fREEDOM: REsonance for Early Detection Of Breast Cancer Metastases (fREEDOM)

January 2, 2026 updated by: European Institute of Oncology
The aim of this study is to understand whether DWB-MRI (Diffusion Whole Body-Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is useful for early detection of locoregional or distant recurrence and whether early diagnosis influences the prognosis in high-risk populations thanks to the possibility of being able to use a more effective treatment. The primary objective is to evaluate 5-year overall survival (OS) in patients with Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 positive (HER2+) or high-risk Triple Negative (TN) undergoing surveillance with DWB-MRI.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
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

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world and the most common cancer among women. In these patients, it is not the primary tumor, but its distant metastases that are the main cause of death. Follow-up may vary depending on the hospital or doctor, but the data available in the literature do not show an advantage in terms of survival or quality of life in patients subjected to intensive follow-up. However, the information that physicians have comes from past studies limited by the presence of bias regarding patient characteristics, therapies, follow-up intervals and tests used. In light of the better understanding of biology, breast cancer is no longer considered a single disease, but it is classified into at least four different molecular subtypes, based on the immunohistochemical classification: Luminal A-like, Luminal B-like, HER2 positive and Triple Negative. Nowadays it is known that not only the stage of diagnosis, but also the biology of the disease influences the risk of recurrence and death. Furthermore, a growing number of trials show that different biological subtypes differ in terms of time to relapse and disease pattern of metastatic spread (in particular, site of first relapse). These observations lead to the hypothesis that different types and different frequencies of follow-up strategies should vary depending on the biology of breast cancer. Furthermore, with improved management and the availability of new effective treatments, patients with oligometastatic disease treated with an aggressive multidisciplinary approach may be amenable to curative treatment. Based on this hypothesis, an early diagnosis of metastatic disease could lead to the identification of patients with low disease burden who can still be treated with curative intent. DWB-MRI is emerging as a promising tool for the detection and therapy monitoring of metastases in different tumor types and could be an important tool for the early detection of breast cancer metastases.

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.
145

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.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Italy
      • Milan, Italy, 20141
        • Recruiting
        • European Institute of Oncology
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Monica Iorfida, MD

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Pre or post-menopausal patient with histologically confirmed invasive breast cancer stage II - III HER2 + or TN operated breast carcinoma or patients underwent neoadjuvant treatment (included cT4d) with residual disease at definitive surgery
  • No evidence of distant metastases at baseline perioperative radiological staging (DWB-MRI, total body Computed Tomography (CT) or Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT) must be performed +/- 1 month from surgery)
  • No relevant comorbidities
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0
  • Geographically accessible for follow up
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Absolute contraindications that exclude the execution of the MRI investigation, regardless of the clinical indication
  • Relative contraindications that include situations in which the innocuousness of the examination is not documented with certainty that therefore do not recommend the execution, except for serious indications related to the patient's clinical need
  • Older age (>75 years)
  • Previous or concomitant other malignancy except basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or adequately treated in situ carcinoma of the cervix
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements

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: Diagnostic
  • 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: DWB-MRI
Surveillance with diffusion whole body MRI
Diagnostic test: Diffusion whole body MRI
Diffusion whole body MRI protocol, consisting of sagittal T1-weighted and T2-weighted sequences on the whole spine, axial T1 weighted, T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted images from head to mid-thigh, performed on a 1.5 T scanner.

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
5-year overall survival
Time Frame: 5 years
Number of alive patients at 5 years (considering deaths from any cause)
5 years

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
Overall survival of patients underwent local treatment
Time Frame: 5 years
Number of patients undergoing local treatment (surgery or other localized technique) who are alive at 5 years (considering deaths from any cause)
5 years
Breast cancer specific survival
Time Frame: 5 years
Number of alive patients at 5 years (considering only deaths related to breast cancer)
5 years
Safety of local treatment
Time Frame: 48 months
Number of serious adverse event related to local treatment received
48 months
Anxiety assessment
Time Frame: 48 months
Collection of Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale questionnaire (minimum value: 0, maximum value: 4 - higher scores mean a worse outcome)
48 months
Health state assessment
Time Frame: 48 months
Collection of 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) questionnaire (minimum value: 0, maximum value: 6 - higher scores mean a better outcome)
48 months
Ability to Cope With Trauma assessment
Time Frame: 48 months
Collection of Perceived Ability to Cope With Trauma (PACT) questionnaire (minimum value: 0, maximum value: 7 - higher scores mean a better outcome)
48 months
Personality assessment
Time Frame: 48 months
Collection of Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI-10) questionnaire (minimum value: 0, maximum value: 5 - higher scores mean a greater agreement with the statement)
48 months
Acceptability and perception of DWB-MRI
Time Frame: 48 months
Collection of Acceptance Questionnaire (minimum value: 0, maximum value: 5 - higher scores mean a worse outcome)
48 months

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.
European Institute of Oncology

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: Monica Iorfida, MD, European Institute of Oncology

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.
November 22, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 31, 2028

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 31, 2028

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).
March 13, 2024

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.
March 21, 2024

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.
March 25, 2024

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.
January 6, 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.
January 2, 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.
January 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.
  • UID 1743
  • IEO 1108 (Other Identifier: Comitato Etico degli IRCCS Istituto Europeo di Oncologia e Centro Cardiologico Monzino)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

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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