There is a clear need for new treatment options for mTNBC
Triple-negative breast cancer (about 15% of breast cancer) is known to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancers. Researchers are actively working on developing new treatments that could result in prolonged survival for mTNBC patients. Read about the latest clinical trial news for one such treatment here.
1. There is a clear need for new treatment options for mTNBC
- Triple negative breast cancer (about 15% of breast cancer) is known to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancers. It is more commonly diagnosed in younger people (under age 50) and in African-American and hispanic women. Triple-negative breast cancer is also associated with BRCA 1/2 mutations and other genetic variants and has a higher risk of recurrence than other types of breast cancer[3][4].
- There is an unmet medical need for transformational therapeutic options in mTNBC. Triple-negative breast cancers are usually treated with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. More recent therapies, such as PARP inhibitors (olaparib and talazoparib) and immunotherapy (Tecentriq) have been approved for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. However, when triple-negative breast cancer becomes metastatic, patients face a poor prognosis as chemotherapy has limited effectiveness and novel targeted therapies are only used to treat patients with some specific mTNBC subtypes. Therefore, researchers are actively working on developing new treatments that would result in prolonged survival for mTNBC patients.[5]
2. Sacituzumab govitecan is now on the market in the US.
- The phase III ASCENT clinical trial which enrolled 529 patients with metastatic, triple-negative breast cancer, to evaluate sacituzumab govitecan was halted due to compelling evidence of efficacy.
- The FDA had agreed to conduct a fast review of the drug and to take a decision by Summer 2020.
- The drug can be used in mTBNC patients who were treated with at least 2 other treatments previously.[6]
3. Based on Phase 2 results, sacituzumab govitecan could transform the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast
cancer.
- Initial results from the phase II clinical trial of 108 triple-negative breast cancer patients were encouraging. A majority of patients in the trial had visceral metastases and failed prior therapies for metastatic cancer. Results from the study showed that on average, patients survived 13 months after the beginning of the treatment. More than 78% of the patients were still alive 6 months after the start of the treatment and 51.3% survived 12 months or longer.
4. Sacituzumab govitecan is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), a new type of treatment gaining popularity
- Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are one of the fastest growing types of cancer drugs in terms of usage. They work by binding to tumour cells specifically (here: TROP2-positive ones) with the the antibody portion of the drug (here: sacituzumab), while the anticancer drug (here: govitecan) portion works by preventing the cancer cells from growing or spreading.
5. Sacituzumab govitecan is also being evaluated for the treatment of other types of cancer patients besides mTBNC
Additional clinical trials are being conducted to evaluate the
drug, including in HR+/HER2 metastatic breast cancer, breast cancer that has spread to the brain, and localized TNBC.
- A phase 3 clinical trial is comparing sacituzumab govitecan versus treatment of physician’s choice (TPC) in HR+/HER2 metastatic breast cancer (MBC)
- An early phase 1 clinical trial is evaluating sacituzumab govitecan in patients with breast cancer that has spread to the brain
- A phase 2 clinical trial is studying to see if sacituzumab govitecan is effective and safe for individuals with localized TNBC
- Check back with the Ancora blog regularly for updates like this one on the latest developments in clinical trials and treatments.
References
- FDA Approves New Therapy for Triple Negative Breast Cancer That Has Spread, Not Responded to Other Treatments | FDA Accessed: 2020-04-23
- Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy in Refractory Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer | Aditya Bardia, Ingrid A. Mayer et al. | New England Journal of Medicine, 380, 8, 2 2019 | DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814213 Accessed: 2020-04-23
- Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Overview, Treatment, and More | Accessed: 2020-03-25
- The American Cancer Society. (n.d.). Triple-negative Breast Cancer |Details, Diagnosis, and Signs. | Accessed: 2020-03-24
- Despite Advances, Unmet Need Remains in TNBC | Accessed: 2020-03-24
- FDA Accepts Sacituzumab Govitecan Application for TNBC | Accessed: 2020-03-24