
“I think it’s really important that people keep signing up to these type of trials to push research forward.”
This study looked at a drug called capivasertib (AZD5363) for people who had a solid tumour that had got worse despite treatment.
A is any type of cancer apart from cancer of the blood or lymphatic system such as:
This study was open for people to join in the UK between 2010 and 2018. The researchers published the results from the first parts of the study in 2017. They presented some other results at a conference in 2019.
Capivasertib is a targeted cancer drug called a cancer growth blocker. It stops signals that cancer cells use to divide and grow.
In this study, doctors wanted to see if capivasertib could stop cancer cells from growing. This was the first time people had capivasertib.
Researchers looked at treatment in people who had any solid tumour. And then in people with:
The main aims of this study were to:
The study team found that capivasertib was safe to have. And they decided on the best dose and treatment plan.
They also looked at how well it worked for people with breast cancer and women’s cancers with the PIK3CA or AKT1 gene change. But they found that on its own, capivasertib didn’t shrink the cancer as much as researchers had hoped.
So the study was expanded to look at whether it worked better in combination with a hormone therapy. The hormone therapy they used is called fulvestrant. Everyone who had this combination of treatment had:
About this study
To begin with there were 4 parts to this study testing capivasertib on its own. Parts A to D.
Parts E and F of the study were added to look at the combination of capivasertib with fulvestrant. Parts E and F weren’t open in the UK.
Part A and B were for people with any solid tumour.
Part C and D were for people with:
Part E and F were for women with breast cancer that was .
In summary:
Results for Part A and part B
90 people joined this part. A few people had a low dose of capivasertib. If they didn’t have bad side effects the next few people had a higher dose. And so on, until they found the best dose to give.
There were 3 different treatment schedules.
The best dose in each schedule was:
Researchers then looked at the best dose and schedule overall. To do this they looked at blood samples, tumour samples, and side effects. They found this was 480mg twice a day for 4 days followed by 3 days off treatment.
Everyone in Part C and Part D had this dose. In Part E and Part F they had a slightly lower dose.
Researchers also thought the 640mg might be useful in combination studies in the future.
Results for Part C
59 women joined this part. They all had a change in the PIK3CA gene in the cancer cells.
Researchers looked at how well treatment worked. To do this they looked at tumour samples. They had samples for 54 people.
Throughout any study, the researchers check whether treatment is working or not. In this part of the study they looked at whose cancer got smaller. But they found treatment hadn’t worked as well as they had hoped. It didn’t shrink the tumour in enough people to show that it was helping. So they stopped this part of the study early.
Results for Part D
59 people joined Part D. They all had a change in the AKT1 gene in the cancer cells.
The team looked at how well treatment worked.
They confirmed the cancer got a bit smaller in:
The team say it worked best in people with breast and womb cancer that was ER positive.
Results for Part E
44 people with breast cancer joined Part E. They all had a change in the AKT1 gene in the cancer cells.
Everyone had capivasertib and fulvestrant. Researchers looked at how well this combination of treatment worked. They found the cancer got a bit smaller in:
The team found that capivasertib and fulvestrant worked for some people. This included those who had fulvestrant in the past.
They also found that most of the side effects of this combination were manageable. Some of the common bad side effects included:
Results for Part F
31 women with breast cancer women joined this part. They all had a change in the PTEN gene in the cancer cells.
Everyone had capivasertib and fulvestrant.
The researchers looked at how well treatment worked. They looked at whose cancer got smaller. This happened in 5 people.
The team also found that the side effects were manageable. The team concluded that capivasertib and fulvestrant worked for a few people. This included people whose cancer got worse on fulvestrant.
Side effects
The most common side effects of capivasertib were:
A more serious side effect included high levels of sugar in the blood.
Conclusion
The study team found the best dose and treatment plan for capivasertib. But they found that as a treatment on its own, it didn’t work to shrink the cancer enough.
Researchers are now are looking at this drug in combination with several other drugs. For example, alongside:
All trial results help doctors and researchers understand more about different cancers and the best way to treat them.
Where this information comes from
We have based this summary on information from the research team. Some information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. And some may not have been. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team who did the research. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Udai Banerji
AstraZeneca
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
Freephone 0808 800 4040
“I think it’s really important that people keep signing up to these type of trials to push research forward.”