Neratinib and Fam-Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in Advanced Gastro-esophageal Cancer Patients

Last updated: October 28, 2025
Sponsor: Fox Chase Cancer Center
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

1

Condition

Colon Cancer; Rectal Cancer

Gastric Ulcers

Abdominal Cancer

Treatment

Neratinib Pill

Fam-Trastuzumab Deruxtecan-Nxki (TDxD)

Clinical Study ID

NCT05274048
21-1069
GI-200
  • Ages > 18
  • All Genders

Study Summary

This is Phase 1 dose finding trial with potential dose expansion to evaluate the safety, toxicity, recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of Neratinib plus TDxD using a standard 3+3 dose escalation design in patients with metastatic or unresectable gastro-esophageal cancer that are HER2-overexpressing (IHC 3+ or IHC2+/ISH+) and any other gastrointestinal cancer with HER2 expression with IHC3+. Patients must have progressed or been intolerant of at least one prior line of chemotherapy + HER2 directed therapy.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients must have been diagnosed with histologically or cytologically confirmedgastrointestinal cancer (esophagus, stomach, colon, biliary, pancreas or unknownprimary likely GI), and been deemed unresectable or have at least one site ofmetastatic disease

  2. Patients must have evaluable or measurable disease by RECIST 1.1 criteria

  3. 4.1.3 Patients' tumors must have HER2-overexpressing:

  4. (IHC 3+ or IHC2+/ISH+) advanced gastroesophageal cancer (includinggastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma).

  5. IHC 3+ for other GI cancers

  6. Patients must have received at least one prior line of HER2 directed therapy formetastatic/unresectable disease and completed treatment at least 2 weeks prior toC1D1 (only for Gastroesohageal cancers, not for other GI cancers)

  7. Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatmentdoes not have the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment ofthe investigational regimen are eligible for this trial

  8. Age > 18 years.

  9. ECOG performance status 0-2

  10. Patients must have normal organ and marrow function as defined below

  • Leukocytes > 3,000/mcL

  • Absolute neutrophil count > 1,500/mcL

  • Platelets > 90,000/mcL

  • Hemoglobin > 9 gm/dl

  • Total bilirubin < 2 times institutional normal limits

  • AST/ALT (SGOT/SGPT) < 5 times institutional normal limits if liver metastasesand </+ 2 times institutional normal limits otherwise

  • Creatinine < 2.0mg/dL OR

  • Creatinine clearance > 50 Ml/min/1.73 m2 for patients with creatinine levelsabove institutional normal

  1. Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ≥ 45% or lower limit of normal.

  2. Chemotherapy is harmful to the human fetus. For this reason, females of childbearingpotential must be willing to use an effective method of contraception, as outlinedin Section 4.4, for the course of the study through at least 6 months after the lastdose of study medication. Males who have women of childbearing (WOCB) partners mustagree to use an effective method of contraception as outlined in Section 4.4 for thecourse of the study through 8 months after the last dose of study medication.

  3. Patients should be willing and able to swallow oral tablet medications

  4. Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent and HIPAAconsent document

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients who have had chemotherapy, or radiotherapy within 2 weeks prior to C1D1 orthose who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered morethan 2 weeks earlier (secondary hypothyroidism from prior immunotherapy ispermissible if controlled on thyroid hormone replacement). Recovery is defined asany treatment onset adverse events returning to baseline or otherwise deemed notclinically significant.

  2. Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents for advanced cancerand must not have received prior treatment with TDxD

  3. Immunotherapy and treatments involving any investigational agents must bediscontinued for >21 days before Cycle 1 Day 1 (C1D1)

  4. Patients with known untreated brain metastases are excluded from this study becauseof their poor prognosis and frequent development of neurologic dysfunction thatwould confound the evaluation of neurologic and other adverse events. Treated brainmetastases are allowed (requires stability on MRI at least 4 weeks after initialtreatment). Patients with treated brain metastases are allowed to be treated withsteroid and/or anti-convulsants if the dose remains stable or decreases over thelast 4 weeks prior to C1D1

  5. Patients with ongoing diarrhea (> 4 bowel movements/day) unresolved despite medicaland best supportive care in the two weeks preceding therapy

  6. Patients will be excluded if they have had interstitial lung disease or pneumonitisor were suspected to have interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis that could not beruled out on imaging at screening or if they had a history of noninfectiousinterstitial lung disease or pneumonitis that had been treated with glucocorticoids.Similarly, patients with clinically significant lung disease requiring O2 support orimpaired lung function per investigator should be excluded

  7. History of allergic reactions attributed to compound of similar chemical or biologiccomposition to the agent(s) used in this study

  8. Patients receiving any medications or substances that are strong inhibitors orinducers of Neratinib and/or TDxD are ineligible.

  9. Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or activeinfection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiacarrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliancewith study requirements.

  10. Has a QT interval corrected by Fridericia's formula (QTcF) prolongation to >470 msec (female subjects) or >450 msec (male subjects) based on average of the Screeningtriplicate12-lead ECG.

  11. Any patients with immune deficiency are at increased risk of lethal infections whentreated with marrow-suppressive therapy, including uncontrolled HIV with CD4 count <200, untreated Hepatitis B are excluded from the study. Patients who have beentreated for hepatitis C definitively with evidence of sustained virologic response,as well as HIV and hepatitis B patients on treatment with undetectable viral loadwill be eligible for inclusion.

  12. Pregnant or breast feeding.

Study Design

Total Participants: 18
Treatment Group(s): 2
Primary Treatment: Neratinib Pill
Phase: 1
Study Start date:
June 24, 2022
Estimated Completion Date:
June 30, 2027

Study Description

This is Phase 1 dose finding trial with potential dose expansion to evaluate the safety, toxicity, recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of Neratinib plus TDxD using a standard 3+3 dose escalation design in patients with metastatic or unresectable gastro-esophageal cancer that are HER2-overexpressing (IHC 3+ or IHC2+/ISH+) and any other gastrointestinal cancer with HER2 expression with IHC3+. Patients must have progressed or been intolerant of at least one prior line of chemotherapy + HER2 directed therapy. A total of 18 patients will be enrolled with the plan to reach MTD and enroll any remaining patients at the RP2D to further define the toxicities and preliminary efficacy to help define the future studies with this combination. Patients will be enrolled in cohorts of 3 at each dose level (see SCHEMA). It is anticipated that the trials may escalate through 3 different dose levels of Neratinib (120 mg, 160 mg, 200 mg) and standardized approved dosing of TDxD (5.4mg/kg) in breast cancer will be used as explained in the study rationale. Both drugs have GI toxicity specifically diarrhea and the combination may have risk of increased toxicity from TDxD due to increase cellular uptake of the cytotoxic payload. Therefore, we are not testing the recommended single agent dose of 240mg of Neratinib with this combination. For the same reason, TDxD will not be used at the approved single agent dose of 6.4mg/kg as the safety of this dosing was established in the monotherapy setting [33]. If the initial dose level 0 is deemed too toxic, the study investigators and DSMB can make a decision to allow dose reduction of TDxD to 4.4mg/kg (dose level -1) and reintroduction of neratinib at dose level 0, if the toxicities are felt to be related to TDxD. For cycle 1, patients will start with Neratinib lead in starting at Day -7 and TDxD will be administered on Day 1. Each future treatment cycle will comprise of Neratinib administered PO daily for a 21-day cycle with food. TDxD will be administered intravenously on day 1 of a 21-day cycle. The Dose Limiting Toxicities (DLT) window to determine MTD for the trial will be 28 days (cycle 1) from the start of the treatment. If toxicities are experienced outside the DLT window, they would not be considered in determining the MTD but will be closely monitored by the study team as well as institutional DSMB to ensure patient safety. The 28-day window will also help determine the RP2D. At the conclusion of the safety lead in portion, the Cohort Review committee will determine the RP2D, based on MTD as well as the safety profile of the drug after careful consideration. DLT will be defined in this study as a clinically significant adverse event or abnormal laboratory value assessed as described in section 6.3. All patients will undergo screening transthoracic echocardiography or multigated acquisition scan (MUGA) prior to initiating treatment and every 12 weeks while on treatment. The same imaging tumor assessment as at the time of screening should be used (computed tomography (CT) of the chest abdomen and pelvis with IV contrast or CT of the chest without IV contrast and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen/pelvis if iodinated contrast is contraindicated). Tumor assessment must be performed every 3 cycles (+/-7 days). The assessment will be conducted before day 1 of each cycle as possible. Head CT/MRI should only be done when symptoms associated with brain metastasis occur.

Connect with a study center

  • Stanford Cancer Center

    Palo Alto, California 94304
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Stanford Cancer Center

    Palo Alto 5380748, California 5332921 94304
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Buffalo, New York 14263
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Buffalo 5110629, New York 5128638 14263
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Fox Chase Cancer Center

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Fox Chase Cancer Center

    Philadelphia 4560349, Pennsylvania 6254927 19111
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

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