Publications by authors named "Kenneth A Kern"

Background: This phase 1 study evaluated PF-06753512, a vaccine-based immunotherapy regimen (PrCa VBIR), in two clinical states of prostate cancer (PC), metastatic castration-resistant PC (mCRPC) and biochemical recurrence (BCR).

Methods: For dose escalation, patients with mCRPC received intramuscular PrCa VBIR (adenovirus vector and plasmid DNA expressing prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA)) with or without immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs, tremelimumab 40 or 80 mg with or without sasanlimab 130 or 300 mg, both subcutaneous). For dose expansion, patients with mCRPC received recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of PrCa VBIR plus tremelimumab 80 mg and sasanlimab 300 mg; patients with BCR received PrCa VBIR plus tremelimumab 80 mg (Cohort 1B-BCR) or tremelimumab 80 mg plus sasanlimab 130 mg (Cohort 5B-BCR) without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

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  • A Phase 1b study evaluated the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor gedatolisib combined with various anti-tumor agents in patients with advanced solid tumors.
  • Out of 110 patients, 107 received the combination treatment, with notable dose-limiting toxicities including grade 3 oral mucositis occurring in 10% of evaluable patients.
  • The study focused on patients with triple-negative breast cancer, showing a 40% objective response rate in first-line treatment and 33.3% in second/third-line treatment, indicating potential clinical activity and acceptable tolerability for gedatolisib therapy.
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Background: This phase I, four-arm, open-label study (NCT01347866) evaluated the PI3K/mTOR inhibitors PF-04691502 (arms A, B) and gedatolisib (PF-05212384; arms C, D) in combination with the MEK inhibitor PD-0325901 (arm A, D) or irinotecan (arm B, C) in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Objectives: Primary endpoint was dose-limiting toxicity with each combination. Secondary endpoints included safety, pharmacokinetics and preliminary antitumor activity.

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  • The study investigated PF-03084014, a selective gamma-secretase inhibitor, in combination with docetaxel for treating advanced triple-negative breast cancer, focusing on dosage and safety outcomes.* -
  • A total of 29 patients were treated, determining the maximum tolerated dose to be PF-03084014 100 mg twice daily with docetaxel 75 mg/m², which was generally well-tolerated with manageable side effects.* -
  • Results showed a 16% response rate with four patients achieving a confirmed partial response, while the median progression-free survival was 4.1 months, indicating limited efficacy but significant safety.*
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Breakthrough therapy designation (BTD) is a new approach created by the US Congress and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of the FDA Innovation and Safety Act of 2012 to expedite the drug development process for serious illness, including cancer. By law, to qualify for BTD, a new molecular entity must demonstrate substantial clinical improvement over existing therapies. Although the administrative requirements for granting BTD have been made available by the FDA, the actual trial designs, end points, and quantitative therapeutic thresholds involved in the granting process have not been made public.

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  • Rucaparib, a PARP inhibitor, is undergoing clinical evaluation to build population pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) models and see how well PARP activity in peripheral blood leucocytes (PBLs) predicts activity in tumors.
  • A study with 32 patients collected rucaparib levels and PARP activity from both PBLs and tumor samples, leading to the development of a 3-compartment PK model and identification of an Emax model for the drug's effect.
  • The findings revealed nearly complete PARP inhibition in both PBLs (90.9%) and tumors (90.0%), suggesting that monitoring PARP activity in PBLs could
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  • The study aimed to find the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase II dose (RP2D) for the γ-secretase inhibitor PF-03084014 in patients with advanced solid tumors, while also assessing safety and initial effectiveness.
  • The phase I trial involved 64 patients taking PF-03084014 orally, twice daily, with doses ranging from 20 to 330 mg, ultimately identifying the MTD as 220 mg and RP2D as 150 mg due to better safety.
  • Results showed mild to moderate side effects, with some patients achieving significant tumor responses, indicating PF-03084014's potential for further development in cancer treatment.
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Background: This phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety/tolerability of sunitinib plus trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer (ABC).

Methods: Eligible patients received sunitinib 37.5 mg/day and trastuzumab administered either weekly (loading, 4 mg/kg; then weekly 2 mg/kg) or 3-weekly (loading, 8 mg/kg; then 3-weekly 6 mg/kg).

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Purpose: This randomized, open-label phase II study compared the efficacy of sunitinib monotherapy with that of single-agent standard-of-care (SOC) chemotherapy in patients with previously treated advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Methods: Patients with advanced TNBC, relapsed after anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapy, were randomized to receive either sunitinib (37.5 mg/day) or the investigator's choice of SOC therapy.

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Purpose: Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains an incurable illness in the majority of cases, despite major therapeutic advances. This may be related to the ability of breast tumors to induce neoangiogenesis, even in the face of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Sunitinib, an inhibitor of key molecules involved in neoangiogenesis, has an established role in the treatment of metastatic renal cell and other cancers and demonstrated activity in a phase II trial in MBC.

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This multicenter, open-label phase II study was conducted to evaluate sunitinib monotherapy in patients with either metastatic or locoregionally recurrent advanced breast cancer. Patients received sunitinib 37.5 mg on a continuous daily dosing schedule.

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Background: This exploratory study assessed the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity of sunitinib combined with docetaxel and trastuzumab.

Methods: Patients with unresectable, locally recurrent or metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)+ breast cancer received sunitinib plus docetaxel and trastuzumab. Sunitinib was administered at 37.

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Background: Sunitinib inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), platelet-derived growth factor receptors, and stem cell factor receptor (KIT). The ability of soluble (s)KIT, VEGF-A, sVEGFR-2, and sVEGFR-3 to predict clinical outcome was analyzed in 61 patients with previously treated metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in a phase II study of sunitinib monotherapy (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00078000).

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  • The study investigated the effects of combining sunitinib and docetaxel for treating HER-2-negative advanced breast cancer.
  • Twenty-two patients participated, receiving docetaxel followed by sunitinib with no significant drug interactions noted.
  • The combination was found to be manageable, with a high response rate but significant cases of neutropenia among patients.
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Purpose: To investigate whether sunitinib plus docetaxel improves clinical outcomes for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu-negative advanced breast cancer (ABC) versus docetaxel alone.

Patients And Methods: In this phase III study, patients were randomly assigned to open-label combination therapy (sunitinib 37.5 mg/d, days 2 to 15 every 3 weeks; and docetaxel 75 mg/m(2), day 1 every 3 weeks) or monotherapy (docetaxel 100 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks).

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Introduction: A multicenter, open-label phase III study was conducted to test whether sunitinib plus paclitaxel prolongs progression-free survival (PFS) compared with bevacizumab plus paclitaxel as first-line treatment for patients with HER2(-) advanced breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients with HER2(-) advanced breast cancer who were disease free for ≥ 12 months after adjuvant taxane treatment were randomized (1:1; planned enrollment 740 patients) to receive intravenous (I.V.

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This multicenter, randomized, open-label phase III trial (planned enrollment: 700 patients) was conducted to test the hypothesis that single-agent sunitinib improves progression-free survival (PFS) compared with capecitabine as treatment for advanced breast cancer (ABC). Patients with HER2-negative ABC that recurred after anthracycline and taxane therapy were randomized (1:1) to sunitinib 37.5 mg/day or capecitabine 1,250 mg/m(2) (1,000 mg/m(2) in patients >65 years) BID on days 1-14 q3w.

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Background: We have previously demonstrated the utility, accuracy, and advantages of a subareolar (SA) site of injection for blue dye compared with an intraparenchymal site. In later studies we advocated the additional use of preoperative SA-injected technetium 99m-labeled sulfur colloid as a directional aid in finding blue-stained sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). Paramount to the usefulness of this dual-tracer, same-site technique is the degree to which SA-injected blue dye and SA-injected radiocolloid migrate concordantly and are deposited within the same sentinel nodes.

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