HER2 bc mets? New drug show MUCH promise
 

Tanespimycin (was known as KOS-953) is taken with Herceptin. One drawback is that you can't have had a regimen that included Herceptin. This drug is used for multiple myloma and other conditions, and may be avail off label.

Tanespimycin is an Hsp90 inhibitor that has demonstrated the potential to disrupt the activity of multiple oncogenes and cell signaling pathways implicated in tumor growth, including HER2, a key pathway in breast cancer.

I am posting this as it seems to have gone under the radar of the clinical trial sleuths we have here.

Definition from the National Cancer Institute:
tanespimycin
A benzoquinone antineoplastic antibiotic derived from the antineoplastic antibiotic geldanamycin. Tanespimycin binds to and inhibits the cytosolic chaperone functions of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). HSP90 maintains the stability and functional shape of many oncogenic signaling proteins; the inhibition of HSP90 promotes the proteasomal degradation of oncogenic signaling proteins that may be overexpressed by tumor cells. Check for active clinical trials or closed clinical trials using this agent. (NCI Thesaurus)


Kosan's Hsp90 Inhibitor, Tanespimycin, Shows Promising Antitumor Activity In Phase 2 Trial Of Patients With HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer

Link to the info from San Antonio last year - I am sure there will be an update this year:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/59083.php

I have a friend here who is on this trial - she was number 7 enrolled. She says there are now some 40 women enrolled and the trial has more sites. She has tumors in unusual places (on aorta for one) and during her neoadjuvent treatment her primary tumor grew from 1.5 to 8 cm and metastesized. Her disease is VERY agressive and hard to halt. In a little over a year her tumors have shrunk and nothing new. She keeps her hair and can still work.

Just wanted to mention this as some here are seeking new treatment for advancing disease and here is something with a new twist, working against the heat shock protein as well as HER2 pathways.

Steph,
I was thrilled to read about your friend and her great results on Tanespimycin. As I understand from your post this drug is combined with herceptin, but cannot be used if a person had prior treatment with hercpetin. Can you explain why? Are there any trials with this drug and early stage cancers, or has it only be used for spread of disease?

Wishing you and your family the very best and blessing on Thanksgiving.
We have so much to be Thankful for.

Kind Regards,
jean

Steph,

This appears to be a great highlight. I've been consulting with a doc at sloan as a 2nd opinion and he strongly belives in a heat shock trial as a next step for Caryn.

Thanks,
Eric

Clarification?
 

The entry criteria says "No concurrent Herceptin," but not "no prior Herceptin." I assume this rules out only patients who received Herceptin with another drug, and not Herceptin monotherapy (i.e., "late" Herceptin)?

Hopeful

Thanks Steph for this interesting post.

Thanks from me too, Steph! I was just wondering if this one is listed in the "trials forum here"...hmmm.
Knowing that the "arsenal" of Her2 weapons continues to grow, gives me comfort.

Marcia

No, Marcia -
I had not put this in the Clinical Trials section as I noticed that the link was to a bunch of different trials that a person would have to sift through to find the breast cancer one. Have not had the time to isolate a link to add in the other forum.

Hopeful & Jean - I can't clarify as I am not the one in the trial who has the documentation. If you find the trial, then there is always a number to call or an email address for questions. This appears to be another instance where Herceptin is synergistic with another drug.

When I did a search on this site for this drug either with its actual name or the letter/number name, I did not get anything. But thought I posted with the letter/number name a while back. Maybe when the hacker "ate" a week's worth of posts!

Hi StephN,
I tried to find it to post the link and like you say there were so many to sift through...again, thank you for posting Steph!
Hugs,marcia