Experimental drug targets Hard-to-Treat brain metastases
NCT ID NCT05865990
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial tested a drug called patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd) in 63 patients with breast cancer, lung cancer, or other solid tumors that had spread to the brain or the lining of the brain and spinal cord. The drug is designed to seek out and destroy cancer cells carrying the HER3 protein. The main goals were to see if the drug could shrink brain tumors and improve survival at 3 months. Patients received the drug every 3 weeks until their disease worsened or side effects became too severe.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd), a drug that targets HER3 and delivers chemotherapy to cancer cells
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for cancers that have spread to the brain or spinal lining, where options are limited.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with no control group, so results may not be definitive. The drug can cause side effects like nausea, fatigue, and lung inflammation.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
63 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Nov 2023
- Finished
-
Apr 2026
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
GENERAL INCLUSION CRITERIA (Patients will be included in the study only if they meet all the following inclusion criteria): 1. Patient must be capable to understand the purpose of the study and have signed written informed consent form (ICF) prior to beginning specific protocol procedures. 2. Age ≥ 18 years at the time of signing ICF. 3. Life expectancy ≥ 6 weeks. 4. Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ≥70%, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) ≤ 2. 5. Patient must be able to tolerate therapy. 6. Availability and willingness to provide the most recently available tumor tissue sample (formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded \[FFPE\], no cytology/cell block, no bone/decalcified bone sample) of primary tumor or any metastatic site from biopsy collected after last round of prior treatment and ≤ 6 months prior to HER3-DXd, if possible, at the time of inclusion for retrospective exploratory biomarker testing. If archival tissue is not available, a newly obtained baseline biopsy of an accessible tumor lesion is required prior to start of study treatment (unless not possible because of inaccessible tumor location or safety concerns). Collection and/or shipment of pre-treatment tumor tissue biopsy for retrospective biomarker testing should be at least initiated treatment at the time of inclusion. 7. No indication for immediate local therapy (neurosurgery, brain radiotherapy). 8. Patient has adequate bone marrow, liver, and renal function: 1. Hematological (without platelet, red blood cell transfusion, and/or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support within 14 days prior to hematological assessments during the screening period): White blood cell (WBC) count \> 3.0 x 109/L, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 x 109/L, platelet count ≥ 100.0 x109/L, and hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL (≥ 6.2 mmol/L). 2. Hepatic: Serum albumin ≥ 2.5 g/dL; total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (≤ 3 in patients with liver metastases or known history of Gilbert's disease); both alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) ≤ 2.5 times ULN (ALP ≤ 5 times ULN in patients with liver and/or bone metastases, and GGT increased in patients with liver metastases); aspartate transaminase (AST); alanine transaminase (ALT) ≤ 3 times ULN (≤ 5 times ULN in patients with liver metastases); international normalized ratio (INR) \< 1.5. Prothrombin time (PT) or Prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)/partial thromboplastin time (PTT) ≤ 1.5 × ULN, except for subjects receiving coumarin-derivative anticoagulants, factor Xa inhibitors, or other similar anticoagulant therapy, who must have PT-INR within therapeutic range as deemed appropriate by the Investigator from product safety requirements (PSR). 3. Renal: serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN or creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min/1.73 m2 based on Cockcroft-Gault glomerular filtration rate estimation for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal. 9. Resolution of all acute toxic effects of prior anti-cancer therapy to grade ≤ 1 as determined by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0 (v.5.0). Note: Except for alopecia or other toxicities not considered a safety risk for the patient at investigator's discretion. 10. For women of childbearing potential: agreement to remain abstinent (must refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use highly effective contraceptive methods, or two effective contraceptive methods, as defined in the CSP, during the treatment period and for at least 7 months after the last dose of study treatment, whichever is longer. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 14 days before study treatment initiation (with result available prior to dosing) and must agree to refrain from donating eggs during the entire study treatment period and for 7 months after the last administration of the study drug. 11. For male subjects: being surgically sterile or having agreed to true abstinence (must refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or having female partners willing to agree with true abstinence or use barrier contraceptive measures mentioned above during the entire study treatment period and for 4 months after the last administration of the study drug. Male patients must agree to refrain from donating sperm during the entire study treatment period and for 4 months after the last administration of the study drug. 12. Patient must be accessible for treatment and follow-up. Specific inclusion criteria for cohorts 1 and 2 Patients from cohorts 1 and 2 must meet all the following inclusion criteria to be eligible for enrolment into the study: 1. Radiologically documented metastatic disease. 2. Newly diagnosed BM or BM progressing after local treatment. Any number of brain lesions is acceptable as long as all the eligibility criteria are fulfilled. 3. Measurable disease according to Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology Brain Metastases (RANO-BM) criteria, with at least one measurable brain lesion of ≥ 10 mm on T1-weighted, gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Specific inclusion criteria for cohort 1 Patients from cohort 1 must meet all the following inclusion criteria to be eligible for enrolment into the study: 1. Histologically documented BC. 2. Locally determined HER2 status. 3. Patients have received at least 1 prior line of systemic treatment in the advanced setting, which is defined as follows: * Patients with TNBC must have received at least one line of prior systemic therapy for advanced disease. * Patients with luminal BC must have received at least one line of ET and one line of CT in the advanced setting. * Patients with HER2-positive BC must have progressed to at least two previous treatments with HER2-targeted therapies in the advanced setting. Specific inclusion criterion for cohort 2 Patients from cohort 1 must meet ALL the following inclusion criteria to be eligible for enrolment into the study: 1. Histologically documented NSCLC of squamous or non-squamous histologic types. 2. Patients have received at least 1 prior line of systemic treatment in the advanced setting, which is defined as follows: * Patients without actionable driver alterations must have received at least one prior line of standard of care systemic therapy for locally advanced or metastatic disease. * Patients with actionable driver alterations must have received at least one prior line of an approved genotype-directed therapy. * Patients with EGFR T790M mutation who received first-line treatment with erlotinib, gefitinib, afatinib, or dacomitinib must have received second-line treatment with osimertinib and have documentation of radiological disease progression. Specific inclusion criteria for cohort 3 Patients from cohort 3 must meet ALL the following inclusion criteria to be eligible for enrolment into the study: 1. Histologically documented solid tumor of any type. 2. Type I LMD, defined by positive CSF cytology or leptomeningeal biopsy, or type II LMD, defined by clinical findings and neuroimaging only, according to European Society for Molecular Oncology (ESMO) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) 2017. 3. Newly diagnosed LMD or LMD progressing after radiotherapy. Exclusion criteria Patients will be excluded from the study if they meet any of the following criteria: 1. Current participation in another therapeutic clinical trial. 2. Treatment with approved or investigational cancer therapy within 14 days prior to initiation of study drug. 3. Patients have a concurrent malignancy or malignancy within five years of study enrollment with the exception of carcinoma in situ of the cervix, non-melanoma skin carcinoma, or stage I uterine cancer. For other cancers considered to have a low risk of recurrence, discussion with the Medical Monitor is required. 4. Previous systemic therapy with any anti-HER3 directed drug. 5. Known allergy or hypersensitivity to HER3-DXd or any of the drug components. 6. Radiotherapy or limited-field palliative radiotherapy within seven days prior to study enrolment, or patients who have not recovered from radiotherapy-related toxicities to baseline or grade ≤ 1 and/or from whom ≥ 25% of the bone marrow has been previously irradiated. 7. Patients with an active cardiac disease or a history of cardiac dysfunction or conduction abnormalities including any of the following: 1. Unstable angina pectoris or documented myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to study entry. 2. Symptomatic pericarditis. 3. Documented congestive heart failure (CHF) (New York Heart Association \[NYHA\] Class III-IV). 4. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \< 50% as determined by multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan or echocardiogram (ECHO). 5. Ventricular arrhythmias except for benign premature ventricular contractions. 6. Other cardiac arrhythmias requiring a pacemaker or not controlled with medication. 7. Long QT syndrome (corrected QT interval by Fredericia \[QTcF\] \> 450 ms, average of triplicate determinations at screening), or diagnosed or suspected long QT syndrome or known family history of long QT syndrome. 8. Clinically severe pulmonary compromise resulting from intercurrent pulmonary illnesses including, but not limited to, any underlying pulmonary disorder (i.e., pulmonary emboli within three months of the study enrolment, severe asthma, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease \[COPD\], restrictive lung disease, pleural effusion etc.), and any autoimmune, connective tissue or inflammatory disorders with pulmonary involvement (i.e., rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, sarcoidosis etc.), or prior pneumonectomy. 9. History of non-infectious interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis that required steroids, has current ILD/pneumonitis, or has suspected ILD/pneumonitis that cannot be ruled out by imaging at screening. 10. Pregnant or lactating women. 11. Any serious medical condition or abnormality in clinical laboratory tests that, in the investigator's judgment, precludes the patient's safe participation in and completion of the study. 12. Current known infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Patients with past HBV infection or resolved HBV infection (defined as having a negative hepatitis B surface antigen \[HBsAg\] test and a positive hepatitis B core antibody \[HBcAb\] test, accompanied by a negative HBV DNA test) are eligible. Patients positive for HCV antibody are eligible only if polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is negative for HCV RNA. 13. Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection that is not well controlled. All of the following criteria are required to define an HIV infection that is well controlled: undetectable viral RNA, CD4-positive cells' count ≥350, no history of AIDS-defining opportunistic infection within the past 12 months, and stable for at least 4 weeks on the same anti-HIV medications (meaning there are no expected further changes in that time to the number or type of antiretroviral drugs in the regimen). If an HIV infection meets the above criteria, monitoring of viral RNA load and CD4-positive cells' count is recommended. 14. History of a major surgical procedure (defined as requiring general anesthesia) or significant traumatic injury within 21 days prior to randomization, or patients who have not recovered from the side effects of any major surgery. 15. History of uncontrolled seizures, CNS disorders or serious and/or unstable pre-existing psychiatric disability judged by the investigator to be clinically significant and adversely affecting compliance to study drugs or interfering with subject safety. 16. Patients requiring concomitant use of chronic systemic (intravenously \[IV\] or oral) corticosteroids at doses higher than 8 mg dexamethasone per day or other immunosuppressive medications except for managing adverse events (AEs), including immune-related adverse events (irAEs) for patients that received immunotherapy in a previous line; (inhaled steroids or intra articular steroid injections are permitted in this study). Note: The use of stable corticosteroid therapy in patients with brain metastases can be discussed with the Medical Monitor. 17. Patients with known substance abuse or any other medical conditions such as clinically significant cardiac or psychological conditions, that may, in the opinion of the investigator, interfere with the subject's participation in the clinical study or evaluation of the clinical study results. 18. Participants who are unable or unwilling to comply with the requirements of the protocol in the opinion of the investigator.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Advanced non-small cell lung cancer are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Hospital Arnau de Vilanova de Valencia
Valencia, Spain
-
Hospital Beata María Ana
Madrid, Spain
-
Hospital Quirónsalud Sagrado Corazón
Seville, Spain
-
Hospital Universitari Dexeus
Barcelona, Spain
-
Hospital Universitari Vall D'Hebron
Barcelona, Spain
-
Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío
Seville, Spain
-
Medical University of Vienna
Vienna, Austria
-
Salzburg Cancer research Institute-Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials
Salzburg, Austria
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Mining Responders' tumors for clues to a universal cancer therapy
- Can a blood test reveal when breast cancer treatment stops working?
- New antibody aims to preserve immune checkpoint while fighting cancer
- Can a virtual stress program help working spouses care for cancer patients without burning out?
- Zapping a few growing tumors may keep breast cancer drugs working longer
- Glowing dye could light up leftover cancer cells at surgery edges