, maybe we will be able to detect cancer super early and rev up the immune system with immunotherapies to knock out a whole lot of cancer before it ever becomes clinically detectable.

Lumpie

Phesgo Approval Allows for Faster Administration of Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Phesgo™ (pertuzumab, trastuzumab, hyaluronidase-zzxf; Genentech), in combination with chemotherapy, for the treatment of early and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Phesgo is a fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab (Perjeta®) and trastuzumab (Herceptin®), HER2/neu receptor antagonists, and hyaluronidase, an endoglycosidase used to increase the dispersion and absorption of coadministered drugs via subcutaneous drug delivery.

Phesgo is administered subcutaneously (SC) into the thigh by a healthcare professional at either a treatment center or in a patient's home. It is administered over approximately 8 minutes for the initial loading dose and approximately 5 minutes for each subsequent maintenance dose.

"...it makes the treatment process more efficient for patients, to be able to receive a drug subcutaneously instead of intravenously. A home administration protocol for this subcutaneous formulation is an area of current research and can be advantageous for patients and infusion centers, especially during the current pandemic."

85% of patients (n=136 out of 160) preferred Phesgo SC ...

https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/home/cancer-types/breast-cancer/phesgo-pertuzumab-trastuzumab-hyaluronidase-metastatic-her2-breast-cancer/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ona-update-hay-20200703&cpn=&hmSubId=nIej-0ANyLQ1&hmEmail=02k_9hvA1kiS6nmG9LnGT5WH-O6RhZf90&NID=&email_hash=f6f19b3bf12938acdd2c69cb86958025&mpweb=1323-97921-6515878

https://www.empr.com/home/news/phesgo-pertuzumab-trastuzumab-hyaluronidase-metastatic-her2-breast-cancer/

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03674112?term=PHranceSCa&draw=2&rank=1

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03674112