Pilot Study Opens the Door for Avastin Use in Curative Setting for Women With Breast Cancer
<<- Roche in Collaboration With Genentech Commit to Large Phase III Adjuvant Clinical Programme Set to Unlock Avastin's Potential in Early Breast Cancer>>
SAN ANTONIO, TX, Dec. 17 /CNW/ - According to new phase II study
data, Avastin (bevacizumab) can proceed to be tested after breast
cancer surgery in combination with anthracycline containing
regimens. These findings pave the way for Avastin's use as a
curative treatment for women with this devastating disease. Data
presented today at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS)
from the E2104 study showed that standard anthracycline-based
chemotherapy (doxorubicin) can be added to Avastin after surgical
removal of the breast tumour, without a concerning increase in the
incidence of cardiac adverse events typically associated with this
form of chemotherapy.
These data support the commencement of phase III adjuvant breast
cancer clinical programme which will include over 10,000 patients
with early stage breast cancer. Avastin already offers women with
late-stage (metastatic) breast cancer the chance to live twice as
long without their disease progressing(1).
"The unique way Avastin works also lends itself for use in women
with earlier stages of breast cancer," said Dr Kathy Miller of
Indiana University School of Medicine, USA and principal
investigator of the E2104 study. "We now know that Avastin use in
combination with anthracyclines does not result in concerning rates
of cardiac dysfunction in the adjuvant setting and armed with this
evidence Avastin's impact can be fully validated in a large
worldwide phase III clinical trial programme."
Data from the E2104 study have shown that cardiac dysfunction is
not a major concern with the treatment combination of Avastin and
doxorubicin. As presented in SABCS, two patients with symptomatic
congestive heart failure were reported in each of the 2
Avastin-containing treatment arms which included more than 100
patients each. This is within the range expected to occur with the
use of anthracycline based chemotherapy alone.
Following the completion of the accrual of Avastin adjuvant colon
cancer trials and now confirmation of the safety of Avastin in the
adjuvant breast cancer setting, the phase III adjuvant breast
cancer programme is already recruiting patients. The large adjuvant
programme consists of 2 trials in HER-2 negative breast cancer
patients:
<<- The E5103 study is set to include 4,950 patients
and will compare Avastin with the addition of an
anthracycline-containing chemotherapy course versus
anthracycline-containing chemotherapy alone.
- The BEATRICE study will investigate Avastin in combination
with standard chemotherapies compared to chemotherapies alone in
2,530 planned patients who are not candidates for hormonal
therapy.>>
In addition, Avastin is being investigated in HER-2 positive
breast cancer patients post surgery via the BETH trial. This study
will investigate
the addition of Avastin to Herceptin (trastuzumab) in combination
with established chemotherapy regimen.
Worldwide, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in
women under the age of 55. Each year there are more than one
million diagnoses and more than 400,000 deaths from breast
cancer(2).
About E2104
E2104 is a phase II study designed to evaluate the safety and
feasibility of incorporating Avastin into an anthracycline
containing adjuvant therapy regimen. The study included 226 women
with lymph node positive breast cancer who have had already
undergone surgical removal (mastectomy) of the lesion and lymph
node dissection. The study was sponsored by the National Cancer
Institute (NCI), part of the US National Institutes of Health, and
conducted by a network of researchers led by the Eastern
Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). Patients were sequentially
assigned to one of two treatment arms:
<<- Treatment arm A received dose-dense combination of
doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide with Avastin, followed by
paclitaxel and Avastin, followed by Avastin alone. Avastin was
given every 2 weeks at a dose of 10 mg/kg for 1 year.
- Treatment arm B was only different to arm A in that Avastin was introduced after completion of doxorubicin therapy in conjunction with paclitaxel. As with arm A, patients remained on Avastin for 1 year after Avastin initiation.>>
The primary objective of the study was to determine the incidence
of clinically apparent cardiac dysfunction in patients with lymph
node positive breast cancer treated with bevacizumab and dose dense
doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel (ddAC(greater
than)T). Patients were evaluated clinically and with serial
assessments of left ventricular function over the course of their
treatment and for six months following treatment.
<< Additional information
- Roche in Oncology:
http://www.roche.com/pages/downloads/company/pdf/mboncology05e_b.pdf
- Roche Health Kiosk, Cancer: http://www.health-kiosk.ch/start_krebs
References
----------
(1) Miller KD, et al. E2100 Breast Cancer Res Treat
2005;94:S6
(Abstract 3)
(2) Kamangar F, et al. J Clin Oncol 2006; 24(14): 2137-50.
>>
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/For further information: Roche, Christine Mage-Hill,
+41(0)61688995;
Galliard Healthcare, Dominic Elliston, +44(0)2076632266/
Posted: December 2007
