Quality of Life for Patients With Breast Cancer Brain Metastases and Leptomeningeal Disease

June 15, 2026 updated by: University of California, San Francisco

Prospective Evaluation of Quality of Life in Patients With Breast Cancer Brain Metastases and Leptomeningeal Disease

Central nervous system (CNS) metastases including breast cancer brain metastases (BCBMs) and leptomeningeal disease (LMD) are common affecting up to 30% of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The goal of this research is to understand symptom burden and quality of life trajectories in this population and how treatments guide care management decisions.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To describe overall symptom experience and quality of life (QOL) over time in breast cancer patients with brain metastases and/or leptomeningeal disease.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the impact of cancer-directed treatments over time on quality of life, physical function, and cognitive function in patients with breast cancer brain metastases and/or leptomeningeal disease including:

  • The impact of whole brain radiation versus stereotactic radiosurgery on QOL.
  • The impact of brain metastasis surgical resection on QOL.
  • The impact of CNS-penetrant systemic therapies on QOL.
  • The impact of craniospinal irradiation and other treatment modalities for LMD on QOL.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the interaction between QOL and demographics, social determinants of health, and control of systemic disease in patients with breast cancer brain metastases and/or leptomeningeal disease.

OUTLINE:

Participants will be given questionnaires and followed for at least 3 years but may withdraw at any time.

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.
Observational

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.
200

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

  • United States
    • California
      • San Francisco, California, United States, 94143
        • University of California, San Francisco
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Laura Huppert, MD
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Michelle Melisko, MD
        • Contact:

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

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult participants at University of California, San Francisco who are actively receiving care for cancer that has spread to the brain and/or leptomeninges.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Be male or female 18 years of age or older.
  2. Have stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer with spread to the brain parenchyma and/or leptomeninges.
  3. Have the intention to start or continue anticancer therapy.
  4. Be able to provide informed consent.
  5. Be able to speak and read English.

Exclusion Criteria:

Participants who are not on any anticancer therapy and are not planning to start any anticancer therapy will be excluded from the study.

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
Participants with Metastatic Breast Cancer
This is a prospective cohort study of patients with Stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer with brain metastases and/or leptomeningeal disease who are receiving treatment for cancer or cancer-related disease. Through a series of surveys, participants will be asked about race/menopausal status, social determinants, symptom experience, and cognitive and physical functioning. Participants will be asked to update surveys every 3 months. Additional demographic and on-investigational / routine care treatment information will be obtained from the Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
Other: Health-Related Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaires
Participants can complete questionnaires online, via tablet in clinic, or via paper and pencil in clinic
Other Names:
  • Health-Related Quality of Life (HrQOL) questionnaires
  • Symptom Questionnaire
Other: Medical Chart Review
Data will be collected from the participants electronic medical record
Other Names:
  • Medical Record Review

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
Overall changes in reported symptom burden
Time Frame: Every 3 months for up to approximately 5 years.
Participants will complete the 22-item MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Brain Tumor (MDASI-BT) questionnaire which is designed to capture the severity of various symptoms related to cancer (13 items) and symptoms specifically related to brain cancer (9 items) during the last 24 hours. Participants responses are given on a scale from 0 (not present) to 10 (worst possible). The higher the score the more severe the symptom. A subset of the most prevalent or severe symptoms reported will be used to represent symptom burden. Additional information on the questionnaire development scoring and copyright details can be found at https://www.mdanderson.org/research/departments-labs-institutes/departments-divisions/symptom-research/symptom-assessment-tools/md-anderson-symptom-inventory-brain-tumor.html
Every 3 months for up to approximately 5 years.
Frequency of moderate to severe symptoms
Time Frame: Every 3 months for up to approximately 5 years
Participants will complete the 22-item MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Brain Tumor (MDASI-BT) questionnaire which is designed to capture the severity of various symptoms related to cancer (13 items) and symptoms specifically related to brain cancer (9 items) during the last 24 hours. Participants responses are given on a scale from 0 (not present) to 10 (worst possible). The higher the score the more severe the symptom. The frequency of responses to the MDASI-BT items with a score of 4 or higher will be reported as a percentage of the total number of participants.
Every 3 months for up to approximately 5 years
Overall change in scores on reported symptom interference (MDASI-BT)
Time Frame: Every 3 months for up to approximately 5 years
Participants will complete the 6-item section of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Brain Tumor (MDASI-BT) questionnaire which is designed to capture the interference of cancer symptoms during the last 24 hours. Participants responses are given on a scale from 0 (no interference) to 10 (interfered complete) and address general activity, mood, work/housework, relationships, walking, and enjoyment of life. The higher the score the more the symptom interfered with daily life. Additional information on the questionnaire development scoring and copyright details can be found at https://www.mdanderson.org/research/departments-labs-institutes/departments-divisions/symptom-research/symptom-assessment-tools/md-anderson-symptom-inventory-brain-tumor.html
Every 3 months for up to approximately 5 years
Change in the Mean Scores on the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) - Cognitive Function Short Form 8a Questionnaire over time
Time Frame: Up to 5 years.
This 8-item questionnaire to measure cognitive function based on responses to statements about how the participants feel regarding various cognitive tasks in the past 7 days with responses ranging from 5="Never" to 1="Very Often", and a total raw score ranging from 8 - 40, which are converted to a scaled T-score (range 22.41 to 63.48) with lower scores indicating a greater impairment of cognitive function.
Up to 5 years.
Change in the Mean Scores on the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) - Physical Function Questionnaire over time
Time Frame: Every 3 months for approximately 5 years.
This 6-item questionnaire to measures self-reported capability to physically function in the context of cancer and/or cancer treatment experiences, based on responses to statements about how the participants feel regarding various physical tasks in the past 7 days with responses ranging from 5="Without difficulty" to 1="Unable to do", or 5="Not at all" to 1="Cannot do" and a total raw score ranging from 6 - 30, which are converted to a scaled T-score with a range from 20.8 -59), with lower scores indicating a greater impairment of physical function.
Every 3 months for approximately 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
Changes in PROMIS - Cognitive function scores over time by non-investigational treatment regimen
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
The overall changes in scores on the PROMIS cognitive function scores by non-investigational treatment regimen, including whole brain radiation or craniospinal radiation versus stereotactic radiosurgery only, participants who have undergone surgical resection versus not, and participants treated with CNS penetrant systemic therapies versus not will be analyzed using logistic regression models.
Up to 5 years
Changes in PROMIS - Physical function scores over time by non-investigational treatment regimen
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
The overall changes in scores on both the PROMIS physical function scores by non-investigational treatment regimen, including whole brain radiation or craniospinal radiation versus stereotactic radiosurgery only, participants who have undergone surgical resection versus not, and participants treated with CNS penetrant systemic therapies versus not will be analyzed using logistic regression models.
Up to 5 years
Changes in MDASI-BT scores over time by non-investigational treatment regimen
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
The overall changes in scores on the MDASI-BT by non-investigational treatment regimen, including whole brain radiation or craniospinal radiation versus stereotactic radiosurgery only, participants who have undergone surgical resection versus not, and participants treated with CNS penetrant systemic therapies versus not will be analyzed using logistic regression models.
Up to 5 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.
University of California, San Francisco

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: Laura Huppert, MD, University of California, San Francisco
  • Principal Investigator: Michelle Melisko, MD, University of California, San Francisco

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 (Estimated)

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.
June 15, 2026

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, 2030

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, 2035

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).
June 9, 2026

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.
June 15, 2026

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.
June 22, 2026

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.
June 22, 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.
June 15, 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.
June 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.
  • 26757
  • NCI-2026-04200 (Registry Identifier: NCI Clinical Trials Reporting Program (CTRP))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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