Doxorubicin and Paclitaxel in Treating Women With Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

March 22, 2011 updated by: Georgetown University

A Pilot Trial Comparing Doxorubicin and Paclitaxel Induced Apoptosis in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug and giving the drugs in different ways may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of doxorubicin with paclitaxel in treating women who have locally advanced breast cancer.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the feasibility of obtaining serial biopsies in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer. II. Assess the feasibility of performing assays of apoptosis and of markers that predict response on specimens obtained in these patients. III. Correlate the results of the assays with clinical and pathologic response rates. IV. Establish a baseline of change in apoptosis rates for future studies. V. Obtain serial blood samples and tumor tissue for future biological studies.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified by pre or postmenopausal state and T3 or T4 lesions. Arm I: Patients receive single agent doxorubicin by bolus infusion on day 1. Dose repeats every 14 days for a total of four courses, provided absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and platelet count remain in the appropriate range. Patients then receive paclitaxel IV administered over 3 hours once every 14 days for a total of four courses, provided ANC and platelet count remain in the appropriate range. Filgrastim (G-CSF) subcutaneous treatment is started on day 3 of each course, and continued for 7 days, or until ANC is greater than 10,000/mm3. Patients undergo serial core-needle breast biopsies or fine needle aspirations prior to starting therapy and on day one of each course. Arm II: Patients receive four courses of paclitaxel given once every 14 days. Patients then receive four courses of doxorubicin given on day 1 every 14 days, provided ANC and platelet count are in the appropriate range. G-CSF subcutaneous treatment is started on day 3 of each course, as in Arm I. Patients undergo serial core-needle breast biopsies or fine needle aspirations prior to starting and on day one of each course. Arm I and II: Upon completion of eight courses of chemotherapy, patients undergo a surgical procedure to evaluate the extent of residual disease and number of lymph nodes involved, and to achieve local control. Following surgery, patients receive additional treatment at the discretion of the treating oncologist. Eligible patients undergo further high dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell rescue; other patients receive cyclophosphamide therapy. Patients receiving lumpectomies receive breast irradiation. Patients receiving mastectomies might receive chest wall irradiation. Following radiotherapy, hormone receptor positive patients may start tamoxifen therapy for 5 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: An estimated 40 patients (20 per treatment arm) will be accrued for this study.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

40

Phase

  • 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

    • District of Columbia
      • Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20007
        • Lombardi 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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically proven locally advanced breast cancer Unresected T3 or T4 lesion, OR Unresected T2 lesion if patient considered appropriate candidate for neoadjuvant chemotherapy to enhance breast conservation Hormone receptor status: Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Sex: Female Menopausal status: Not specified Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Hematopoietic: WBC at least 3,500/mm3 Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 Hepatic: Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times normal Renal: Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times normal Cardiovascular: LVEF at least 50% (baseline MUGA) No history of uncontrolled congestive heart failure At least 6 months since prior myocardial infarction No unstable angina No uncontrolled hypertension Neurologic: No peripheral neuropathy Other: Not pregnant or nursing No psychosis

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: No prior cytotoxic therapy Endocrine therapy: No prior hormonal therapy for breast cancer Prior estrogen replacement therapy allowed No concurrent steroid therapy Radiotherapy: Not specified Surgery: See Disease Characteristics Other: No concurrent treatment for serious infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal)

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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Vered Stearns, MD, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center

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

March 1, 1997

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2001

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2001

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 1, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 18, 2004

First Posted (Estimate)

February 19, 2004

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 24, 2011

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 22, 2011

Last Verified

December 1, 2006

More Information

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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