Download full release - University Hospitals Newsroom

News Release
Date
May 30, 2015
Contacts
Phone
Alicia Reale
216-844-5158
[email protected]
Department of Marketing and
Communications
11100 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
UH Case Medical Center Experts to Present Data at 51st ASCO Annual Meeting
Presentations Highlight Investigational Treatment for Cancer Patients with Advanced
Solid Tumors and Genomic Mutations in Small Cell Lung Cancer
CLEVELAND: Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer
Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine will present data from several
new studies, including a study evaluating a potential novel combination treatment for cancer
patients with advanced solid tumors and a first-of-its-kind analysis of gene mutations in small
cell lung cancer (SCLC), at the 51st American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual
Meeting in Chicago.
Jennifer Eads, MD, oncologist at UH Seidman Cancer Center, will present data from a Phase 1
clinical trial evaluating the toxicities and maximum tolerated dose of intravaneous
methoxyamine when given with temozolomide, an oral chemotherapy drug, to patients with
advanced solid tumors. Methoxyamine (TRC 102) is a small molecule developed by researchers
at UH Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University that has been found to
enhance the effects of temozolomide based chemotherapy by targeting a pathway used to
repair temozolomide-induced DNA damage.
Results of the study showed that 150 mg/m2 of methoxyamine may be safely administered with
200 mg/m2 of temozolomide with minimal toxicity. Antitumor activity in some tumor types was
also observed.
“This early phase data shows the potential for a promising new combination treatment option for
cancer patients with certain types of advanced solid tumors,” says Dr. Eads, who is also
Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “While this
analysis focused on evaluating treatment dosing, we observed evidence of antitumor activity,
particularly in neuroendocrine tumors, ovarian cancer and pancreatic adenocarcinoma and we
look forward to conducting further clinical trials to further assess this drug combination.”
The trial was funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to the School of
Medicine. This drug was recently selected by the NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program for
further drug development and is licensed to TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Also at ASCO 2015, Afshin Dowlati, MD, oncologist at UH Seidman Cancer Center, will present
findings from two studies in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In the first study analyzing gene
mutations in patients with SCLC, an area in which limited genomic data currently exists, Dr.
Dowlati has established a clinical-pathologic database on all SCLC patients treated at UH
Seidman Cancer Center, one of the largest databases of its kind in the country, and recently
added genomic analysis.
“Although small cell lung cancer impacts nearly 40,000 people each year in the United States,
there is little genomic research being conducted for these patients,” says Dr. Dowlati, who is
also Professor at the School of Medicine. “Our research is the first to describe gene mutations in
SCLC showing significant clinical correlation to overall survival, progression-free survival, and
response to chemotherapy. We can expect that as our database grows, a full landscape of
genes will emerge.”
Dr. Dowlati and team examined 324 genes in specimens from 36 patients. Genes were
organized into two groups: those with mutations validated to be oncogenic; and those harboring
any detectable mutation. In the first group, progression-free survival was significantly worse for
patients with no TP53 mutation compared to those without its presence. In the second group,
two genes were identified as being predictive of overall survival, and three genes, were
predictive of progression-free survival.
In the second presentation, Dr. Dowlati’s laboratory has discovered that a subgroup of patients
with SCLC have amplification of a gene called Rictor. This gene amplification in the laboratory
leads to these cancers being responsive to drugs that will block Rictor. They hope to translate
these findings into a clinical trial in the future.
“The breadth and depth of this innovative cancer research presented at ASCO is truly
outstanding,” says Stan Gerson, MD, Director of the Seidman Cancer Center at UH Case
Medical Center and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve. “Our
faculty members are making tremendous advances in hematology and oncology which is
reflected in their being chosen for educational and poster presentations.”
Presentations by UH Researchers at ASCO 2015
Poster Session, May 30, 8:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Phase I clinical trial of temozolomide and methoxyamine (TRC-102) in patients with advanced solid
tumors (#2558)
Presenter: Jennifer Rachel Eads
Poster Session, May 30, 8:00 – 11:30 a.m
Association of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with pathologic response in baseline and post-brief
exposure HER2+ breast cancer biopsies from BrUOG-211B (#619)
Presenter: Stefanie Avril
Poster Session, May 30, 1:15 – 4:45 p.m
Contemporary national trends of prostate cancer screening among privately insured patients in the United
States (#5065)
Presenter: Simon P. Kim
Poster Session, May 31, 8:00 – 11:30 a.m
Outcomes and prognostic factors in marginal zone lymphoma: Case comprehensive cancer center
cumulative experience of 358 cases (#8554)
Presenter: Adam Starr
Education Session, May 31, 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
The Value Proposition in Oncology: Different Approaches to Understanding Value in Cancer Care
Presenter: Neal J. Meropol
Poster Session, June 1, 8:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Clinical correlation of genomic mutations in small cell lung cancer (#7575)
Presenter: Afshin Dowlati
Poster Session, June 1, 8:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Identification of RICTOR amplification as a recurrent and potentially actionable alteration in small cell lung
cancer patients. (#7576)
Presenter: Snehal Dabir and Afshin Dowlati
Poster Session, June 1, 1:15 – 4:45 p.m.
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes associated with brain metastasis in breast cancer (#2059)
Presenter: Nicole Olivia Williams
Education Session, June 1, 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
New Therapies for Histologies Other than Adenocarcinoma
Track(s): Lung Cancer; Developmental
Therapeutics and Translational Research
Presenter: Afshin Dowlati Education Session, June 2, 9:45 – 11:00 a.m.
Making Sense of Emerging Therapies in Pancreatic Cancer: Are We Finally on the Right Track?
Presenter: Neal J. Meropol
About University Hospitals
University Hospitals, the second largest employer in Northeast Ohio with 25,000 employees, serves the
needs of patients through an integrated network of 15 hospitals, 30 outpatient health centers and primary
care physician offices in 15 counties. At the core of our $3.5 billion health system is University Hospitals
Case Medical Center, ranked among America’s 50 best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in all 12
methodology-ranked specialties. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of
Medicine, UH Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers
of excellence in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopaedics, radiology,
neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and genetics. Its
main campus includes UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s
hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH
Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case
Western Reserve University. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org
###