According to an article posted by Morningstar, IMV Inc. has dosed the first patient in its Phase 1b trial of maveropepimut-S (MVP-S), which will investigate safety in patients with hormone receptor positive/HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer. This trial’s primary results are expected in 2023.
About the Trial
This Phase 1b trial is open-label and nonrandomized, with safety as its primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints include the creation of survivin-specific T cells in tumor tissue and PBMCs both before and during treatment.
18 non-metastatic, resectable, HR+/HER- breast cancer patients will be treated with MVP-S plus an aromatase inhibitor with or without cyclophosphamide (CPA) or radiotherapy prior to surgery.
While the trial is not expected to conclude until 2026, primary results should be released in 2023. Medical professionals and patients alike are excited for the results, as it could provide an effective treatment that results in a greater quality of life.
About Breast Cancer
Breast cancer, as the name suggests, is cancer that forms in the breast tissue. While it typically impacts females, males can also be affected. Medical professionals do not know why or how this cancer occurs; they only know that cells within the breast tissue begin to divide and multiply out of control until they form a tumor. They believe that both environmental and genetic factors play a role, and they have also identified risk factors: being female, a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, obesity, having children at an older age, reaching menopause at an older age, starting your period at a younger age, never having been pregnant, drinking alcohol, postmenopausal therapy, and a history of breast cancer or related conditions. In terms of symptoms, patients typically notice a lump in the breast first. Other symptoms include redness, flaking, inverted nipples, changes in the size or shape of the breasts, peeling, scaling, crusting, dimpling, and pitting of the skin on the breasts. Treatment options are (double) mastectomy, immunotherapy, lumpectomy, the removal of numerous lymph nodes, hormone therapy, radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy.
Looking specifically to HR+/HER- breast cancer, HR+ means that one’s cancer is fueled by hormones, whether that’s estrogen receptors or progesterone receptors. HER- means that the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 is functioning properly.
