SAN ANTONIO (May 31, 2017) ― Early results of a first-in-human clinical trial of a new breast cancer drug, and preliminary findings of a new viral treatment for brain cancer are among the posters to be presented by UT Health San Antonio cancer researchers at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting June 2-6 in Chicago.
In all, approximately 15 posters involving more than 30 UT Health researchers will be presented. Here is a sampling of some of the posters:
Virginia Kaklamani, M.D., head of the breast cancer program at the UT Health Cancer Center, has several posters, including one in which she will present early results for RAD1901, a new oral treatment being tested for the first time in humans. RAD1901 could be a new treatment for women with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer ― the most common type of breast cancer.
“Although endocrine-based therapy with such agents as fulvestrant and palbociclib are effective, the cancer often comes back more aggressively. RAD1901 works in a different way and has shown a lot of promise in preclinical and animal models of human cancer,” Dr. Kaklamani said. “We began our clinical trial at UT Health in January and, although much more study is needed, early results show it is well tolerated by patients with few serious side effects. We are very excited that we are one of very few institutions nationally to offer this trial.”
A national expert on breast cancer, Dr. Kaklamani also will comment on a new process for comparing demographic data, multiple genetic factors and family history to predict the risk of getting a getting sarcoma cancer of the breast, a rare type of breast cancer.
Andrew Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., has three major posters related to brain cancer research. One discusses the results of a Phase 2 trial of ofranogene obadenovek alone or in combination with bevacizumab for brain cancer. Ofranogene obadenovek is a targeted gene therapy delivered by a virus that works in two ways: it disrupts the formation of tumor blood vessels and induces the body’s immune system to fight the cancer. In combination with bevacizumab, results showed the new treatment gave patients 15 months of progression-free survival. A Phase 3 study, GLOBE, is now in progress.
Two other of Dr. Brenner’s major posters involve bevacizumab, which slows tumor growth in patients with glioblastoma multiform, the most common type of brain cancer. One trial, which opened in February, is assessing the agent TVB-2640 alone or in combination with bevacizumab for patients who have undergone standard treatment but the cancer has returned. Twenty-four patients are needed for this study.
The other poster compares imaging techniques to track the growth of the tumor’s vascular system when other indicators show that first-line treatment has failed.
To see all the posters that will be presented at ASCO, including others involving UT Health Cancer Center researchers, visit http://abstracts.asco.org/199/IndexView_199.html and search for UT Health San Antonio.
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