BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Volunteers are being sought for a UCLA-affiliated study in Bakersfield that is testing two molecularly targeted therapies with chemotherapy to treat early stage HER-2 positive breast cancer.

The Phase III study will test different chemotherapy regimens with the targeted therapies Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody, and Avastin, an angiogenesis inhibitor.

Study volunteers will be randomized to either six cycles of docetaxel and carboplatin or three cycles of docetaxel, followed by three cycles of 5FU, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, a regimen called FEC. One group will also get Herceptin, while the other will get Herceptin and Avastin.

“Herceptin is already the standard of care across all stages of HER2-positive breast cancer and has a proven survival benefit. Avastin has been shown to be of benefit when given in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer,” said Dr. Dennis Slamon, director of clinical/translational research at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and principal investigator for the study. “The design of this clinical trial is based on preclinical and early clinical work done in UCLA laboratories. We look forward to investigating the additional benefit to patients of combining these two treatments with chemotherapy in the treatment of early breast cancer.”

The study is being done at multiple sites in California and nationwide that are part of Translational Oncology Research International (TORI), a nonprofit clinical research organization collaborating with UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. TORI is dedicated to developing new therapies for cancer.

For information about the study at Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center in Bakersfield, call Dr. Ravi Patel at (661) 862-7119 or email ddavis@cbccusa.com.

This year alone, about 182,460 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Of those, about 40,480 women will die from the disease. About 25 percent of women diagnosed every year with breast cancer are HER-2 positive, a genetic mutation that makes their cancer very aggressive and dangerous. Herceptin targets the HER-2 mutation, while Avastin targets the independent blood supply that breast cancer tumors develop so they can grow and spread.

The study will look at disease free survival times, overall survival, safety and tolerability, Slamon said. This is the first Phase III study to evaluate the combination of Avastin and Herceptin in treating early stage breast cancer.

The Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center (CBCC) is the first site UCLA partnered with to conduct research in a community setting. The goal is to offer UCLA-caliber clinical trials to patients in their own backyards. The partnership has allowed patients in Bakersfield to get leading-edge treatment through CBCC, with studies for lung, colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.

CBCC offers all aspects of cancer care in one location, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, imaging, support services, genetic counseling and a breast center. The facility has had many “firsts,” such as the first Cyberknife in Kern County.

“CBCC is excited to be one of the sites for this study with UCLA,” Dr. Patel said. “And we have already placed six patients on this clinical trial.”