Join us for a workshop about living a healthier lifestyle and the importance of early cancer detection screenings.
Thursday, October 12th | 3:00 - 4:00pm CDT
Green Hills Library
3701 Benham Ave
Nashville, TN 37215
Speaker:
LaNese Campbell
Health Educator, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
For more information, call (615) 862-5863
Patient and Family-Centered Care
Living Well with Blood Cancer
Please join us for this important in-person discussion on acute and long-term side effect management during and after blood cancer treatment.
Dr. Jayani will cover topics such as neuropathy, fatigue, libido, and fertility as well as cardiac and kidney issues, as well as discuss strategies for ongoing symptoms. Margaret Martin will explain the importance of good nutrition during and after treatment, along with some helpful tips to help you achieve good nutrition.
Saturday, November 4th | 11:00am - 1:30pm CDT
Hilton Garden Inn
217 Centerview Dr
Brentwood, TN 37027
Speakers:
Reena V. Jayani, MD, MSCI
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Margaret Martin, LDN
Licensed Dietitian and Nutritionist
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Registration is required. Complimentary lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Support VICC Patients & Families Through Amazon Wish Lists
We have a couple great options to donate items to support our patients and families through Amazon wish lists! This list lets you provide items directly to patients and their loved ones while in treatment: https://a.co/9mYPBRW
Another good option is supporting the VICC Young Adult Cancer Program, who offers goody bags filled with comfort items for newly diagnosed young adult patients. You may donate items for those bags through this list: https://a.co/8PR5ynt
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
VICC Patient & Family Advisory Council is Welcoming New Members!
Lend your voice! The VICC Patient and Family Advisory Council is now accepting nominations. Bimonthly meetings are currently held virtually.
If interested in learning more, please email Julie.bulger@vumc.org or call 615-936-5706.
Through the Vanderbilt-based Inherited Cancer Registry (ICARE), we strive to end the cycle of inherited cancer through research, education, and engagement. As part of these efforts, we provide clinical and research updates about inherited cancers through our newsletters which we send out twice per year. These newsletters include updates to guidelines and policies, risk management, and treatments. To read our newly released ICARE newsletter, please visit: https://inheritedcancer.net/newsletters/
If you are interested in participating in our registry or would like additional resources and information about ICARE research efforts, please visit: http://inheritedcancer.net
Through the Vanderbilt-based Inherited Cancer Registry (ICARE), we strive to end the cycle of inherited cancer through research, education, and engagement. As part of these efforts, we provide clinical and research updates about inherited cancers through our newsletters which we send out twice per year. These newsletters include updates to guidelines and policies, risk management, and treatments. To read our newly released ICARE newsletter, please visit: https://inheritedcancer.net/newsletters/
If you are interested in participating in our registry or would like additional resources and information about ICARE research efforts, please visit: http://inheritedcancer.net
Clinical Trial Highlight
BRE23172: Neoadjuvant Neratinib in Stage I-III HER2-Mutated Lobular Breast Cancers (NCT05919108)
Clinical Research Impact on our Community
Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common form of breast cancer
ILC is typically hormone receptor positive (HR+) with a low proliferation (Ki-67) score
Due to its diffuse growth pattern, there is a higher likelihood of repeat surgery for positive margins, and ILCs have very low rates of pathologic complete response (i.e. complete clearance of cancer from breast and lymph nodes) with chemotherapy or endocrine therapy
In addition, late recurrences are common with ILC
There is a need for more effective pre-surgical strategies to facilitate excellent surgical outcomes and reduce rates of ILC recurrence
About 10% of ILCs have a mutation in ERBB2 (HER2), and this mutation is associated with significantly higher rates of metastatic recurrence
HER2-mutated breast cancer has previously been shown to be responsive to treatment with HER2-targeted agents like neratinib in the metastatic setting (SUMMIT trial)
Our study will identify women with HER2-mutated ILC using next generation sequencing on the primary tumor biopsy, then offer treatment with a neoadjuvant neratinib + endocrine therapy
Summary for Providers:
Patients with newly diagnosed, untreated stage I-III HR+ ILC will be eligible provided they have adequate performance status and organ function. The primary tumor must be at least 15 mm by breast imaging or physical exam. Eligible patients will undergo initial screening for HER2 mutations with next generation sequencing (NGS) through Tempus. Menopausal status must be established by history or laboratory evaluation. Patients with HER2+ breast cancer will be excluded from the study, as will patients with distant metastatic disease. Patients with HER2 mutations will be eligible for the treatment portion of the study. Patients without HER2 mutations in their tumor will proceed with standard of care therapy as per their cancer care provider. Patients with confirmed HER2 mutations will be consented for the treatment portion of the trial. There will be a 28-day lead-in phase where patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive endocrine therapy alone vs endocrine therapy with neratinib. Endocrine therapy will consist of letrozole for post-menopausal women or letrozole + GnRH agonist for pre-menopausal women. Neratinib will be started at a reduced dose (160 mg daily) for 2 weeks and then increased to full dose (240 mg daily) as tolerated. Patients will be instructed to take loperamide for prophylaxis against diarrhea. At the end of the lead-in phase, patients will undergo a biopsy for correlative studies. Patients will then complete an additional 20 weeks with neratinib + endocrine therapy and then proceed to surgery. The primary endpoint will be PEPI score. Secondary endpoints will include change in Ki67 (Ki67) at 4 weeks, pCR rate, RCB index, and rates of breast conservation therapy (BCT). The technical feasibility of breast conserving surgery prior to neoadjuvant and post-neoadjuvant treatment will be assessed based on breast imaging (mammogram, ultrasound, or breast MRI) evaluated centrally by a breast surgeon. This is a phase II study that is seeking to identify a preliminary signal that neratinib combined with ET will induce meaningful clinical responses as defined by PEPI score. The primary objective of this study is to estimate, with measures of statistical confidence, safety, tolerability, and efficacy for the combination of neratinib and ET in early stage HER2-mutated ILC.
Summary for Patients:
Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is a form of breast cancer that does not respond well to standard treatments like chemotherapy and hormone blockers. As a result, patients with this type of breast cancer are more likely to need a repeat surgery to make sure all the cancer is removed (i.e. achieve negative margins) and are more likely to have the cancer return. HER2-activating mutations are a type of genetic change found in the cancer in about 1 in 10 patients. This mutation is associated with ILCs that are more aggressive and more likely to recur. However, this mutation can be treated with HER2-targeting medicines such as neratinib. This study is for women with newly diagnosed Stage I to Stage III ILC. The first step in the study is to test the breast cancer tissue for the HER2 mutation. If a HER2 mutation is identified, then the patient will be offered the treatment part of the study. Patients will initially be assigned to either neratinib and hormone blockers OR hormone blockers only for the first 4 weeks of treatment. After completing the first month, patients will undergo a breast biopsy and then all patients will proceed with 5 additional months of treatment with neratinib and hormone blockers. The goal of this study is to demonstrate that the breast cancer responds well to treatment with the ultimate goal that we will cure more patients of this form of breast cancer.