A Dose Finding Phase 1 of Sarilumab Plus Capecitabine in HER2/Neu-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer and a Single-arm, Historically-controlled Phase 2 Study of Sarilumab Plus Capecitabine in Stage I-III Triple Negative Breast Cancer With High-Risk Residual Disease (EMPOWER)

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · Apr 1, 2020

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The EMPOWER clinical trial is studying a new treatment approach for patients with certain types of advanced breast cancer, specifically those with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that has not responded completely to previous treatments. The goal is to find out how well a combination of two drugs, Sarilumab and Capecitabine, can help eliminate any remaining cancer cells after standard treatments. This is important because patients with TNBC are at a high risk of the cancer coming back within two years, even after surgery and other therapies.

To be eligible for this trial, participants must be at least 18 years old and have a confirmed diagnosis of metastatic or high-risk TNBC. They should have completed prior treatments and be in good overall health. Participants will receive the study drugs and undergo regular monitoring to assess how well the treatment is working. It's essential for women who can become pregnant to use effective birth control during the study and for some time after. This trial is currently recruiting, and it offers an opportunity to explore a promising new option for battling this aggressive form of breast cancer.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • A. Written informed consent obtained from the subject and the ability for the subject to comply with all the study-related procedures.
• • B. Both males and females ≥ eighteen years of age
• • C. A clinical diagnosis of metastatic triple negative or hormone resistant, Her2/neu-negative breast cancer that has been confirmed histologically at one point during the course of the disease. TNBC is defined as ER/PR IHC positivity rate of \<10% and Her2Neu-negative (Phase I only)
• • D. A life expectancy of at least 6 months. (Phase I only)
• • E. Any previous cytotoxic chemotherapy must have been a minimum of 3 weeks prior to study drug administration. There is no limit on the number of prior therapies. For ER/PR-positive tumors, endocrine therapy must have been included in at least one of those prior regimens. Prior capecitabine is allowed only if not given in the treatment regimen immediately prior to the enrollment in this study. (Phase I only)
• • F. A diagnosis of TNBC confirmed histologically and defined as ER/PR IHC positivity rate of \<10% and Her2/neu-negative. (Phase II and Parallel Baseline Arm only)
• • G. A pathologic confirmation of stage I, or II, or III breast cancer with less than a complete pCR, defined as the absence of residual invasive cancer in resected breast specimen and sampled lymph nodes with residual noninvasive cancer or in situ disease allowed. (Phase II and Parallel Baseline Arm only)
• • H. Must not have received prior systemic treatment for breast cancer except for those included in the neoadjuvant regimen and the neoadjuvant regimen must not have included capecitabine nor sarilumab. (Phase II and Parallel Baseline Arm only)
• • I. An ECOG Performance Status ≤2.
• * J. Adequate organ function defined as:
• • 1. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \> 1500/mcl (use of G-CSF is allowed)
• • 2. Platelets ≥ 100,000/mcl
• • 3. Hemoglobin ≥ 9 (pRBC +/- ESA are allowed)
• • 4. ALT ≤ 5 x ULN
• • 5. AST ≤ 5 x ULN
• • 6. Bilirubin ≤ 3 x ULN
• • 7. GFR ≥ 30 ml/min
• • K. Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must be using a highly effective method of contraception to avoid pregnancy throughout the study and for at least 24 weeks after the last dose of study drug to minimize the risk of pregnancy. Prior to study enrollment, women of childbearing potential must be advised of the importance of avoiding pregnancy during trial participation and the potential risk factors for an unintentional pregnancy.
• • L. Males with female partners of child-bearing potential must agree to use physician-approved contraceptive methods (e.g., abstinence, condoms, vasectomy) throughout the study and should avoid conceiving children for 24 weeks following the last dose of study drug.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • A. Females or males of childbearing potential who are unwilling or unable to use an acceptable method to avoid pregnancy for the entire study period and for at least 24 weeks after the last dose of study drug.
• • B. Females who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• • C. History of any other disease, metabolic dysfunction, physical examination finding, or clinical laboratory finding giving reasonable suspicion of a disease or condition that contraindicates the use of protocol therapy or that might affect the interpretation of the results of the study or that puts the subject at high risk for treatment complications, in the opinion of the treating physician.
• • D. Hepatitis B infection except for prior vaccination. (Phase I and Phase II only).
• • E. Known history of tuberculosis injection. (Phase I and Phase II only).
• • F. A history of diverticulitis. (Phase I and Phase II only).
• • G. Use of live vaccines within 30 days prior to study treatment due to the risk of infection. Examples of live vaccines include, but are not limited to, the following: measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), varicella/zoster (chicken pox), yellow fever, rabies, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), and typhoid vaccine. Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally killed virus vaccines and are allowed; however, intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g. FluMist) are live attenuated vaccines and are not allowed. (Phase I and Phase II only)
• • H. History of other malignancy that in the primary oncologist's estimation has at the time of study participation a higher risk of recurrence or death than the study-related cancer.
• • I. Prisoners or subjects who are involuntarily incarcerated.
• • J. Subjects who are compulsorily detained for treatment of either a psychiatric or physical illness.
• • K. Subjects demonstrating an inability to comply with the study and/or follow-up procedures.