Patient description: The patient is a 45-year-old postmenopausal woman with cytologically confirmed breast cancer. A core biopsy revealed a 3 cm invasive ductal breast carcinoma in the left upper outer quadrant. The tumor is HER2-positive and ER/PR negative. Axillary sampling revealed 5 positive lymph nodes. CXR was remarkable for metastatic lesions. The patient is using multivitamins and iron supplements. She does not smoke or consume alcohol. She is not sexually active and has no children. She is a candidate for tumor resection and agrees to do so prior to chemotherapy.

Clinical trial eligibility criteria: eligible ages (years): 18.0-999.0,  Metastatic Melanoma and Merkel Cell Carcinoma Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed unresectable (stage III) and/or metastatic (stage IV) melanoma or unresectable and/or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. 2. Melanoma patients should have no mutation in BRAF and NRAS genes 3. Patients should have lesions that can be biopsied, in addition measurable and non-measurable metastatic lesions and at 1 lesion suitable for 18FDG-PET scan or CT/MRI. 4. ECOG Performance Status of 0 or 1 5. Presence of measurable or non-measurable disease according to 1.0 6. Adequate organ function: adequate bone marrow function (WBC ≥ 2.5 x 109/L, ANC ≥ 1.5 x 109/L, platelets ≥ 100 x 109/L, hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL); serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) > 40 ml/min/m2; serum lipase ≤ 1.5 ULN  Patient with primary uveal melanoma 2. Patients with symptomatic CNS metastases who are neurologically unstable or requiring increasing doses of steroids to control their CNS disease 3. Patient who have been previously treated with somatostatin analogue or radiolabeled somatostatin analogs or patients with a known hypersensitivity to somatostatin analogs or any component of the pasireotide s.c. and i.m. formulations or their excipients 4. Patients for whom standard treatment is available and indicated due to rapidly progressive or aggressive disease 5. Patients who received more than 3 prior lines of systemic therapy for the treatment of the disease. 6. Patients receiving any anti-neoplastic therapy within the 4 weeks prior to baseline 7. Patients receiving an investigational drug within 1 month prior to baseline 8. Patients who have undergone major surgery/surgical therapy for any cause within 1 month prior to baseline. Patients must have recovered from the treatment and have a stable clinical condition before entering this study 9. Patients who have received prior radiation therapy ≤ 4 weeks, or limited field radiation ≤ 2 weeks, prior to baseline or the side effects of such therapy have not resolved to ≤ grade 1. 10. Patients unwilling to perform repeated biopsies 11. Patients with known gallbladder or bile duct disease, acute or chronic pancreatitis (patients with asymptomatic cholelithiasis and asymptomatic bile duct dilation can be included) 12. Patients with abnormal coagulation (PT or PTT elevated by 30% above normal limits) 13. Patients on continuous anticoagulation therapy. Patients who were on anticoagulant therapy must complete a washout period of at least 10 days prior to baseline and have confirmed normal coagulation parameters before study 14. Patients who are not biochemically euthyroid 15. Patients with known history of hypothyroidism are eligible if they are on adequate and stable replacement thyroid hormone therapy for at least 3 months prior to baseline 16. Patients with QT-related Baseline QTcF >450 ms History of syncope or family history of idiopathic sudden death Known history of prolong QT syndrome Sustained or clinically significant cardiac arrhythmias Patients with risk factors for torsades de pointes such as uncorrected hypokalemia, uncorrected hypomagnesemia, clinically relevant cardiac failure (NYHA class III or IV), clinically significant/symptomatic bradycardia or high-grade AV block Concomitant medications known to prolong the QT interval Known concomitant disease(s) that could prolong QT such as autonomic neuropathy (caused by diabetes mellitus or Parkinson's disease), HIV, liver cirrhosis, uncontrolled hypothyroidism or cardiac failure Patients with unstable angina, sustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, high grade (NOT advanced!) heart block or history of acute myocardial infarction less than one year prior to baseline 18. Patients with any of the following severe and/or uncontrolled medical conditions Uncontrolled diabetes as defined by HbA1c > 8% despite adequate therapy