Dr. Janice Eakle Co-Authors Study on Triple Negative Breast Cancer

  • Amanda Bridges
  • March 22, 2018

Lakewood Ranch, FL – March 22, 2018…… Dr. Janice Eakle, who practices at Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) locations in Sarasota andLakewood Ranch, was a co-author of an article about a Phase II study that investigated the use of the drug enzalutamide in treating triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).  Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in January 2018, the study examined the anti-tumor activity, as well as the safety, of enzalutamide, which is a non-steroidal antiandrogen typically used to treat a type of advanced prostate cancer.

As cited in the article, “Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) carries the worst prognosis among all breast cancer subtypes, with a median overall survival (OS) rarely extending beyond 12 to 18 months in advanced disease.” TNBC is especially difficult to treat because the TNBC cells don’t have estrogen or progesterone receptors and they do not make of a protein called HER2.  The lack of these “targets” means there are fewer treatment options than for other types of breast cancer.

Earlier research, including a 2011 study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, used gene expression (GE) analysis to identify distinct subtypes of TNBC.  One subtype, in particular, was discovered to express an androgen receptor (AR) protein (androgens are male hormones, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone).  It was also discovered that up to one-third of TNBC patients tested positive for AR.

As previously stated, the drug enzalutamide is an androgen antagonist that has been shown to be effective in treating a type of advanced prostate cancer. Therefore, it was believed that blocking the androgen signaling pathway with targeted agents could have therapeutic benefit in the subset of TNBC that expressed AR.

Dr. Eakle’s study represents “the largest prospective trial of an AR-targeted treatment of advanced TNBC. It met its primary objective, demonstrating enzalutamide’s clinical activity in patients with AR-positive TNBC.”

Prior to this trial, targeted agents demonstrated little success with TNBC; however, data from this study support the findings of earlier research that there is a subset of patients with androgen-driven TNBC and that these patients may benefit from an AR-targeted agent.

To Access Full Article: http://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2016.71.3495

Sources:

# # #

About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute: (FLCancer.com)

Founded in 1984, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) is the largest independent medical oncology/hematology practice in the United States. With more than 220 physicians, 180 nurse practitioners and physician assistants and nearly 100 locations in our network, we are committed to providing world-class cancer care in community-based settings close to home.

Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, FCS offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. In the past 3 years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists participation.* Our physicians are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report. Trained in such prestigious medical schools and research institutes as Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Emory, M.D. Anderson, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering, the physicians of Florida Cancer Specialists provide leadership and consultation in the state’s leading hospitals.

FCS serves patients on the Gulf Coast from Naples to the greater Tampa Bay area, north as far as Tallahassee, in Orlando and surrounding Central Florida communities, and on the East Coast from Palm Beach County to the Jacksonville area.

Florida Cancer Specialists has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research and cutting-edge technologies that help advance targeted treatments and genetically-based immunotherapies, and embodied by our outstanding team of highly-trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians and staff.

* Prior to approval

For More Information, Contact:

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute
Shelly Glenn, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer – SGlenn@FLCancer.com
770.365.6168

ChappellRoberts
Chris Wilkerson – cwilkerson@chappellroberts.com
813.334.6690

Ganick Communications, Inc.
Elaine Ganick – elaine@ganick.com
615.377.7877

© 2021 FLASCO | Premium Website Design by The HDG

FLASCO