Phase II Trial of EVEROLIMUS ± Trastuzumab in Hormone-Refractory Metastatic Breast Cancer

This phase II trial studies how well everolimus with or without trastuzumab works in treating patients with breast cancer that has not responded to hormone therapy and has spread from where it started to other places in the body. Everolimus may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab, may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving everolimus and adding trastuzumab at the time of disease progression may be an effective treatment for breast cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Breast Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Everolimus; Biological: Trastuzumab

Detailed Description

Breast cancer is the most common type of invasive cancer in women, with more than 1 million cases and almost 600,000 deaths occurring worldwide annually. Breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastasized) is usually not curable. Patients with a type of metastatic breast cancer that has hormone receptors on the surface of the cancer cells are usually treated with the drug tamoxifen, which interferes with the function of these hormone receptors. However, the average survival time for these patients remains at around 36 months.

In patients who no longer respond to tamoxifen (hormone-refractory breast cancer), the cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin), which acts on a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), may have some activity. In addition, studies suggest that the drug everolimus, which acts on a pathway within cancer cells that is important for growth of the tumor, may make the cancer cells more sensitive to treatment with trastuzumab. Thus, the two drugs may act together to increase their anti-cancer potential.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 70
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30308
      • Emory University Hospital Midtown
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322
      • Emory University Winship Cancer Institute
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
  • Wisconsin
    • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53792
      • University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

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:

Patients will be included in the study based on the following criteria:

• Hormone-refractory metastatic breast cancer defined as disease progression within 6 months from starting most recent hormonal therapy
• At least one line of endocrine therapy in the metastatic setting
• Candidate for hormonal therapy (ER and/or progestin receptor [PR]-positive at primary diagnosis and at metastatic diagnosis where tissue is available)
• HER2/neu-negative breast cancer by standard criteria (immunohistochemistry [IHC] < 3+ or fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]-negative if IHC 3+) at primary diagnosis
• Must have a biopsy in the metastatic setting with HER2 expression of 1+ or 2+ by IHC
• If biopsy of metastatic lesion is performed prior to study entry, HER2 expression by IHC must be 1+ or 2+
• Histologically confirmed, measurable or evaluable disease; if disease is measurable, Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria should be used
• Life expectancy > 6 months
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤ 2

• Adequate bone marrow function as indicated by the following:

  • Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) > 1500/µL
  • Platelets ≥ 100,000/µL
  • Hemoglobin > 10 g/dL
• Adequate renal function, as indicated by creatinine ≤ 1.5x upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Adequate liver function, as indicated by bilirubin ≤ 1.5x ULN
• International normalized ratio (INR) ≤ 1.3 (or ≤ 3 on anticoagulants)
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) < 2x ULN unless related to primary disease
• Signed informed consent
• Adequate birth control
• Fasting serum cholesterol ≤ 300 mg/dL OR ≤ 7.75 mmol/L AND fasting triglycerides ≤ 2.5 x ULN. NOTE: In case one or both of these thresholds are exceeded, the patient can only be included after initiation of appropriate lipid lowering medication.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients will be excluded from the study based on the following criteria:

• Prior treatment with trastuzumab or other HER2-directed therapies or with an mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor within 12 months of study entry (when cancer was not definitely hormone refractory)
• HER2 0 or 3+ by IHC on pre-treatment biopsy of metastatic lesion (if performed)
• Active infection
• Uncontrolled central nervous system metastases
• Life-threatening, visceral metastases
• Pregnant or lactating women
• Prior chemotherapy within the last 4 weeks
• Prior radiation therapy within the last 4 weeks; prior radiation therapy to indicator lesion (unless objective disease recurrence or progression within the radiation portal has been documented since completion of radiation)
• Concomitant malignancies or previous malignancies within the last 5 years, with the exception of adequately treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• History of significant cardiac disease, cardiac risk factors or uncontrolled arrhythmias
• Ejection fraction < 50% or below the lower limit of the institutional normal range, whichever is lower
• Hypersensitivity to trial medications
• Emotional limitations
• Prior treatment with any investigational drug within the preceding 4 weeks
• Patients receiving chronic, systemic treatment with corticosteroids or another immunosuppressive agent
• Uncontrolled diabetes as defined by fasting serum glucose > 1.5 x ULN
• Liver disease such as cirrhosis, chronic active hepatitis or chronic persistent hepatitis
• A known history of HIV seropositivity
• Impairment of gastrointestinal function or gastrointestinal disease that may significantly alter the absorption of everolimus (e.g., ulcerative disease, uncontrolled nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malabsorption syndrome or small bowel resection)
• Patients with an active, bleeding diathesis
• Female patients who are pregnant or breast feeding, or adults of reproductive potential who are not using effective birth control methods. If barrier contraceptives are being used, these must be continued throughout the trial by both sexes. Hormonal contraceptives are not acceptable as a sole method of contraception. (Women of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to administration of everolimus)
• Patients who have received prior treatment with an mTOR inhibitor (sirolimus, temsirolimus, everolimus)
• Symptomatic intrinsic lung disease or extensive tumor involvement of the lungs, resulting in dyspnea at rest

• Taking any of the following agents:

  • Chronic treatment with systemic steroids or another immunosuppressive agent
  • Live vaccines
  • Drugs or substances known to be inhibitors or inducers of the isoenzyme cytochrome P450, family 3, subfamily A (CYP3A)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Trastuzumab; Patients receive trastuzumab IV over 30 minutes once every 3 weeks and continue to receive their most recent hormone therapy. Patients achieving disease progression receive everolimus PO daily in combination with trastuzumab and hormone therapy.	Biological: Trastuzumab; Other Names: Herceptin
EXPERIMENTAL: Everolimus; Patients receive everolimus PO daily and continue their most recent hormone therapy. Patients achieving disease progression receive trastuzumab IV over 30-90 minutes once every 3 weeks in combination with everolimus and hormone therapy.	Drug: Everolimus; Other Names: Afinitor; RAD001
EXPERIMENTAL: Trastuzumab and everolimus (ARM REMOVED); Patients receive trastuzumab IV over 30 minutes once every 3 weeks and everolimus PO daily while continuing to receive their most recent hormone therapy.	Drug: Everolimus; Other Names: Afinitor; RAD001; Biological: Trastuzumab; Other Names: Herceptin

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression-free Survival (PFS) Until First Progression	Median PFS will be calculated based on time to first progression or death.	Every 3 to 4 weeks after study start, until progression or death, assessed up to 5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression-free Survival (PFS) in Patients Who Crossed Over	Median PFS will be calculated based on time to first progression or death.	Every 3 to 4 weeks after study start, until progression or death, assessed up to 5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Emory University
• Collaborators: Genentech, Inc.; Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): July 1, 2017
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): July 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 2, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2009
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): June 3, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): December 5, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 6, 2018
• Last Verified: November 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Breast Cancer
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Breast Diseases; Breast Neoplasms; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Antineoplastic Agents; Immunosuppressive Agents; Immunologic Factors; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; Trastuzumab; Everolimus
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB00012495; WCI1524-08 (OTHER: Other)