Cancer Research Programs
UCLA Trials at Cancer Care Associates
For questions please contact our UCLA research nurse,
Sherry at (310) 750-3376
Active Trials
The following clinical trials are available at Cancer Care Associates in coordination with the UCLA Division of Hematology/Oncology. This is a unique opportunity for patients in the South Bay to receive advanced research treatments previously restricted to university cancer centers. All patients enrolled in these trials are treated at our infusion center in Redondo Beach. Cancer Care Associates is committed to the advancement of effective new cancer therapy. The following studies are subject to change by UCLA and pharmaceutical companies and may not be continually or currently open. The studies are strictly voluntary. All experimental study drugs are provided at no charge. Each study has precise entry criteria for enrollment because the researchers are attempting to answer a specific treatment question within a specific clinical parameter so not all interested patients will be eligible to participate. It is notable that most of the studies involve drugs that are pathway specific or targeted. This UCLA affiliated program auspiciously places Cancer Care Associates patients into the promising new era of cancer treatment research.
Breast Cancer (adjuvant): Amgen D-CARE. This is currently one of the most important national clinical trials for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. The study tests whether a novel drug can improve cure rates when added to standard chemotherapies. Recent evidence suggests that bone strengthening drugs (like Fosamax or Zometa) can lower breast cancer relapse risk. Xgeva/Prolia (denosumab) is a new bone strengthening drug from Amgen. It is a RANK ligand inhibitor, and interrupts a molecular pathway involved in bone metastasis and may also have direct anti-cancer effect. Xgeva is already widely used in treating cancer involving the bones and osteoporosis. In this study all patients, regardless of HER2 or hormone receptor status, receive standard chemotherapy regimens. The chemotherapy can be given either before or after breast surgery. When chemotherapy is initiated, some patients are selected to also receive Xgeva. Xgeva is given by injection under the skin.
Breast Cancer (pre-operative HER2+): TORI/TRIO B07 Trial. This study is for HER2 positive patients who receive chemotherapy before breast surgery. All patients receive standard chemotherapy with Taxotere/Carboplatin. Three different HER2 targeting strategies are being tested, Herceptin, Tykerb, or both. The study requires additional biopsies for molecular analysis by UCLA. The purpose of the study is to determine the superior targeting strategy against the HER2 pathway in patients with locally advanced HER2 positive breast cancer..
Breast Cancer (1st or 2nd line HER2+): TDM 4370 EMILIA. Patients who are HER2 positive and who have never received treatment for metastatic disease (first line) or have received only one course of treatment for metastatic disease (2nd line) are eligible. TDM is trastuzumab-DM1, an experimental antibody-drug conjugate, Herceptin (made by Genentech) is connected to a novel chemotherapy drug (made by Immunogen). Patients are selected to receive either TDM or the combination of Tykerb (lapatinib) and Xeloda. Both treatments are considered very active and this study is to help determine whether there is a superior approach.
Breast Cancer (1st line HER2+): BOLERO TRIO 19. For HER2 positive patients with metastatic disease who have never been treated (first line). All patients receive Herceptin with Taxol. Patients are selected to also receive Afinitor (everolimus), a new oral chemotherapy directed against MTOR. MTOR is a growth pathway used by a number of cancers including breast cancer. This study addresses whether the addition of Afinitor to a standard Herceptin and chemotherapy regimen will be more effective.
Breast Cancer (1st and 2nd line HER2+) LUX: For metastatic HER2 positive breast cancer who have not yet been treated or have received only one Herceptin containing regimen. A computer selects patients to receive an effective standard regimen of Navelbine plus Herceptin or Navelbine and BIBW 20992. BIBW is an experimental oral inhibitor of both HER2 and EGFR. This is an attempt to block 2 targeted pathways.
Breast Cancer (1st line ER+): TRIO 18. For ER positive patients with metastatic disease requiring anti-estrogen treatment. Patients who are post-menopausal would normally receive an aromatase inhibitor. All patients on this study receive the aromatase inhibitor Femara (letrozole). Some patients are selected to also receive an oral targeting drug, PD-0332991, a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK 4/6) inhibitor. CDK4/6 is a pathway used by breast cancer for DNA synthesis and cancer growth.
Breast Cancer: (1st and 2nd line Triple NEG): MetMAB Genentech. For triple negative breast cancers (ER, PR, and HER2 negative). MET is a pathway that cancer cells use to mutate and become more aggressive while also becoming more resistant to treatment. Cabazantinib made by Exelixis is an experimental MET inhibitor against VEGFR2, a pathway involved in blood vessel formation by cancer. The drug is designed to deprive cancer cells of oxygen and nutrition and blocks the VEGF pathway downstream of Avastin. All patients receive standard chemotherapy with Taxol. Patients are also selected to receive either Avastin, Cabazantinib, or both Avastin and Cabazantinib. UCLA has designated this as a high priority study and there is significant excitement in the research community regarding this trial.
Breast Cancer (2nd and 3rd line Triple NEG): BiPar 2010 Triple Negative. This is a PARP inhibitor drug for patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (ER, PR, and HER2 negative). All patients receive standard chemotherapy with Gemzar/Carboplatin in combination with the PARP inhibitor BSI-201. This drug is a small molecule inhibitor of a critical DNA repair enzyme called PARP. A number of studies have already shown that the addition of a PARP inhibitor to chemotherapy can be an effective strategy in treating triple negative breast cancer.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (1st line): Genetech ABT. Navitoclax (ABT263) is a small molecule inhibitor of Bcl-2 taken by mouth. This drug was designed to induce normal cell death (apoptosis) in leukemic cells. Patients who have never received treatment (1st line) are selected to receive one of three different non-chemotherapy approaches, either Rituxan alone, or Rituxan with short course Navitoclax, or Rituxan with Navitoclax taken to progression.
Upper Digestive Adenocarcinoma (1st line): Lilly. For patients who have not yet received treatment. All patients receive standard chemotherapy FOLFOX6. Some patients are selected to also receive Ramucirumab, an angiogenesis inhibitor antibody. This drug is different from Avastin in that it blocks blood vessel formation by cancer cells further downstream on the angiogenesis pathway at VEGFR2.
Upper Digestive Adenocarcinoma (2nd and 3rd line esophagus or stomach): TORI GI-06 Novartis. For patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma who have already received one or two chemotherapy courses. Afinitor (everolimus) is an oral chemotherapy directed against MTOR. MTOR is one of the pathways that cancers cells use to grow and spread. This is a phase 2 trial and all patients will receive Afinitor to test it's effectiveness in adenocarcinomas of the upper GI tract.
Head and Neck Cancer: Lilly JXBD. For patients with relapsed or metastatic head and neck cancer for 1st line treatment. Patients receive cetuxumab (Erbitux) or a new formulation of cetuxumab with chemotherapy. The purpose of the trial is to test the relative effectiveness of two different formulations of cetuxumab. Cetuxumab is an antibody directed against the EGFR pathway.
Lung Cancer (2nd line): Lilly MC-JVBA. Patients with metastatic lung cancer who have already been treated with one course of chemotherapy containing Carboplatin/Cisplatin are eligible. All patients receive a standard 2nd line chemotherapy with Taxotere and some are selected to also receive Ramucirumab, an antibody directed against VEGFR2. The experimental part of the treatment is a new angiogenesis inhibitor.
Lung Cancer (2nd and 3rd line): Pfizer. Patients with non-small cell lung cancer are eligible if they have received one or two courses of chemotherapy. All patients on this study receive Tarceva, a targeted drug against the EGFR pathway. Some patients are selected to receive PF-00299804, a pan-human multi-EGFR inhibitor. This experimental drug blocks 3 different steps along the important EGFR pathway of cancer growth. Both drugs are taken by mouth.
Lung Cancer (after 1st line response or stabilization): NovaRX Lucanix. This study is for non-small cell lung cancer patients who have completed one course of 1st line chemotherapy and who have had shrinkage or stabilization of cancer.. Patients are selected by computer to receive Lucanix, a lung cancer vaccine. The vaccine is made from gene modified lung cancer cells and is given by injection into the skin monthly. The purpose of this trial is to test whether this lung cancer specific vaccine can prevent the growth and spread of cancer.
Lymphoma (2nd and 3rd line): Genentech. This is for patients with relapsing large B-cell lymphoma following previous chemotherapy, usually with R-CHOP. All patients will receive a standard chemotherapy with Rituxan and Treanda. Some patients will be selected to also receive an experimental drug, Navitoclax. Navitoclax is a novel small molecule dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor designed to restore apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, by blocking the function of pro-survival Bcl-2 family proteins. This is a targeted drug designed to block a very active pathway involved in lymphoma growth.
Lymphoma (3rd line): Gilead Cal101. Patients with lymphoma who have relapsed after two different courses of chemotherapy are being considered for this trial. Cal 101 is an oral drug with significant anti-lymphoma activity. It is a unique drug in the class of isoform-selective phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitors. Cal 101 trial results are eagerly awaited with great expectation as preliminary trials are very promising.
Multiple Myeloma (2nd and 3rd line): Novartis. TKI1258 (Dovitinib) is a fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor. This is a pathway some cancers use to grow. Myeloma patients who have already received one course of treatment are eligible for this trial if that have a specific genetic mutation in their myeloma cells, t(4,14). Dovitinib is an inhibitor which may block this pathway and lead to myeloma regression.
Pancreatic Cancer (adjuvant): TORI PA-01. This is for patients who have already had surgery to remove the pancreatic cancer. The standard treatment is chemotherapy with Gemzar (gemcitabine). Some patients are selected to also receive Sprycel (dasatinib) which is a targeted treatment against the Src pathway. The purpose of this study is to test if Sprycel can improve the cure rate after surgery when added to standard chemotherapy.
Pancreatic Cancer (1st line): Amgen Pancreatic. This is an FDA registration trial for patients with metastatic pancreas cancer who need chemotherapy. All patients receive standard chemotherapy with Gemzar (gemcitabine). Some patients are selected to also receive AMG 479, an antibody directed against type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R). Insulin is thought to be stimulatory to a number of cancers and this antibody blocks a key receptor.