HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Herceptin is now being tried intrathecally (injected into the brain via the CSF)

Lani · 04-06-2006, 09:11 PM

and found this article about experimental work in mice similar to the article above. In mice it had to be injected locally, not in the lumbar (back) region:
Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 7, 2050-2056, July 2001
© 2001 American Association for Cancer Research
Regular Articles

Treatment of Meningeal Breast Cancer Xenografts in the Rat Using an Anti-P185/HER2 Antibody1

Ira Bergman2, Mamdouha A. Barmada, Judith A. Griffin and Dennis J. Slamon
Departments of Pediatrics [I. B., J. A. G.], Neurology [I. B.], and Pathology [M. A. B.] University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; and Division of Hematology and Oncology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024 [D. J. S.]

The metastatic spread of breast cancer to the leptomeninges (LM) is a painful, debilitating, and usually lethal condition. Current therapies are generally ineffective or extremely toxic. The current study evaluated monoclonal antibody therapy in an animal model of LM human breast cancer. Monoclonal antibody 4D5, which recognizes the extracellular domain of the HER2/neu receptor, was administered into the cerebrospinal fluid of athymic rats implanted with human breast cancer cell lines. Continuous intraventricular administration of 4D5 inhibited growth of SKBR3 cells that overexpress HER2/neu but not of MCF7 cells, which do not. Inhibition was dose-dependent, with higher doses of 4D5 producing an improved response. i.p. administration of cisplatin in addition to 4D5 did not improve results. Continuous administration of 4D5 into the lumbar, as opposed to the ventricular intrathecal space, was not therapeutically effective. Treatment with 4D5 did not result in outgrowth of cells lacking expression of the HER2/neu receptor. These results suggest that 4D5, administered regionally, may palliate LM metastases from HER2/neu-overexpressing breast carcinoma.

04-06-2006, 09:11 PM	#2
Lani Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4,783	I remember a previous post asking about leptomeningeal spread of breast cancer and found this article about experimental work in mice similar to the article above. In mice it had to be injected locally, not in the lumbar (back) region: Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 7, 2050-2056, July 2001 © 2001 American Association for Cancer Research Regular Articles Treatment of Meningeal Breast Cancer Xenografts in the Rat Using an Anti-P185/HER2 Antibody1 Ira Bergman2, Mamdouha A. Barmada, Judith A. Griffin and Dennis J. Slamon Departments of Pediatrics [I. B., J. A. G.], Neurology [I. B.], and Pathology [M. A. B.] University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; and Division of Hematology and Oncology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024 [D. J. S.] The metastatic spread of breast cancer to the leptomeninges (LM) is a painful, debilitating, and usually lethal condition. Current therapies are generally ineffective or extremely toxic. The current study evaluated monoclonal antibody therapy in an animal model of LM human breast cancer. Monoclonal antibody 4D5, which recognizes the extracellular domain of the HER2/neu receptor, was administered into the cerebrospinal fluid of athymic rats implanted with human breast cancer cell lines. Continuous intraventricular administration of 4D5 inhibited growth of SKBR3 cells that overexpress HER2/neu but not of MCF7 cells, which do not. Inhibition was dose-dependent, with higher doses of 4D5 producing an improved response. i.p. administration of cisplatin in addition to 4D5 did not improve results. Continuous administration of 4D5 into the lumbar, as opposed to the ventricular intrathecal space, was not therapeutically effective. Treatment with 4D5 did not result in outgrowth of cells lacking expression of the HER2/neu receptor. These results suggest that 4D5, administered regionally, may palliate LM metastases from HER2/neu-overexpressing breast carcinoma.