Inhibitor drug entinostat "stimulates" the body's immune response against cancer

In this study, 33 patients with advanced solid tumors received histone deacetylase inhibitor entetastat for two weeks

Checkpoint inhibitors, such as nivolumab and ipilimumab, release important "brakes" that allow the immune system to fight cancer cells

The authors found that the objective response rate, or percentage of cancer patients who responded to treatment, was 16%

These results were published online in the June 16 issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research

The co-author of this study, Iven Seya T.

She said: “One of the main findings of our research is that this is a safe and tolerable combination of treatments

The researchers collected blood and tumor samples from 33 patients for two weeks before and after entinostat to evaluate the effect of entinostat on the immune system, and added post-immunization checkpoint agents to evaluate the impact of each treatment on the immune environment

The median age of the participants was 60 years, the majority (91%) were women, 30% had breast cancer (the main tumor type studied), and the median number of previously tried regimens for their disease was 3.

The CD8/FoxP3 ratio saw the strongest increase in two hr-positive breast cancer patients who experienced partial remission and stable disease

The complete remission of breast cancer patients "is a promise, and this may be a role for combination therapy in breast cancer," senior research author Roisin M.

As part of a clinical trial sponsored by nci, 24 patients with her2-negative breast cancer are currently undergoing further studies

Journal Reference :

1. Evanthia T Roussos Torres, Christine I Rafie, Chenguang Wang, David Lim, Adam M Brufsky, Patricia M.