Anastrozole or Fulvestrant in Treating Postmenopausal Patients With Breast Cancer (HORGEN)

Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment With Anti-aromatase Anastrozole and Anti-estrogen Fulvestrant: a Randomized Phase II Study in Postmenopausal Patients With Hormone-sensitive Non-metastatic Breast Cancer and an Exploratory Study of Molecular Signatures of Response.

RATIONALE: Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy using anastrozole may fight breast cancer by lowering the amount of estrogen the body makes. Fulvestrant may fight breast cancer by blocking the use of estrogen by the tumor cells. Given the lack of clinical data on fulvestrant in patients with large operable or locally advanced hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, and the potential to identify differences in the mechanism of resistance using the neoadjuvant model,we decided to perform a multicentre randomised phase II clinical trial of anastrozole and fulvestrant.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of neoadjuvant anastrozole and fulvestrant treatment of large operable or locally advanced hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer not eligible for initial breast-conserving surgery, and to identify genomic changes occurring after treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Breast Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: fulvestrant; Drug: anastrozole

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Evaluate clinical tumor response at 6 months in patients with hormone-sensitive non-metastatic breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant anastrozole and fulvestrant.

Secondary

• Evaluate tumor regression by mammography and ultrasound in these patients.
• Evaluate the rate of breast conservation at 6 months of treatment in these patients.
• Evaluate the tolerability of these regimens.
• Estimate the relapse-free survival at 5 years.
• Identify molecular signatures predictive of response in these patients.
• Identify genes implicated in response in these patients.
• Identify changes in mRNA splicing of genes involved in breast tumorigenesis.

OUTLINE: This is a non-comparative multicentre randomised phase II study in which patients from three French centres were randomly assigned in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive either anatrozole or fulvestrant.

All patients undergo biopsy at baseline. Patients are randomized between the two treatment arms.

• Arm I: Patients receive oral anastrozole once daily for 6 months.
• Arm II: Patients receive fulvestrant intramuscularly on days 1, 14, and 28 and then once a month at 2-6 months.

Within 8 days after completion of hormone therapy, all patients undergo surgical resection of the residual lesion followed by radiotherapy. Patients then receive oral anastrozole once daily for 5 years.

Tissue samples from biopsy and surgery are analyzed to assess molecular signatures and sensitivity to treatment, and to compare gene expression variation with response.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 120
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Bordeaux, France, 33076
    • Institut Bergonie

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 100 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed invasive breast cancer, meeting 1 of the following criteria:

  • SBR grade I-II disease (patients < 65 years of age)
  • SBR grade I-III disease (patients > 65 years of age)
• T2 (2-5 cm), T3, or T4B, and N0-1 disease
• No metastatic disease
• Breast lesion not amenable to breast-conserving resection
• No inflammatory breast cancer
• No prior breast cancer

• Hormone receptor status:

  • Estrogen receptor- and/or progesterone receptor-positive

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Postmenopausal
• No other cancer within the past 5 years except for adequately treated skin carcinoma or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No contraindication to anti-hormonal treatment
• No psychological, familial, social, or geographical reasons that would preclude follow up

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• At least 8 days since prior hormone replacement therapy
• No concurrent anti-vitamin K treatment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Arm A (ANA); Patients receive oral anastrozole as 1 mg film-coated tablets, once daily for 6 months.	Drug: anastrozole; Given orally
Experimental: Arm B (FULV); Patients receive fulvestrant intramuscularly ( 250 mg/5 ml solution) on days 1, 14, and 28 and then once a month thereafter until 6 months.	Drug: fulvestrant; Given intramuscularly

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Objective Response Rate (ORR) Determined by Clinical Palpation	Objective response rate is defined as the rate of participants with partial or complete responses according to RECIST V1.0. Complete response is defined as the disappearance of all target lesions and partial response is defined as at least a 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameters (SLD) of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline SLD (RECIST V1.0.).	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Objective Response Rate (ORR) Determined by Ultrasound	Objective response rate is defined as the rate of participants with partial or complete responses according to RECIST V1.0. Complete response is defined as the disappearance of all target lesions and partial response is defined as at least a 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameters (SLD) of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline SLD (RECIST V1.0.).	6 months
Objective Response Rate (ORR) Determined by Mammography	Objective response rate is defined as the rate of participants with partial or complete responses according to RECIST V1.0. Complete response is defined as the disappearance of all target lesions and partial response is defined as at least a 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameters (SLD) of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline SLD (RECIST V1.0.).	6 months
Rate of Breast-conserving Surgery	breast-conserving surgery concerns patients who did not undergo mastectomy.	6 months
Percentage of Participants With 5-year Relapse-Free Survival	Relapse-Free survival (RFS) is measured from the date of randomization to the date of the following events, whichever occurs first according to the DATECAN recommendations for breast cancer: Invasive ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence/ progression ;; Local invasive recurrence/progression ;; Regional invasive recurrence/progression (N+: regional progression) ;; Appearance/Occurrence of Metastatic recurrence;; Death whatever the cause. Participants who did not experience events were censored at the date of last follow-up. RFS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. No comparison test was performed between the two arms as this study is non-comparative.	5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Institut Bergonié
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute, France
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Louis Mauriac, MD, Institut Bergonie

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Quenel-Tueux N, Debled M, Rudewicz J, MacGrogan G, Pulido M, Mauriac L, Dalenc F, Bachelot T, Lortal B, Breton-Callu C, Madranges N, de Lara CT, Fournier M, Bonnefoi H, Soueidan H, Nikolski M, Gros A, Daly C, Wood H, Rabbitts P, Iggo R. Clinical and genomic analysis of a randomised phase II study evaluating anastrozole and fulvestrant in postmenopausal patients treated for large operable or locally advanced hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 2015 Aug 11;113(4):585-94. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2015.247. Epub 2015 Jul 14.
• Lerebours F, Pulido M, Fourme E, Debled M, Becette V, Bonnefoi H, Rivera S, MacGrogan G, Mouret-Reynier MA, de Lara CT, Pierga JY, Breton-Callu C, Venat-Bouvet L, Mathoulin-Pelissier S, de la Motte Rouge T, Dalenc F, Sigal B, Bachelot T, Lemonnier J, Quenel-Tueux N. Predictive factors of 5-year relapse-free survival in HR+/HER2- breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant endocrine therapy: pooled analysis of two phase 2 trials. Br J Cancer. 2020 Mar;122(6):759-765. doi: 10.1038/s41416-020-0733-x. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 18, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 30, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): July 2, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 27, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 27, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): March 30, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 24, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2021
• Last Verified: February 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: stage IIIA breast cancer; stage IIIB breast cancer; stage II breast cancer; estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer; progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Breast Diseases; Breast Neoplasms; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Enzyme Inhibitors; Antineoplastic Agents; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; Hormone Antagonists; Aromatase Inhibitors; Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors; Estrogen Antagonists; Estrogen Receptor Antagonists; Fulvestrant; Anastrozole
• Other Study ID Numbers: CDR0000633329; 2007-004216-31 (EudraCT Number)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No