Pre-operative Zoledronate in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Summary

Recent evidences suggest that zoledronate (zol), one of the most used bisphosphonates (BPs) in the clinical setting for the prevention and treatment of bone metastasis in cancer patients, may have antitumor activity in early breast cancer in terms of improved disease free survival, overall survival and better response in BPs treated patients. BPs are mevalonate pathway inhibitors and one of the most intriguing hypothesis supporting their anticancer activity relies on the modulation of the mevalonate downstream metabolism. Biologically active mevalonate metabolites are involved in tumour cell proliferation and invasion and selected cancer subtypes may present a more pronounced mevalonate activity, able of maintaining an aggressive phenotype. The mevalonate pathway has deep impact on the function of YAP/TAZ, transcriptional regulators of tumour growth, and preclinical evidences suggest that BPs are able to interfere with YAP/TAZ expression, via mevalonate pathway. This study addresses the clinical role of BPs in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients selected by the level of mevalonate pathway regulation, namely the p53 expression. This study is a multicenter single-arm, phase II study primarily aimed at assessing the anti-tumor activity of pre-operative zol measured through its effect on the Ki67 proliferative biomarker, in TNBC patients classified according to the p53 expression (high vs low p53 expression). Patients with newly diagnosed, untreated, operable TNBC, intended to definitive breast surgery and suitable for pre-operative therapy with zoledronate will receive a pre-operative, single administration of zol (4mg i.v.), 7 days before definitive breast surgery. Ki67 levels will be assessed in tumor samples collected at the time of diagnosis and after zoledronate treatment at the time of definitive surgery. The secondary objective of the study is to investigate the effect of zoledronate on critical genes/proteins related to p53 and mevalonate pathways, p53/PIN1 and YAP/TAZ, analyzed in the tumor tissue collected at the time of diagnosis and at definitive surgery. Zol safety profile will be evaluated by the NCI-CTCAE scale, version 4.0, and by the occurrence of serious adverse reactions. The total number of patients required is forty. The overall duration of the project is 32 months (30 months for accrual, followed by 2 months of follow-up after the recruitment of the last patient).

Timeline

Start

2015-02-03

Primary completion

2018-06-08

Completion

2018-06-08

Publications

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• Background Gnant M, Mlineritsch B, Luschin-Ebengreuth G, Kainberger F, Kassmann H, Piswanger-Solkner JC, Seifert M, Ploner F, Menzel C, Dubsky P, Fitzal F, Bjelic-Radisic V, Steger G, Greil R, Marth C, Kubista E, Samonigg H, Wohlmuth P, Mittlbock M, Jakesz R; Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG). Adjuvant endocrine therapy plus zoledronic acid in premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer: 5-year follow-up of the ABCSG-12 bone-mineral density substudy. Lancet Oncol. 2008 Sep;9(9):840-9. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(08)70204-3. Epub 2008 Aug 19.
• Background Bundred NJ, Campbell ID, Davidson N, DeBoer RH, Eidtmann H, Monnier A, Neven P, von Minckwitz G, Miller JC, Schenk NL, Coleman RE. Effective inhibition of aromatase inhibitor-associated bone loss by zoledronic acid in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer receiving adjuvant letrozole: ZO-FAST Study results. Cancer. 2008 Mar 1;112(5):1001-10. doi: 10.1002/cncr.23259.
• Background Coleman RE, Winter MC, Cameron D, Bell R, Dodwell D, Keane MM, Gil M, Ritchie D, Passos-Coelho JL, Wheatley D, Burkinshaw R, Marshall SJ, Thorpe H; AZURE (BIG01/04) Investigators. The effects of adding zoledronic acid to neoadjuvant chemotherapy on tumour response: exploratory evidence for direct anti-tumour activity in breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 2010 Mar 30;102(7):1099-105. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605604. Epub 2010 Mar 16.
• Background Paterson AH, Anderson SJ, Lembersky BC, Fehrenbacher L, Falkson CI, King KM, Weir LM, Brufsky AM, Dakhil S, Lad T, Baez-Diaz L, Gralow JR, Robidoux A, Perez EA, Zheng P, Geyer CE Jr, Swain SM, Costantino JP, Mamounas EP, Wolmark N. Oral clodronate for adjuvant treatment of operable breast cancer (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project protocol B-34): a multicentre, placebo-controlled, randomised trial. Lancet Oncol. 2012 Jul;13(7):734-42. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(12)70226-7. Epub 2012 Jun 14.
• Background Ben-Aharon I, Vidal L, Rizel S, Yerushalmi R, Shpilberg O, Sulkes A, Stemmer SM. Bisphosphonates in the adjuvant setting of breast cancer therapy--effect on survival: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 26;8(8):e70044. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070044. eCollection 2013.
• Background Holen I, Coleman RE. Anti-tumour activity of bisphosphonates in preclinical models of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2010;12(6):214. doi: 10.1186/bcr2769. Epub 2010 Dec 16.
• Background Goldstein JL, Brown MS. Regulation of the mevalonate pathway. Nature. 1990 Feb 1;343(6257):425-30. doi: 10.1038/343425a0.
• Background Freed-Pastor WA, Mizuno H, Zhao X, Langerod A, Moon SH, Rodriguez-Barrueco R, Barsotti A, Chicas A, Li W, Polotskaia A, Bissell MJ, Osborne TF, Tian B, Lowe SW, Silva JM, Borresen-Dale AL, Levine AJ, Bargonetti J, Prives C. Mutant p53 disrupts mammary tissue architecture via the mevalonate pathway. Cell. 2012 Jan 20;148(1-2):244-58. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.12.017.
• Background Wang Z, Wu Y, Wang H, Zhang Y, Mei L, Fang X, Zhang X, Zhang F, Chen H, Liu Y, Jiang Y, Sun S, Zheng Y, Li N, Huang L. Interplay of mevalonate and Hippo pathways regulates RHAMM transcription via YAP to modulate breast cancer cell motility. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jan 7;111(1):E89-98. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319190110. Epub 2013 Dec 23.
• Background Sorrentino G, Ruggeri N, Specchia V, Cordenonsi M, Mano M, Dupont S, Manfrin A, Ingallina E, Sommaggio R, Piazza S, Rosato A, Piccolo S, Del Sal G. Metabolic control of YAP and TAZ by the mevalonate pathway. Nat Cell Biol. 2014 Apr;16(4):357-66. doi: 10.1038/ncb2936. Epub 2014 Mar 23.
• Background Piccolo S. LIF-ting Hippo averts metastasis. Nat Med. 2012 Oct;18(10):1463-5. doi: 10.1038/nm.2955. No abstract available.
• Background Havrilesky L, Darcy kM, Hamdan H, Priore RL, Leon J, Bell J, Berchuck A; Gynecologic Oncology Group Study. Prognostic significance of p53 mutation and p53 overexpression in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: a Gynecologic Oncology Group Study. J Clin Oncol. 2003 Oct 15;21(20):3814-25. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2003.11.052.
• Background Wiltschke C, Kindas-Muegge I, Steininger A, Reiner A, Reiner G, Preis PN. Coexpression of HER-2/neu and p53 is associated with a shorter disease-free survival in node-positive breast cancer patients. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1994;120(12):737-42. doi: 10.1007/BF01194273.
• Background Dowsett M, Nielsen TO, A'Hern R, Bartlett J, Coombes RC, Cuzick J, Ellis M, Henry NL, Hugh JC, Lively T, McShane L, Paik S, Penault-Llorca F, Prudkin L, Regan M, Salter J, Sotiriou C, Smith IE, Viale G, Zujewski JA, Hayes DF; International Ki-67 in Breast Cancer Working Group. Assessment of Ki67 in breast cancer: recommendations from the International Ki67 in Breast Cancer working group. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2011 Nov 16;103(22):1656-64. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djr393. Epub 2011 Sep 29.

Drugs

Indications