Albuquerque Journal

UNM Clinical Trials Target Breast Cancer Treatments
By By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer

University of New Mexico Cancer Center researchers described several ongoing studies intended to improve the quality of breast cancer treatments. They include:
       
n A clinical trial expected to begin this year that will study whether the drug Tykerb (lapatinib) could offer patients a pill as an alternative to chemotherapy infusions.
       
Tykerb, developed by GlaxoSmithKline, was approved by the Federal Drug Administration last year for women with late-stage cancer who don’t respond to Herceptin.
       
The planned study will help determine whether Tykerb offers an effective replacement for Herceptin, which is administered by infusion, said UNM oncologist Dr. Melanie Royce.
       
The UNM-led trial is expected to enroll thousands of women at multiple sites.
       
n Several ongoing trials at UNM are studying the effects of therapies on cancerous tumors before they are surgically removed.
       
The technique, called pre-operative therapy, is intended to give women better information about treatment options before a surgeon removes the tumor, Royce said. In the past, tumors were typically removed before treatment began.
       
Treating the tumor in the body can provide definitive information about the effectiveness of treatments without endangering the woman, Royce said.
       
n UNM plans a pilot study to improve surgical methods by leaving lymph nodes intact when possible.
       
Surgeons typically remove a portion of the lymph nodes when a cancerous tumor is removed, sometimes resulting in painful and debilitating side effects, Royce said.
       
UNM’s proposed study would explore a method that could spare the lymph nodes by testing for the presence of cancer, she said. If the nodes are unaffected, surgeons would not remove it.
       
n A team of UNM and New Mexico State University scientists in 2005 discovered a new receptor for estrogen, a female hormone believed to stimulate the growth of tumors, including breast and ovarian cancer. The receptor is called GPR 30.
       
Scientists have since identified several compounds that inhibit the ability of estrogen to bind with GPR 30, said Eric Prossnitz, a UNM professor of biology and physiology.
       
The work one day could lead to the development of a usable drug, though years of research would be required, he said.