Saint Luke’s Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer Announces New Clinical Trial for Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer
KANSAS CITY, MO - Metastatic triple negative breast cancer remains the most challenging subtype of breast cancer to treat. The Saint Luke’s Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer announced today it will be one of five sites in the United States participating in novel clinical trial designed to test the effectiveness of a new combination of cancer drugs designed to treat triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).
The new study, led by BerGenBio ASA, will assess the effectiveness and anti-tumor activity of the combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an approved PD-1 inhibitor with BGB324, a new oral drug that in preclinical studies of TNBC enhanced the immune response and effectiveness of PD-1 inhibitors in TNBC. This is the first time these drugs have been studied in combination.
“Studies with immunotherapy using PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated positive responses in about 15-20% of women with triple negative breast cancer with many of these responses being durable,” said Tim Pluard, M.D., Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute Medical Director and Director of the Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer. “This study will look to see if this new combination can improve on this effectiveness.”
Patients who have locally advanced unresectable or metastatic TNBC, or who have received one or more prior therapies for TNBC cancer in the metastatic setting, are eligible. Prior treatment must have included a prior taxane and/or anthracycline-based therapy.
The Phase II, Multicenter Study of BGB324 in combination with Pembrolizumab in Patients with Previously treated, Locally Advanced and Unresectable or Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) or Triple Negative Inflammatory Breat Cancer (TN-IBC) opened XXX. BGB324 is an oral drug taken daily.. Pembrolizumab is administered via IV over 30 minutes every three weeks.
People who believe they may be a candidate for this trial, or for other metastatic breast cancer trials, should call the Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer at 844- 522-2201 to schedule an appointment.
The Saint Luke’s Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer is located at Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City. The Koontz Center is the first center focused exclusively on patients with Stage IV breast cancer. Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute offers care at nine locations throughout the Kansas City region, and provides services through clinical affiliation at Liberty Hospital, Bates County Memorial Hospital and Western Missouri Medical Center. For additional information visit the Koontz Center website or call 844-522-2201.
