eric
03-21-2006, 05:48 PM
Targeted Therapy Shows Potential for Treatment of Breast Cancer
An experimental therapy developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center called 17-AAG, a derivative of the naturally occurring antibiotic geldanamycin, has shown antitumor activity when administered with the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin®) to patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
"Building on work by the Genitouri-nary Oncology Service, we have the first evidence that this is an active drug for HER2-positive breast cancer. Now we have to find out how active it is," said Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Clifford A. Hudis, senior author on a poster presented recently at the 28th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, detailing the results of this Phase I study.
17-AAG works by inhibiting heat-shock protein 90, which protects certain proteins from degradation. Many of these proteins are involved in tumor growth and metastasis, including the HER2 receptor protein on the surface of breast cancer cells. Studies in animal models conducted in Neal Rosen's laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center helped identify the sensitivity of HER2-positive breast cancer to 17-AAG, but this trial was the first in that subset of patients.
The drug-related side effects observed in this dose-determination study were also encouraging to Dr. Hudis, who said 17-AAG appears milder than many conventional chemotherapy drugs. This targeted therapy will be further evaluated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in a planned Phase II study.
An experimental therapy developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center called 17-AAG, a derivative of the naturally occurring antibiotic geldanamycin, has shown antitumor activity when administered with the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin®) to patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
"Building on work by the Genitouri-nary Oncology Service, we have the first evidence that this is an active drug for HER2-positive breast cancer. Now we have to find out how active it is," said Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Clifford A. Hudis, senior author on a poster presented recently at the 28th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, detailing the results of this Phase I study.
17-AAG works by inhibiting heat-shock protein 90, which protects certain proteins from degradation. Many of these proteins are involved in tumor growth and metastasis, including the HER2 receptor protein on the surface of breast cancer cells. Studies in animal models conducted in Neal Rosen's laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center helped identify the sensitivity of HER2-positive breast cancer to 17-AAG, but this trial was the first in that subset of patients.
The drug-related side effects observed in this dose-determination study were also encouraging to Dr. Hudis, who said 17-AAG appears milder than many conventional chemotherapy drugs. This targeted therapy will be further evaluated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in a planned Phase II study.