Dr. Alvarez on Updated Findings With Eribulin in Patients With HER2- Breast Cancer

Ricardo H. Alvarez, MD, MSc, director of Cancer Research, breast medical oncologist, Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, discusses updated findings regarding the mechanism of action with eribulin mesylate (Halaven) and how it impacts patients with HER2-negative breast cancer.

Alvarez provides an overview of a trial exploring the combination of eribulin plus a pegylated recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme for patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who have been pretreated with at least 2 lines of chemotherapy. The study opened approximately 3 months ago with a total of 7 patients. The objective of the phase Ib portion of the trial is to understand the recommended dosing for a phase II trial.

The background for this study coincides with recent data on the new mechanism of action for eribulin, Alvarez says. In preclinical studies, it has been shown that eribulin, which is a microtubular agent, decreases the amount of hypoxia in the tumor micronenvironment. It also creates a change in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, allowing the tumor cells to transition into a more epithelial state, he adds.