FES PET/MRI for Occult Disease in Lobular Breast Cancer

October 30, 2026 updated by: University of Wisconsin, Madison

A Diagnostic Accuracy Study of FES PET/MRI for the Detection of Occult Disease in Lobular Breast Cancer

The investigators hope to learn if lobular breast cancer can be identified using a special procedure called a positron emission tomography (PET) magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan, collectively a PET/MRI scan, that uses a radioactive imaging agent called Fluorine 18 fluoroestradiol (18F-FES). This procedure may be able to define the extent of disease more clearly than the standard of care breast imaging exams. 30 participants will be enrolled and be on study for up to 6 months.

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

This prospective study aims to estimate the added value of supplemental 18F-FES PET/MRI following standard-of-care (SOC) preoperative assessments for detecting occult disease in ILC. The investigators hypothesize that there is increased sensitivity of 18F-FES PET/MRI for detecting additional locoregional and distant site(s) of disease that is occult on SOC imaging.

Primary Objective: To estimate the increased sensitivity of 18F-FES PET/MRI for detecting disease that is occult on SOC imaging

Secondary Objectives: To characterize the

  • Positive predictive value of additional pathology-confirm disease.
  • Proportion of upstaging (composite T, N and M stages)
  • Frequency of extensive breast disease (e.g., multifocal, multicentric or contralateral).
  • Change in clinical management (e.g., changes in treatment intent, conversion to neoadjuvant therapy).
  • Agreement of ILC tumor size between imaging exams (18F FES PET-MRI and SOC breast MRI, ultrasound and mammogram) and histopathologic exams.
  • Error rate in size measurements between radiology and pathology for primary ILC.
  • Change in surgical management (e.g., conversion to mastectomy).

Exploratory objectives: 1) To correlate 18F-FES standardized uptake value of SUVmax with immunohistochemical quantification of ER expression and ILC cellularity. 2) To define an 18F-FES SUVmax threshold for pathology-confirmed ER-positive ILC.

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.
30

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 4

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
    • Wisconsin
      • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53792
        • UW Carbone Cancer Center

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

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults assigned female sex at birth
  • Newly diagnosed ILC confirmed on core-needle biopsy (greater than or equal to 1 percent ER staining per American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP) guidelines)
  • have undergone or will undergo standard-of-care (SOC) clinical and imaging assessments (e.g., mammography, ultrasound, breast MRI)
  • planning for mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery within 12 months of their initial diagnosis
  • Provision of signed and dated informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with history of ipsilateral axillary lymph node dissection

  • Patients who received anti-estrogen therapy such as selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD, e.g., fulvestrant, elacestrant) in the last 28 weeks or selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM, e.g., tamoxifen, raloxifene) in the last 8 weeks.

  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding

  • Patients with known allergic or hypersensitivity reactions to previously administered GBCAs or related drug.

  • Patients with a contraindication to MRI, or who cannot be positioned within the scanner because their body weight or diameter exceeds the scanner limits.

  • Patients requiring intravenous (IV) conscious sedation for imaging are not eligible; patients requiring mild, oral anxiolytics for the clinical MRI will be allowed to participate as long as the following criteria are met:

    1. The subject has their own prescription for the medication
    2. The informed consent process is conducted prior to the self-administration of this medication
    3. They come to the research visit with a driver

  • Concurrent participation in another clinical study that, in the judgment of the PI, would interfere with study procedures, endpoint assessment, interpretation of imaging findings, or participant safety.

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: Participants with Lobular Breast Cancer

Participants will undergo FES PET/MRI imaging after SOC imaging, followed by SOC breast surgery / biopsy
Drug: 18Fluoroestradiol (18F-FES)
  • Dose: Approximately 6 millicuries (mCi) (222 megabecquerels (MBq)) ± 20%
  • Administration: IV injection, contralateral to the primary tumor site
  • Physical Half-life: ~110 minutes
  • Mechanism: FES binds to estrogen receptors expressed on tumor cells, enabling visualization of ER-positive disease sites.
Other Names:
  • Cerianna
  • Fluoroestradiol
  • 18F-FES
  • PET radiopharmaceutical
Device: MRI

Participant undergoes PET/MRI scan to image ER-positive disease sites

Other Names:
  • magnetic resonance imaging
  • PET/MRI
Drug: Gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA)

Administered during the MRI portion of the examination

Other Names:
  • GBCA

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 of Participants where Disease is Detected using 18F-FES-PET/MRI
Time Frame: up to 6 months

The number of participants for which disease is detected using 18F-FES-PET/MRI compared to the number of samples identified with disease (histopathology) will be reported to estimate the sensitivity of 18F-FES-PET/MRI for detecting disease that is occult (hidden) on SOC imaging.
up to 6 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
Participant Level Positive Predictive Value (PPV)
Time Frame: up to 6 months

Defined by histopathology as the reference standard. This is the odds of 18F-FES-PET/MRI imaging predicting disease.
up to 6 months
Proportion of Participants Upstaged using a composite of the T, N, and M stages
Time Frame: up to 6 months

A cancer is staged by describing the: the size of the Tumor, whether the cancer has spread to lymph Nodes, and whether the cancer has spread to other organs, or Metastasized (TNM staging). TNM upstaging is when a patient is discovered to have more advanced cancer than initially imaging.
up to 6 months
Proportion of patients who are diagnosed with pathology-proven multifocal, multicentric or contralateral disease
Time Frame: up to 6 months

The proportion of patients who are diagnosed with pathology-proven multifocal, multicentric or contralateral disease will be measured to characterize the frequency of the detection of extensive breast involvement by 18F-FES-PET/MRI.
up to 6 months
Percent of participants where 18F-FES-PET/MRI changed clinical care compared to SOC image
Time Frame: up to 6 months

The following will be reviewed: frequency of changes in treatment intent from curative to palliative after detecting occult metastatic disease; conversion to neoadjuvant therapy after detecting occult locally advanced disease; and changes in axillary surgery from sentinel lymph node biopsy to targeted axillary dissection or complete axillary lymph node dissection after detecting occult axillary metastases in order to characterize the clinical impact of 18F-FES-PET/MRI on treatment decision.
up to 6 months
Lesion-level agreement of the maximal tumor dimension
Time Frame: up to 6 months

The lesion-level agreement of the maximal tumor dimension for the indexed ILC lesion, comparing imaging measurements with pathology measurements among patients who underwent definitive surgery will be reported to characterize the agreement of ILC tumor size between imaging exams (18F FES PET-MRI and SOC breast MRI, ultrasound and mammogram) and histopathologic exams.
up to 6 months
Lesion-level error rate in maximal tumor dimension
Time Frame: up to 6 months

The lesion-level error rate in maximal tumor dimension using pre-specified relative threshold of less than or equal to 25 percent difference between imaging and pathology measurements will be reported to characterize the error rate in size measurements between radiology and pathology for primary ILC.
up to 6 months
Percent of participants where 18F-FES-PET/MRI changed surgical planning
Time Frame: up to 6 months

The frequency of changed surgical planning (conversion from planned lumpectomy to mastectomy due to extensive breast involvement; margin re-excision in those undergoing lumpectomy; conversion to mastectomy in those initially managed with lumpectomy) will be reported to characterize the clinical impact of 18F-FES-PET/MRI on surgical planning.
up to 6 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.
University of Wisconsin, Madison

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.
GE Healthcare

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: Wenhui Zhou, MD, PhD, UW School of Medicine and Public Health

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.
November 1, 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.
November 1, 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.
November 1, 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).
October 26, 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.
October 26, 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.
November 2, 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.
November 3, 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.
October 30, 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.
October 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.
  • 2026-1072
  • SMPH | Radiology (Other Identifier: UW Madison)
  • Protocol Version 8/14/26 (Other Identifier: UW Madison)
  • UW26018 (Other Identifier: OnCore ID)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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