New combo therapy targets breast cancer in the brain and spine
NCT ID NCT04588545
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether radiation therapy followed by injecting two targeted antibodies (trastuzumab and pertuzumab) directly into the spinal fluid is safe and improves survival for people with HER2+ breast cancer that has spread to the lining of the brain and spine. About 33 participants will receive radiation first to ease symptoms and help the drugs flow, then increasing doses of the antibodies. The goal is to find the best dose and see if it extends life by at least one year.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- trastuzumab and pertuzumab (given directly into the spinal fluid)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for HER2+ breast cancer that has spread to the brain and spine lining, potentially improving survival.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase trial with only 33 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The treatment involves radiation and spinal injections, which carry risks like infection or nerve damage.
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 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
-
33 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2020
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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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.
Inclusion Criteria: * Confirmation of HER2 positivity. All patients with HER2+ cancers will be allowed to enroll if they have leptomeningeal disease (LMD). Patients may be IHC 3+ and/or FISH-positive. IHC 2+ HER2 patients are eligible with reflex FISH-positive testing with the ratio ≥2.0. And/or patients with HER2 positive cells in the cerebral spinal fluid. * Participants may have concomitant brain metastases * Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling is required to document LMD if not documented by MRI. Participants are still eligible CSF is negative but LMD disease is documented on MRI * Life expectancy greater than 8 weeks * Consent to pretreatment tumor biopsy or retrieval of archival tissue * Normal renal (creatinine \<1.5 × upper limit of normal \[ULN\]), liver (bilirubin \< 1.5 × ULN, transaminases \<3.0 × ULN, except in known hepatic disease, wherein may be \<5 × ULN) and blood counts (white blood cells ≥2.5, neutrophils ≥1000, platelets ≥75,000, hemoglobin ≥8) * LVEF \>50% * KPS \>/= 60 * Patients with surgery within 14 days should have recovered from all effects of the surgery and be cleared by their surgeon * There is no limit on prior systemic or IT therapies * Must be willing to have an Ommaya reservoir placed and a candidate for an Ommaya reservoir placement * Women of childbearing potential and sexually active males must commit to the use of effective contraception while on study. Contraception methods should start a minimum of 14 days before the first administration of study drug and continue for the duration of study treatment and for at least 7 months after the last dose of study treatment. * Ability to sign informed consent. * Patients may continue treatment with IV trastuzumab, pertuzumab, or other HER2-directed, hormonal, or chemotherapeutic agents if controlling systemic disease and leptomeningeal metastases that developed while on these therapies. In addition, at time of systemic progression, patients may start additional agents at the discretion of the treating physician according to criteria per protocol. Exclusion Criteria: * Current or prior participation in a study of an investigational agent or investigational device within 2 weeks of the first dose of study treatment * Cannot be on systemic agents (chemotherapy) that have Central Nervous System (CNS) penetration (temozolomide, carmustine, lomustine, etoposide, capecitabine, carboplatin, vinorelbine, bevacizumab, irinotecan, and topotecan) unless they develop or have progressive or persistent leptomeningeal metastases while on these agent(s). See protocol for additional information regarding systemic therapies. * Major surgery or significant traumatic injury that has not been recovered from 14 days before the initiation of study drug * Symptomatic lung disease resulting in shortness of breath at rest * Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding * History of serious adverse event to any of the study drugs or study drug components * Whole Body Radiation Therapy (WBRT) is not allowed while patients receive IT trastuzumab/pertuzumab; however, focal stereotactic or palliative RT is allowed * Significant medical or psychiatric illness that would interfere with compliance and ability to tolerate treatment as outlined in the protocol
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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
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Moffitt Cancer Center
Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
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Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois, 60208, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Two-Drug HER2 attack vs one: which First-Line strategy helps advanced breast cancer patients live longer?
- Can a PI3K inhibitor boost presurgery breast cancer treatment?
- Radioactive nanoparticles aimed at cancer that spreads to the Brain's lining
- Can a platform trial match the right drug combo to each tumor?
- Can a shorter treatment hold off small HER2-Positive breast cancers?
- Can a Double-Pronged antibody outsmart HER2-Positive tumors?