Phase I/II Study of MK-0752 Followed by Docetaxel in Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer

February 24, 2014 updated by: Ann Schott, MD, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center

Phase I/II Trial of MK-0752 Followed by Docetaxel in Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Study by the Stem Cell Clinical Consortium

New and better therapies for locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer are needed because, even if standard treatment is successful in shrinking the cancer, there is still a high chance that the cancer will recur. Recent research suggests that breast tumors have a small number of cells in them that are "breast cancer stem cells", which are very resistant to standard treatment. It is thought that the reason that many patients cannot be cured of their breast cancers is that the stem cells are unable to be killed and remain in the body after standard treatment. Laboratory research has shown that a new drug, MK-0752, can target stem cells and prevent tumor recurrences when the drug is combined with docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat breast cancer.

We know that MK-0752 is safe when given by itself to people. We do not know if treatment with MK-0752 and docetaxel combined is safe or if it will kill "breast cancer stem cells" in people with breast cancer. This clinical trial is being done to determine the safety of several doses of MK-0752 in combination with docetaxel. Preliminary data about the effectiveness of MK-0752 in combination with docetaxel will be collected. Also, tumor biopsy samples will be taken from some patients who have tumors that can be easily biopsied. The samples will be used to perform research tests to help determine if the "breast cancer stem cells" are being killed by the drug combination.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Purpose-Accumulating evidence supports the existence of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), which are characterized by their capacity to self-renew and divide indefinitely, and resistance to conventional therapies. The Notch pathway is important for stem cell renewal, and is a potential target for BCSC-directed therapy. Experimental Design-Using human breast tumorgraft studies, we evaluated the impact of gamma secretase inhibitors (GSI) on the BCSC population and the efficacy of combining GSI with docetaxel treatment. The mouse experimental therapy paralleled a concurrent clinical trial in advanced breast cancer patients, designed to determine the maximally tolerated dose of the GSI, MK-0752, administered sequentially with docetaxel, and to evaluate BCSC markers in serial tumor biopsies.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

30

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
        • University of Michigan Cancer Center
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Baylor College of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Men or women with metastatic (Stage IV) breast cancer, or with locally advanced breast cancer (Stages IIIA > 10 cm, or Stages IIIB and IIIC) that did not respond to first-line anthracycline-based chemotherapy, for whom docetaxel is a recommended therapy
  • Presence of measurable or evaluable disease
  • Adequate organ function
  • Ability to swallow intact study drug capsules
  • Zubrod Performance Status of 0-1 with at least a 3 month life expectancy
  • Appropriate time must have elapsed since prior anti-neoplastic therapy with resolution of acute toxicity

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Concurrent treatment with hormonal therapy intended to treat cancer
  • Radiotherapy within 7 days prior to first dose
  • Symptomatic central nervous system, and/or epidural metastases or symptomatic carcinomatous meningitis or with radiation treatment completed within the past 8 weeks
  • Serious comorbid illness which will limit the ability of the patient to safely receive anticancer treatment
  • Patients who are pregnant or nursing
  • Confounding factors present to provide misinterpretation of data (i.e., concurrent malignancy)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: NA
  • Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
  • Masking: NONE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: MK-0752, Docetaxel, Pegfilgrastim
MK-0752, Docetaxel, Pegfilgrastim in combination with escalating doses of MK-0752
Drug: MK-0752, Docetaxel, Pegfilgrastim
MK-0752 in escalating doses of 300, 450, 600, and 800 mg given orally on days 1-3, followed by docetaxel 80 mg/m2 day 8 and pegfilgrastim 6 mg SQ on day 9
Other Names:
  • Taxotere
  • Neulasta

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT)
Time Frame: first 21 days

The number of DLTs experienced by participants within the first 21 days.

DLTs were defined as toxicities possibly, probably, or definitely related to the study drug observed during the first 2 cycles (first 42 days) as follows:

  1. Non-hematologic toxicity Grade ≥3 by the NCI CTCAE version 3.0.
  2. ANC<1000 for more than 7 days despite use of pegfilgrastim.
  3. Platelet count <25,000 for more than 7 days, or associated with bleeding, or less than 10,000 at any time.
first 21 days
Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD)
Time Frame: Up to 3 years
The Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) for MK-0752 will be determined. Dose levels were: Level 1: 300 mg MK-0752 by mouth days 1-3; Level 2: 450 mg MK-0752 by mouth days 1-3; Level 3: 600 mg MK-0752 by mouth days 1-3; Level 4: 800 mg MK-0752 by mouth days 1-3.
Up to 3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center

Collaborators

Baylor College of Medicine
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Ohio State University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Anne Schott, MD, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

March 1, 2008

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

January 1, 2010

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

October 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 24, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 26, 2008

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

March 27, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

April 4, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 24, 2014

Last Verified

February 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UMCC 2006.119

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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