A cure happened for a hormone positive Her2 negative stage 4 patient in a trial!

I can't believe this isn't all over the news. I know it's early and few more years are going to pass before we hear about more of these but we finally had a cure for a hormone positive stage 4 patient in a trial. It occurred in the Elaine -1 trial!!

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/11/06/2774161/0/en/Sermonix-Pharmaceuticals-Announces-JCO-Precision-Oncology-Publication-of-Case-Report-on-a-Complete-Remission-in-a-Metastatic-Breast-Cancer-Patient-Participating-in-ELAINE-1-Trial.html

Comments

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 5,189

    This is excellent news! However, this great result was achieved with one person who had the ESR1 mutation which is fantastic but far from what might be considered a general cure, as working for one person is not a cure for all or even most/many at this point. Forgive me for not being too enthused yet, but I have seen more than a few initially hopeful drugs come to nothing in my 12 years at stage IV. I remain hopeful but pragmatic.

  • kaynotrealname
    kaynotrealname Member Posts: 438

    Of course! But this is the first time I've seen an actual cure obtained for a hormone positive stage 4 patient that is tied to a trial. It was just nice to read and to know there's an official start.

  • aprilgirl1
    aprilgirl1 Member Posts: 794

    It is fantastic news - even with ers1 mutation. Thanks for posting !

  • seeq
    seeq Member Posts: 1,161

    If I read this correctly, this person was NED for two years while taking the drug. While this is a great result (for the one person) I wouldn't consider it a cure (even for that one person). I was NED for three years on Verzenio/anastrozole, but I was never considered cured, andnow there are signs the cancer is working its way back.

    It is great to know there's a new drug in the works that could turn out to be a next step for people after CDK 4/6 inhibitors fail. Thanks for sharing.

  • AJ
    AJ Member Posts: 259

    @seeq , I was also confused about that story. I read about people who are NEAD for years and are not considered cured. Does anyone listen to the podcast I’m Still Here? About a woman who’s had MBC for 23 years. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-still-here-lessons-from-life-with-metastatic-breast/id1629136639

  • aprilgirl1
    aprilgirl1 Member Posts: 794

    @AJ - yes ! I've listened to that podcast . She is her2 positive which has a better prognosis now with herceptin and the her2 targeted drugs .

    I also find the term "complete metabolic response " or cured and how it compares to NEAD in stage IV disease ..... I've been NEAD over 3 years now but I see people on here who have progression after years of NEAD....

  • AJ
    AJ Member Posts: 259

    @aprilgirl1 and she gets Fulvestrant

  • chicagoan
    chicagoan Member Posts: 1,029

    This is very exciting-thanks for posting!

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 5,189

    I have been NEAD for 12 years and no one has ever said I was cured. The only tx I have had is radiation to my bone met, AI’s, and an older bone strengthener (for about three years). It does leave me with many questions about this drug and this early study.

  • cure-ious
    cure-ious Member Posts: 2,866
    edited November 2023

    y'all, ain't nobody cured just because they are doing well on some treatment (!!)- try going without any drugs for 3-4 years, like Judy Perkins or Barbara Bigelow, then the doctors will start wondering if that person might be cured…

  • seeq
    seeq Member Posts: 1,161

    Thank you, Cure-ious, for putting it so succinctly.

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 5,189
    edited November 2023

    If you look at one person alone and consider them cured without consistent replication of those results, then they are a unicorn. I have often seen this term used in reference to Barbara Bigelow. Since I have been progression free at stage IV for 12 years, I think I will start using the term unicorn instead of outlier. My 5 year old granddaughter will really like that 🦄 !

  • olma61
    olma61 Member Posts: 1,026
    edited December 2023

    Just a comment on the HER2 positive “complete response” case mentioned (not the original topic I know sorry). — Yes, researchers are currently studying if HER2+ people with a few years of NEAD can go off Herceptin. On these studies, if you are ER+ along with the HER2+ you will not go off estrogen therapy. So not really “cured”, I agree.

    Also, the purpose of the HER2++ studies is really to see if the newer circulating tumor cell blood tests, like Signatera, will predict who can successfully go off of Herceptin/Perjeta. As someone who has to show up every 3 weeks for infusions or injections for the rest of my life…being able to just take a pill every day and have some certainty that I might remain NEAD, that will be great progress, even if it is not a “cure”. Yes I am very grateful to be alive and doing well, but QOL can always get better!

    As for the original topic, great that this drug is so successful for those who can benefit from it. It does seem as though any progress toward “cure” or long term NEAD for MBC is going to be very “precision medicine based” and segmented by subtypes and further by specific mutations.