Can “targeted therapies” help patients live a fuller life and survive longer?
This question has long plagued physician-scientists, especially those who treat patients with HER-2 positive breast cancers, which are more aggressive and have poorer survival rates. However, a new international clinical trial has found that an innovative agent called TDM-1 offers patients a relatively nontoxic approach that also helps improve survival.
Stony Brook’s breast cancer program, in fact, is just one of three centers in the United States — including UCLA and Mayo Clinic — that have participated in the trial. TDM-1 is a novel molecule known as an antibody-drug conjugate, composed of Herceptin® that links to a cytotoxic chemotherapy agent. The molecule targets only HER-2 positive breast cancer and therefore has minimal toxicity. Study results indicate that patients in the trial tolerated and survived better. The results will be published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and is co-authored by Janice Lu, MD, PhD, recipient of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Award.
In a follow-up study, Stony Brook is planning to begin a new clinical trial for patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TDM-1 if they did not have optimal response to chemotherapy prior to surgical resection. In addition, there are a number of other new drugs being evaluated at Stony Brook that may improve patient outcomes and quality of life during breast cancer treatment. One focuses on the resistance to anti-hormone therapy, which can be a tough issue for patients. PI3Kinase/AKT/mTOR is a pathway that has been correlated with hormonal resistance in breast cancer treatment. Stony Brook will offer a clinical trial with a new medication to be added to an anti-hormonal drug.
“It is an era of targeted therapy and individualized medicine,” says Dr. Lu. We are excited that we can provide patients with opportunities for novel targeted therapy for optimal treatment.”