In this pilot trial, participants with unresectable solid cancers harboring KRAS mutations will be provided with a compassionate treatment if their diseases progress after current standard treatments, or there is no available standard treatment. This trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of trametinib and imatinib on chemotherapy refractory solid cancers.
KRAS gene mutations are commonly seen in cancers, practically pancreatic cancer, biliary tract cancer, and colorectal cancer. For example, KRAS gene mutations account for about 80% of pancreatic cancers. Clinical studies have found that tumors with KRAS gene mutations have a poor prognosis, inferior response to therapies, and are more likely to develop drug resistance. Therefore, new therapies are necessary for KRAS-mutant patients. Currently, only adagrasib (Krazati) and sotorasib (Lumakras) are approved for patients with KRAS G12C mutations in tumor. Unfortunately, they are ineffective for other KRAS mutations. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK/ERK) signaling pathway, downstream of KRAS, is hyperactivated in many cancers, making it a promising target for therapy. However, clinical trials targeting this pathway for patients with cancer have failed. Previous research found that a MEK inhibitor trametinib killed KRAS mutant cells but with feedback increased expression of PDGFR, a tyrosine kinase. Thus, the combination of MEK inhibitor with PDGFR inhibitor might be a promising therapeutic strategy. Investigators have conducted in vivo experiments with two clinically used drugs, imatinib and trametinib, in tumor mouse experiments. The combination of trametinib and the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib showed a good killing effect on pancreatic cancer cells with KRAS gene mutations. For cancers with KRAS non-G12C mutations, the effect of this combination is higher than sotorasib or adagrasib. For pancreatic cancer cells with KRAS G12C mutations, this combination therapy is equivalent to sotorasib or adagrasib alone. Therefore, the combination use of trametinib and imatinib is a potential drug combination that can target pan-KRAS mutant tumors. In this pilot trial, participants with unresectable solid cancers harboring KRAS mutations will be provided with a compassionate treatment if their diseases progress after current standard treatments, or there is no available standard treatment. This trial will evaluate the efficacy of the combination of trametinib and imatinib on chemotherapy refractory solid cancers.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
10
1. Imatinib is binding to the ATP-binding site of BCR-ABL, blocking its activity and preventing uncontrolled proliferation to target the BCR-ABL fusion protein in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL). It also inhibits PDGFR and c-KIT receptors, suppressing tumor growth and angiogenesis in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). 2. Preclinical studies have shown that imatinib combined with MEK inhibitors can suppress the growth of KRAS-mutated pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Trametinib inhibits the MEK1 and MEK2 enzymes, preventing the downstream phosphorylation and activation of ERK1/2, which are crucial for the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signaling pathway. By blocking this pathway, trametinib reduces cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in tumor cells harboring pathway mutations.
China Medical University Hospital
Taichung, Taichung, Taiwan
RECRUITINGOverall response rate (ORR)
Overall response is evaluated using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria (RECIST 1.1). A participant is considered to have responded if either of the following outcomes is achieved: 1. Complete Response: Disappearance of all target lesions. Any pathological lymph nodes (whether target or non-target) must have reduction in short axis to \<10 mm 2. Partial Response: At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters.
Time frame: From the date of registration until the end of treatment, up to 2 years.
Disease control rate
Overall response rate + stable disease
Time frame: From the date of registration until disease progression or death, up to 3 years.
Safety profile
The toxicity profiles graded by CTCAE
Time frame: From the date of registration until 1 month after disease progression or death, up to 3 years.
Progression-free survival
The time from the date of registration to disease progression or death from any cause.
Time frame: From the date of registration until disease progression or death, up to 3 years.
Overall survival
The time from the date of registration to the date of patient's death.
Time frame: From the date of registration to the date of patients death, up to 3 years.
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