Drug Pair Did Not Shrink Brain Tumors From Breast Cancer
Original title: Paxalisib with Trastuzumab for HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer with Active Brain Metastases: A Phase II Trial with Integrated Plasma and CSF ctDNA Analyses.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This was an early trial in people, and the drugs did not work.
The short version
This drug pair did not shrink brain tumors in a small study.
What was studied. Doctors tested a drug called paxalisib along with trastuzumab. Seventeen patients took part. All had HER2-positive breast cancer that had spread to the brain and was growing.
What they found. 12 patients got the dose the doctors picked, which was 30 mg of paxalisib each day. None of their brain tumors shrank, so the response rate was 0%. The study was stopped early because the drugs were not working.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This drug pair does not look like a useful option for this kind of brain tumor. The result still helps doctors by ruling out one path. The study also hints that spinal fluid may show more about these tumors than blood does.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean other treatments will fail too. It was a small, early trial in people who had already tried many treatments. The drugs did not help, and the trial was closed. This is not a cure and not a new care option. Nothing here changes what your doctor can offer today.
Source: PubMed, October 19, 2026 · Read the original
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