PALB2 Gene Mutation clinical trials at UCSF

The purpose of this phase 1 clinical trials is to determine whether niraparib (a Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi)) can be safely combined with irinotecan with manageable toxicity and reasonable efficacy. Emerging evidence suggest that PARPi is an effective therapeutic strategy in a wider subset of solid tumors that may have defective homologous recombination (HR) or DNA repair gene mutations. BReast CAncer gene (BRCA), partner and localizer of BRCA2 (PALB2), and various other DNA repair germline mutations predispose carriers to cancers of the breast, ovaries, pancreas, prostate and melanoma. A number of preclinical studies have demonstrated that PARP inhibitors can work as chemopotentiators. There is significant interest in this combination, and the recommended phase II dose will be used in the upcoming NCI ComboMatch trial.

This research study is for patients with metastatic breast cancer. - Metastatic means that the cancer has spread beyond the breast. In addition, through genetic testing of the blood or tumor, an altered gene has been found that suggests the tumor may not be able to repair its genetic material (DNA) when it becomes damaged. - This aspect of the cancer may cause it to be more sensitive - that is, more effectively killed by certain types of drugs such as the study agent being evaluated in this trial, Olaparib. - Olaparib is a type of drug known as a PARP inhibitor. Some types of breast cancer and ovarian cancer share some basic features that make them sensitive to similar treatments. Information from those other research studies suggests that this drug may help to treat metastatic breast cancer. - This study will evaluate whether olaparib is effective in breast cancer patients whose tumor has a mutation in one of the other genes that function with BRCA1 and BRCA2 to repair damaged DNA .This mutation may have been inherited from a parent, or may have developed only in the tumor. - This study will also evaluate whether olaparib is effective in breast cancer patients whose tumor has a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 that was acquired by the tumor, but not inherited.