'ADVANCE' (A Pilot Trial)

August 11, 2026 updated by: Rachel Freedman, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

'ADVANCE' (A Pilot Trial) ADjuVANt Chemotherapy in the Elderly: Developing and Evaluating Lower-Toxicity Chemotherapy Options for Older Patients With Breast Cancer

This study is being conducted to carefully study how chemotherapy is tolerated in group of patients age 70.

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 clinical trial is dedicated to patients age 70 and older and is focused on understanding how the investigators can improve upon breast cancer outcomes for older women, a group of patients who often do worse than younger patients and who are not well represented in clinical trials to date. Through this clinical trial, the investigators aim to better understand the side effects, experiences, and changes in physical function that may occur with chemotherapy. The investigators are also very interested in the genomics (or gene-changes) and biological changes that may occur in breast cancers in older women that may be different from the changes we see in younger patients.

Even though the chemotherapy agents being used in this study are used frequently when treating breast cancer, The investigators have limited information on how these agents are tolerated in older patients. This research study is called a Feasibility Study, because the investigators will be closely monitoring how easily it is to administer chemotherapy to a relatively small group of participants (up to 40) and to what degree side effects occur. The investigators will administer commercially available chemotherapy agents used in breast cancer in the specific setting of the treating older patients with early-stage breast cancer and with some mild modification of how these agents are given and in what combination.

For participants with triple negative breast cancer, paclitaxel and carboplatin will be administered in standard, weekly doses. Both agents are FDA-approved for use in early breast cancer. However, carboplatin and paclitaxel are not typically used as a 'stand-alone' treatment for breast cancer, meaning they are often used together along with other chemotherapy agent(s) over a longer period.

For participants with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide will be administered, which are both FDA-approved agents to treat breast cancer as part of a longer regimen to treat early breast cancer. In this clinical trial the investigators are modifying the way the chemotherapy is delivered so that it may be more tolerable than the longer treatment course. This clinical trial does not limit the use of other chemotherapy or other treatments being recommended for breast cancer, but any other recommended treatments would be given after the participants receive their paclitaxel and carboplatin on the clinical trial.

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 (Estimated)

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.
41

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 1

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
    • California
      • Duarte, California, United States, 91010
        • City of Hope National Medical Center
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
      • Milford, Massachusetts, United States, 01757
        • Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) at Milford Regional Medical Center
      • South Weymouth, Massachusetts, United States, 02190
        • Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) in Clinical Affiliation with South Shore Hospital
    • North Carolina
      • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27103
        • Novant Health Oncology Specialists

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

70 years and older (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants must have histologically or cytologically confirmed breast cancer that is human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-negative) per the most recent 2018 ASCO CAP guidelines94
  • Estrogen Receptor and Progesterone immunohistochemistry (IHC) status must be known; any status is eligible, but this will define in which cohort a patient will enroll:
  • Additional eligibility for cohort 1: Triple negative disease- defined as IHC staining of <10% for ER and PR per local pathology review
  • Additional eligibility for cohort 2: Hormone receptor-positive disease defined as IHC for ER or PR >/= 10% per local pathology review
  • Men and women are eligible
  • Age 70 and older at the time of protocol registration
  • Non-metastatic, invasive breast cancer (scans are not required to document non-metastatic disease- any staging work-up is up to the treating provider's discretion)
  • Recommended to have either neoadjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy per their treating provider.
  • Any surgery, nodal assessment, radiation, hormonal therapy is left up to the treating provider but should not occur concurrently with study therapy. If any additional chemotherapy is planned by a treating provider, this must occur AFTER all study-related chemotherapy is completed.
  • Any patient receiving pre-operative hormonal therapy and who is then recommended for adjuvant chemotherapy is eligible, though hormonal therapy should be held during study treatment administration
  • All study-related chemotherapy must be given prior to surgery if neoadjuvant therapy is planned or adjuvantly if postoperative chemotherapy is planned. For example, giving 6 doses pre-operatively and 6 doses postoperatively is not allowed on study.
  • There are no restrictions on life expectancy, ECOG Performance Status, or baseline blood values or organ function; Appropriateness of chemotherapy treatment is left up to the treating provider but providers should be ok with the full starting doses of each agent.
  • Participants must be willing to fill out surveys over time or designate a proxy to answer on their behalf.
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
  • Patients who do not speak or read English are eligible as long as adequate interpreter services are available or the surveys are available in the preferred language (i.e. PRO surveys are available in many languages)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants who have already received chemotherapy for the current cancer. Prior diagnoses of breast cancers are allowed, provided that the treating provider feels that the current cancer represents a new primary breast cancer and not recurrent disease.
  • Participants who are receiving any other investigational or anti-cancer agents. Any additional radiation, hormonal therapy or chemotherapy planned should be administered once the study treatments have completed.
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to cyclophosphamide, carboplatin, and paclitaxel.
  • Prior chemotherapy receipt is allowed in the setting of treatment of other/prior cancers, but no prior carboplatin (cohort 1), cyclophosphamide (cohort 2), or paclitaxel (both cohorts) receipt in the last 2 years is allowed (given toxicity and possible efficacy concerns

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: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel 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: Carboplatin + Paclitaxel
  • Paclitaxel will be administered intravenously 3 times per cycle
  • Carboplatin will be administered intravenously 3 times per cycle
Drug: Paclitaxel
The drug work by damaging the RNA or DNA that tells the cell how to copy itself in division. If the cells are unable to divide, they die.
Drug: Carboplatin
The drug work by damaging the RNA or DNA that tells the cell how to copy itself in division. If the cells are unable to divide, they die.
Experimental: Cyclophosphamide + Paclitaxel
  • Paclitaxel will be administered intravenously 3 times per cycle
  • Cyclophosphamide will be administered once per cycle
Drug: Paclitaxel
The drug work by damaging the RNA or DNA that tells the cell how to copy itself in division. If the cells are unable to divide, they die.
Drug: Cyclophosphamide
The drug work by damaging the RNA or DNA that tells the cell how to copy itself in division. If the cells are unable to divide, they die.

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
Toxicity and receipt of planned therapy (feasibility)
Time Frame: 3 months
Examine the number of treatments received divided by the denominator of 12 treatments
3 months

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
Adverse events
Time Frame: 2 years
Using CTCAE standard reporting
2 years
NCI PRO-CTCAE
Time Frame: 2 Years
Examine patient reported CTCAEs on study treatment and their agreement with provider reports.
2 Years
Consequences of toxicity or disease events
Time Frame: 2 years
Frequency of hospitalizations, deaths, emergency room visits
2 years
Invasive disease-free survival
Time Frame: 2 years
recurrences and survival as per STEEP definitions and whether recurrences are local or distant
2 years
Overall survival
Time Frame: 2 years
We will examine the time from study registration to death
2 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.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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.
Mayo Clinic

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.
  • Principal Investigator: Rachel Freedman, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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.
March 21, 2019

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.
November 10, 2020

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.
December 30, 2026

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).
February 25, 2019

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.
February 26, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

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.
February 28, 2019

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.
August 11, 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.
August 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.
  • 19-031

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center encourages and supports the responsible and ethical sharing of data from clinical trials. De-identified participant data from the final research dataset used in the published manuscript may only be shared under the terms of a Data Use Agreement. Requests may be directed to: [contact information for Sponsor Investigator or designee]. The protocol and statistical analysis plan will be made available on Clinicaltrials.gov only as required by federal regulation or as a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data can be shared no earlier than 1 year following the date of publication

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

BCH - Contact the Technology & Innovation Development Office at www.childrensinnovations.org or email TIDO@childrens.harvard.edu BIDMC - Contact the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Technology Ventures Office at tvo@bidmc.harvard.edu BWH - Contact the Partners Innovations team at http://www.partners.org/innovation DFCI - Contact the Belfer Office for Dana-Farber Innovations (BODFI) at innovation@dfci.harvard.edu MGH - Contact the Partners Innovations team at http://www.partners.org/innovation

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings