Asymptomatic or Low Symptomatic Brain Metastasis in Breast Cancer Clinical Trial
Official title:
Phase I Dose Escalation Trial of Intrathecal Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab in Patients With New Untreated Asymptomatic or Low Symptomatic Brain Metastasis
The purpose of this research study is to determine how well pertuzumab and trastuzumab works
in treating breast cancer that has spread to the brain. Pertuzumab and trastuzumab are
treatments that stop breast cancer cells from growing abnormally by inhibiting (or blocking)
members of a family of proteins that include Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2).
Pertuzumab and trastuzumab have been found to be very effective for HER2-positive breast
cancer and are FDA approved for treatment of metastatic breast cancer outside of the brain
when given through the vein. This suggests that pertuzumab and trastuzumab may help shrink or
stabilize HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to the brain in this research study.
In this research study, the investigators are looking to see whether pertuzumab and
trastuzumab will work to decrease the size of or stabilize breast cancer that has spread to
the brain.
Intrathecal administration of pertuzumab and trastuzumab will occur via lumbar puncture
(spinal tap) under fluoroscopic guidance by interventional radiology at Duke University
Medical Center. The spinal needle will be inserted into the spinal column and 7 mL of
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) will be collected. Once the CSF is removed, the intrathecal
pertuzumab and trastuzumab will be administered using aseptic technique. At certain time
points the CSF will be analyzed for free cell DNA. If subjects consent, the CSF fluid will
also be stored for additional future research.
Patients will be treated using a 3+3 dose-escalation design. Patients will not be accrued to
the next cohort (dose escalation) until at least one patient on the previous cohort has been
followed for six weeks. If a dose limiting toxicity (DLT) is seen in a patient then the
cohort will be expanded by an additional 3 patients to allow for 1 in 6 patients per cohort
to have a DLT before dose escalation. Dose limiting toxicity will be assessed weekly during
the first six weeks of the treatment.
Patients will be treated weekly for the first six weeks and then every 3 weeks (q21 days).
Once the maximum tolerated dose is reached, an additional 12 patients will be enrolled in the
cohort at the maximum tolerated dose. The maximum number of enrolled patients is 36. Dosing
is as follows: Cohort 1 - 80mg IT trastuzumab, 10mg IT pertuzumab, cohort 2 - 80mg IT
trastuzumab, 20mg IT pertuzumab, cohort 3 - 80mg IT trastuzumab, 40mg IT pertuzumab, cohort 4
- 80mg IT trastuzumab, 80mg IT pertuzumab. If the lowest dose level is found to be too toxic,
the trial will stop without finding a maximum tolerated dose.
;