E7389 FOUND TO BE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR REFRACTORY BREAST CANCER

Researchers from Baylor Sammons Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Breast Cancer Center, the University of Kansas, and the Harrington Cancer Center have reported the results of a Phase II study in which the anti-tubulin agent E7389 produced partial responses in 15 percent and stable disease in 33 percent of patients with refractory breast cancer.

E7389 is synthetic analog of Halichrondrin B with novel anti-tubulin activity that interferes with microtubule growth. It is a synthetic version of an agent found in a marine sponge that demonstrated significant anticancer activity in pre-clinical trials. E7389 blocks cells from being able to grow and replicate.

The trial evaluated E7389 in 68 women who had received at least two prior chemotherapy regimens, including the most commonly used chemotherapy agents: anthracyclines and taxanes. E7389 was given intravenously as a single agent with no premedication.