
Robin Gillespie (shown here with medical oncologist David Hyman) has been taking neratinib for two years.
In the growing field of precision oncology, people with cancer increasingly are divided into subgroups and given therapies that target specific mutations found in their tumors. For example, two patients with breast cancer may receive distinct treatments based on the genetics of their individual cancers.
Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering have taken this a step further, pioneering the concept of basket trials. Basket trials test therapies on tumors regardless of where they originate in the body, as they may carry the same genetic mutations. Therefore, the same targeted drug may work against many kinds of cancer.
At this year’s meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Washington, DC, a multicenter international team led by David Hyman, Director of Developmental Therapeutics at MSK, reported findings from a phase II basket trial of an experimental drug called neratinib, which targets a protein called HER2. All patients treated in this study had a mutation in the HER2 gene, although the specific mutation differed from patient to patient. The study was the largest of its kind to evaluate the effectiveness of targeting these HER2 gene mutations.
“We found that in several types of cancer, neratinib showed a potential beneficial effect,” Dr. Hyman says. “The next step is to move it into combinations with other drugs, which we hope will really boost the drug’s efficacy.”
In the trial, called SUMMIT, the drug was more effective in some kinds of cancer than in others. It worked best against breast cancer, cervical cancer, and biliary cancer (a type of liver cancer), shrinking some tumors and preventing others from growing. There also was some benefit in people with non-small cell lung cancer and tumors of the salivary gland. In other cancers, however, fewer positive effects were seen. The researchers aren’t yet sure why these differences occurred, and it’s something they plan to investigate.
Robin’s Story
Robin Gillespie, 57, a scientist with a PhD who works in the field of workplace safety, has been taking neratinib for two years. Dr. Gillespie was diagnosed in 2009 with cervical cancer, and has been coping with metastatic disease since 2011.
After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, as well as surgery to remove one of her lungs, where the cancer had spread, Dr. Gillespie was told by her doctors that she had exhausted her options for standard treatment. With several small tumors persisting in her remaining lung, an earlier biopsy was tested for mutations that might match her to a clinical trial. Findings from that test brought her to MSK.
Today, her tumors have not disappeared, but they have stopped growing. “Here I am, and I feel pretty well,” she says. The only side effects she has experienced are diarrhea and cracked fingernails, which she says is a great improvement from how she felt during chemotherapy. “The drug comes in tablets, which I can take at home every day,” she says. “Once a month I see one of the doctors at MSK, and I get a CT scan every two months to make sure my tumors are stable. So far they are.”
Dr. Gillespie says she’s aware of the advantages she has in being able to access these kinds of clinical trials as an educated woman living in New York City. She’s now actively working to help recruit more women with cervical cancer to the trial. “I want women to know that they have other treatment options, and this study could be one of them,” she says. “I’m reaching out to people through various support groups because I feel strongly that people should know about this trial.”
Back to topTargeting a Shared Mutation
What Dr. Gillespie and the other patients in the SUMMIT trial have in common is that their tumors have mutations in the gene HER2 that lead to a defective protein. Neratinib targets these defects, which researchers believe are driving the cancer. (This mutation is different from the HER2 variation commonly seen in breast and stomach cancers.)
Dr. Hyman refers to the trial as a second-generation basket study. An earlier basket study from MSK, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015, evaluated a drug that had been developed and FDA approved to treat melanomas with a mutation in a gene called BRAF to see if it would also be effective against other types of cancers with BRAF mutations.
Neratinib, on the other hand, is an experimental drug that is being investigated exclusively in clinical trials. Also, unlike the prior basket study that looked at only one mutation in BRAF, the SUMMIT study is looking at more than 20 unique mutations in HER2. “This adds another level of complexity, but also opportunity,” Dr. Hyman says.
“The particular mutations we are targeting with these new basket studies are rare, yet they appear across many different diseases. There are not enough patients with any one type of disease to evaluate this drug,” he adds.
Dr. Hyman notes that because of the nature of basket studies, multicenter international collaborations are extremely important. “It’s hard to get enough patients in one place to be able to evaluate these kinds of drugs,” he says. So far, the trial has included 141 patients from about a dozen hospitals in the United States, Spain, and Australia.
“MSK contributed the largest number of patients to this study,” Dr. Hyman adds, “but we wouldn’t have been able to carry it out without the involvement of all these other institutions. Robin’s story illustrates how important it is that patients with rare diseases, like cervical and biliary cancers, be offered testing to look for these type of mutations.”
“It’s not a miracle treatment,” Dr. Gillespie says. “We don’t know how long it might work. But so far, it keeps me alive, and productive, and pretty strong. These are all good things!”
Back to topComments
Phyllis Peters
Apr 21, 2017 • 9:31 AM
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Apr 27, 2017 • 12:05 PM
In reply to I have been diagnosed with… by Phyllis Peters
Dear Phyllis, you may be eligible for a basket trial using a targeted therapy, depending on which mutations are present in your tumor. If you’d like to arrange a consultation with an MSK doctor to learn more, you can call 800-525-2225 or go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. You may also want to speak with your current medical team about whether any basket trials are being conducted at any of the cancer centers in Chicago.
Thank you for your comment, and best wishes to you.
Gerard Freisinger
Apr 21, 2017 • 9:54 AM
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Apr 24, 2017 • 8:56 AM
In reply to Any basket trials on… by Gerard Freisinger
Dear Gerard, we’re so sorry to hear about your daughter’s diagnosis. MSK does not currently have any basket trials for drugs that target this mutation, but you may want to check www.clinicaltrials.gov to see if other centers do. We do offer a number of other treatments for neuroendocrine tumors. If your daughter would like to arrange for a consultation, the number to call is 800-525-2225. You can go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. Thank you for your comment and best wishes to you and your family.
Judy Collins
Apr 21, 2017 • 10:14 AM
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Apr 24, 2017 • 8:51 AM
In reply to Anything new on treatment of… by Judy Collins
Dear Judy, we’re happy to hear that your brother is in remission. We have more than 20 trials currently underway for multiple myeloma. You can find a list here: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/clinical-trials/search?keys=&disease=…
Thank you for your comment and best wishes to you and your family.
Suheil Simaan,MD,FACS
Apr 21, 2017 • 11:44 AM
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Apr 24, 2017 • 8:48 AM
In reply to Since gastric cancer often… by Suheil Simaan,MD,FACS
Dear Suheil, neratinib is currently being evaluated at MSK and other centers in Phase II trials to investigate its effectiveness in treating gastric cancer and other solid tumors with HER2 defects. You can learn more here: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/clinical-trials/13-140 Thank you for your comment.
Richard A Liscio
Apr 21, 2017 • 12:21 PM
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Apr 26, 2017 • 11:54 AM
In reply to is there anything in the… by richard a liscio
Dear Richard, there are basket trials available for some patients with colorectal cancer, depending on the mutations that are present in their tumors. If you’re interested in making an appointment to learn more, you can call 800-525-2225 or go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. Thank you for your comment, and best wishes to you.
Pauline Martin
Apr 21, 2017 • 12:36 PM
Hi - this all great stuff and very encouraging. What new trials or basket studies are there for estrogen positive breast cancer that has metastasized and is present in the liver and bones? It seems that the majority of published articles concerning breast cancer research involves HER2. Which is wonderful however not applicable to me. Would the Summit basket be a potential fit and something to watch as it advances in its research? Thanks
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Apr 26, 2017 • 11:56 AM
In reply to Hi - this all great stuff… by Pauline Martin
Dear Pauline, there are basket trials available for some patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, depending on the mutations that are present in their tumors. If you’re interested in making an appointment to learn more about getting your tumor sequenced, you can call 800-525-2225 or go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. Thank you for your comment, and best wishes to you.
Stephen Smith
Apr 21, 2017 • 4:38 PM
Glad to hear that some trails are showing some signs that they can help treat and prolong the quality of life. My wife was treated at Sloan for Ovarian Cancer from 2009 until she lost her battle in 2014. She took part in some trail drugs programs there as well, but it didn't help her survive! My point is I strongly believe that the Real fight against all Cancer's will have to come from Stem Cell replacement period. Drugs do no cure disease only treats them. Thanks for listening.
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Apr 24, 2017 • 9:06 AM
In reply to Glad to hear that some… by Stephen Smith
Abdul Ali Malik
Apr 21, 2017 • 5:46 PM
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Apr 24, 2017 • 9:08 AM
In reply to It's great achievement to… by Abdul ali malik
REV
Apr 29, 2017 • 12:04 PM
Dear Rev, the most frequent HER2 variants involved S310, L755, A755_G776insYVMA and V777. In the HER2-mutant cohort, clinical responses were observed in tumors with S310, L755, V777, P780_Y781insGSP, and A775_G776insYVMA.
You can learn more about the study here: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01953926?term=NCT01953926&rank=1
Thank you for your comment.
I have been diagnosed with appendix cancer I had the HIPEC procedure Jan 2016 My tumor markers were at 29 in March Dr. Sam Pappas did the procedure at Loyola med in Il Dr Marsh at North Shore university in Evanston Il Is my oncologist are thereany trials in the future for this form of cancer thank you Phyllis Peters