Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab as Neoadjuvant Treatment in Patients With HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

July 21, 2026 updated by: Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

A Phase 2 Clinical Trial Assessing the Correlation of Early Changes in Standardized Uptake Value (SUV) on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) With Pathological Complete Response (pCR) to Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab in Patients With Primary Operable HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

This research is being done to determine if early changes on a type of imaging procedure called PET (Positron Emission Tomography) can predict which patients are most likely to respond to the combination of trastuzumab and pertuzumab when given prior to surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study will evaluate for the first time the correlation between early changes in SUV and pCR in men and women with ER-negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer receiving trastuzumab and pertuzumab (PT) pre-operatively. This has not previously been evaluated in patients receiving anti HER2 therapy alone and as such is novel and potentially practice changing. The results from this phase 2 biomarker study will be used to plan a randomized study using a predefined cut point for SUV decline such that the investigators can further attempt to identify a group of individuals with HER2-positive early breast cancer who do not require cytotoxic chemotherapy in addition to anti-HER2 agents. This non-invasive biomarker approach will be of great interest to breast cancer oncologists and patients by facilitating a personalized approach to managing patients with HER2-positive disease that will undoubtedly spare toxicity and reduce the costs associated with anti-cancer strategies, without compromising efficacy.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
88

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35294
        • University of Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • District of Columbia
      • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20016
        • Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
        • Indiana University Simon Cancer Center
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287-0013
        • Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Mayo Clinic
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
        • Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • Tennessee
      • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
        • Vanderbilt University
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Baylor College of Medicine
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98109
        • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center - University of Washington

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female and male patients, 18 years old or older
  • Histologically proven infiltrating carcinoma of the breast on core needle biopsy that is: estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR) ≤10% staining by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and HER2 positive - IHC 3+, in situ hybridization (ISH) ≥2.0, or average HER2 copy number ≥6.0 signals per cell or per current American Society of Clinical Oncology - College of American Pathologists (ASCO-CAP) or National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. Note: All histological diagnostic material should be reviewed at enrolling institution as required per local standards.
  • Unresected, untreated breast cancer that meets one of the following clinical stages (see Appendix A): T2, T3, or T4a-c lesion, any N, M0. Note: Patients with inflammatory breast cancer (T4d) are not eligible. Bilateral cancers are permitted with approval of the Protocol Chair.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1 (Appendix B)

  • Adequate organ function as follows:

    1. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,500/mm3
    2. Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm3
    3. Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
    4. Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times the upper limit of normal with creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min using the Modified Cockcroft-Gault method
    5. Bilirubin (total) ≤ 1.5 times upper limit normal (with exception of Gilberts syndrome)
    6. AST(SGOT), ALT(SGPT), and alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2 times the upper limit of normal
  • Adequate cardiac function as defined by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50% on echocardiogram or multi-gated acquisition scan (MUGA)
  • Able and amenable to baseline and follow-up PET/CT imaging and study-specific biopsy procedures. Note: If there are any imaging concerns that the patient may not be suitable for quantitative PET/CT (e.g., a metallic device directly overlies the breast), discussion with the local and central radiologists is required to confirm eligibility for the trial. Also, it is expected that subjects have all PET/CT imaging done on pre-qualified machines for the study; if baseline imaging done on another machine, please contact the Protocol Chair/designee for guidance prior to confirming eligibility.
  • The patient, if of childbearing potential, is willing to use effective, non-hormonal contraception while on treatment and for at least 6 months following the last dose of therapy.
  • Patient understands the study regimen, its requirements, risks, and discomforts, and is able and willing to sign an informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Received prior or ongoing local (e.g radiation) or systemic treatment (chemotherapy or endocrine therapy) for the current breast cancer. Patients who received tamoxifen or raloxifene or another agent for prevention of breast cancer may be included as long as the patient has discontinued the treatment at least one month prior to baseline study biopsy.
  • Systemic treatment for prior cancer within the last 5 years, with the exception of adequately treated cone-biopsied in situ carcinoma of the cervix uteri and basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.
  • Women who are pregnant or nursing
  • Current use of any investigational agents
  • Known hypersensitivity to trastuzumab or pertuzumab
  • Any medical condition that in the opinion of the investigator puts the patient at risk of potentially serious complications while on this therapy. Specifically, uncontrolled hypertension (systolic >150 and/or diastolic >100), unstable angina, congestive heart failure of any New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring treatment (exception: atrial fibrillation, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia), history of myocardial infarction within 6 months of enrollment.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab
Preoperative treatment with trastuzumab (8 mg/kg loading dose, then 6 mg/kg every 3 weeks, IV) and pertuzumab (840 mg as a loading dose, then 420 mg every 3 weeks, IV) every 3 weeks for 4 doses (total 12 weeks or 3 months of treatment) as assessed by Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Procedure: Positron emission tomography (PET)
PET will be performed at baseline and on day 15
Other Names:
  • FDG PET, PET/CT
Drug: Trastuzumab
8 mg/kg loading dose, then 6 mg/kg every 3 weeks, IV
Other Names:
  • Herceptin
Drug: Pertuzumab
840 mg as a loading dose, then 420 mg every 3 weeks, IV
Other Names:
  • Perjeta

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Percent Change in Standardized Uptake Value (SUV) as Measured by SULmax on [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Time Frame: Baseline and Day 15
SULmax is the maximum SUV corrected for lean body mass. Change in SULmax from baseline to Day 15 on FDG PET in correlation with pathological complete response (pCR) in patients treated with preoperative pertuzumab/trastuzumab. pCR was defined as no viable invasive cancer in breast and axilla by local pathology review. SULmax was measured via spherical volume over the target primary breast cancer tissue.
Baseline and Day 15

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in ptDNA With Response
Time Frame: 3 years
To correlate PIK3CA mutation status and other genomic alterations (mutations/somatic rearrangements) qualitatively and quantitatively in plasma tumor DNA (ptDNA) with pCR
3 years
Change in PI3K Pathway Activation With Response
Time Frame: 3 years
To correlate PI3K pathway activation (e.g. PTEN low and/or PIK3CA mutation, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 1-4 expression and/or phosphorylation) in tumor samples and pCR
3 years
Changes in Ki67 With Response
Time Frame: 3 years
To correlate baseline and change (day 15) in Ki67 with pCR
3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Genentech, Inc.
Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Roisin Connolly, MBBCh, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 30, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 20, 2018

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 3, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 3, 2013

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 9, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 21, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • TBCRC 026
  • TBCRC026 (Other Identifier: Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC))
  • NA_00080994 (Other Identifier: JHMIRB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

There is no plan to share individual patient data.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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