Metformin Hydrochloride in Preventing Breast Cancer in Patients With Atypical Hyperplasia or In Situ Breast Cancer

Testing for Atypia in Random Periareolar Fine Needle Aspiration (RPFNA) Cytology After 12 Months Metformin (1, 1-Dimethylbiguanide Hydrochloride) Chemoprevention Versus Placebo Control in Premenopausal Women

This randomized phase III trial studies metformin hydrochloride to see how well it works compared to placebo in preventing breast cancer in patients with atypical hyperplasia or in situ breast cancer. Chemoprevention is the use of certain drugs to keep cancer from forming. The use of metformin hydrochloride may prevent breast cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Ductal Breast Carcinoma in Situ; BRCA1 Mutation Carrier; BRCA2 Mutation Carrier; Atypical Ductal Breast Hyperplasia; Lobular Breast Carcinoma in Situ
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: metformin hydrochloride; Other: placebo

Detailed Description

I. Test for the presence or absence of cytological atypia (as measured by a Masood Cytology Index Score of 14-17) in unilateral or bilateral random periareolar fine needle aspiration (RPFNA) aspirates after 12 and 24 months (24 month is optional for placebo-only group for patients who remain on placebo arm and will not receive metformin [metformin hydrochloride]) for women receiving metformin versus placebo control. The presence of cytological atypia means any atypia in any RPFNA specimen.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Use the Masood Cytology Index Score to test for the presence of cytological atypia or disappearance of cytological atypia in RPFNA aspirates after 12 months for both arms, and 24 months (24 month is optional for placebo-only group for patients who remain on placebo arm and will not receive metformin, and mandatory for crossover patients) for women receiving metformin 850 mg orally (PO) twice daily (BID) (metformin group).

II. Compare Masood Cytology Score values at 0 and 12 months in right and left breasts (if both breasts were aspirated) from the same individual in the metformin and placebo group.

III. Test the reproducibility of reverse phase protein microarray (RPPM) in duplicate RPPM determinations from individual RPFNA specimens.

IV. Correlate baseline RPPM values with presence of atypia (as measured by Masood Cytology Index Score) at month 12 and month 24 (month 24 optional for placebo-only group; for patients who remain on placebo arm and will not receive metformin) RPFNA.

TERTIARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Test whether metformin alters RPFNA or blood biomarkers associated with breast cancer risk.

II. Test whether metformin alters markers associated with obesity and insulin resistance.

III. Test other exploratory measures in RPFNA and serum including metformin levels and estrogen/progesterone.

IV. Banking: As part of ongoing research for Alliance Cancer Control studies, banking residual blood and RPFNA products for future studies.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 86
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Duarte, California, United States, 91010
      • City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
      • USC / Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
      • Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center
    • South Pasadena, California, United States, 91030
      • City of Hope South Pasadena
  • Indiana
    • Munster, Indiana, United States, 46321
      • The Community Hospital
  • Kansas
    • Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66160
      • University of Kansas Cancer Center
    • Topeka, Kansas, United States, 66606
      • Cotton O'Neil Cancer Center / Stormont Vail Health
  • Minnesota
    • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
      • Mayo Clinic in Rochester
  • New York
    • Buffalo, New York, United States, 14263
      • Roswell Park Cancer Institute
    • New York, New York, United States, 10029
      • Mount Sinai Hospital
    • New York, New York, United States, 10032
      • NYP/Columbia University Medical Center/Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • North Carolina
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
      • Duke University Medical Center
  • Ohio
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45219
      • The Christ Hospital
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 73104
      • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
  • South Carolina
    • Boiling Springs, South Carolina, United States, 29316
      • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Spartanburg
    • Easley, South Carolina, United States, 29640
      • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Easley
    • Greenville, South Carolina, United States, 29605
      • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Faris
    • Greenville, South Carolina, United States, 29615
      • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Eastside
    • Greenville, South Carolina, United States, 29605
      • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Butternut
    • Greenville, South Carolina, United States, 29605
      • Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital
    • Greenville, South Carolina, United States, 29601
      • Greenville Health System Cancer Institute-Andrews
    • Greer, South Carolina, United States, 29650
      • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Greer
    • Seneca, South Carolina, United States, 29672
      • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Seneca
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • M D Anderson Cancer Center
    • Laredo, Texas, United States, 78041
      • Doctor's Hospital of Laredo
  • Wisconsin
    • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53792
      • University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 25 years to 55 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

• PRE-REGISTRATION-INCLUSION CRITERIA

• Must be at increased risk for breast cancer, defined as at least one of the following four criteria:

  • Having had a prior biopsy demonstrating atypical hyperplasia, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
  • A Gail Model Risk of >= 1.66% over 5 years

  • A strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer which is defined as at least one of the following:

    • One first-degree relative with breast cancer before the age of 50 years
    • One first degree relative with bilateral breast cancer
    • Two or more first-degree relatives with breast cancer
    • One first degree relative and two or more second or third degree relatives with breast cancer
    • One first-degree relative with breast cancer and one or more relatives with ovarian cancer
    • Two second or third degree relatives with either breast cancer and one or more with ovarian cancer
    • One second or third degree relative with breast cancer and two or more with ovarian cancer
    • Three or more second or third degree relatives with breast cancer

  • Known breast cancer (BRCA)1 or BRCA2 mutation carrier providing that the woman has

    • Met with a genetic counselor to review genetic testing results, and
    • Has been offered the opportunity to undergo prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy
• Pre-menopausal women as defined as four menstrual cycles within the last six months prior to pre-registration; women with less than 4 menses within 6 months prior to pre-registration, or women who have had a hysterectomy with ovaries intact will be considered premenopausal if follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level is < 20; women who are using hormonal contraceptives that cause amenorrhea (e.g. injectable and extended oral contraceptives, hormone containing contraceptive ring, or hormone containing intrauterine device) will be considered eligible if they had a minimum of 4 menstrual cycles within the last six months prior to starting on the contraceptive
• Digital mammogram within 365 days prior to pre-registration
• Mammograms must be read as not suspicious for breast cancer (American College of Rheumatology [ACR] class I-III); subjects with a class IV mammogram may be enrolled once they have been evaluated by a breast surgeon and there is no evidence of invasive malignancy
• Must be non-pregnant and non-lactating for at least one year prior to pre-registration
• If currently menstruating, subjects must use a reliable method of birth control
• Willing to provide RPFNA and blood samples for correlative research purposes
• REGISTRATION/RANDOMIZATION INCLUSION CRITERIA:

• Qualifying cytological atypia in RPFNA, Masood score of 14-17; the qualifying RPFNA (of one or both breasts) must be send to Dr. Seewaldt's laboratory for cytological scoring and proteomic analysis; score results must be received from Dr. Seewaldt's lab prior to patient registration/randomization; test must be done =< 90 days prior to registration/randomization

  * Note: Only the contralateral breast can be aspirated in women with DCIS and those undergoing surgery for an atypical lesion; the decision to aspirate the contralateral breast is at the discretion of the woman's surgeon

• Hemoglobin >= 9 g/dL
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1500/mm^3
• Platelet count >= 75,000/mm^3
• Creatinine =< 1.4 mg/dL
• Total bilirubin =< 3.0 mg/dL
• Aspartate transaminase (AST) =< 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alanine transaminase (ALT) =< 3 x ULN

• Negative pregnancy test done =< 7 days prior to registration/randomization, for women of childbearing potential only

  * A female of childbearing potential is a sexually mature female who: 1) has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or 2) has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 12 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months)

• Women eligible to take tamoxifen must be offered tamoxifen prevention as part of their clinical care and have refused tamoxifen treatment

Exclusion Criteria

• Other active malignancy =< 5 years prior to pre-registration; EXCEPTIONS: non-melanotic skin cancer or carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix; NOTE: if there is a history or prior malignancy, they must not be receiving other specific treatment, i.e., other hormonal therapy, for their cancer
• Body mass index (BMI) < 25
• Receiving Warfarin
• Bilateral breast implants or autologous breast flap reconstruction
• Active diagnosis of alcoholism
• Contraindication to metformin prevention such as acute hypersensitivity or allergic reaction to metformin
• Currently receiving tamoxifen or raloxifene
• Administration of any investigational agent =< 30 days prior to pre-registration
• Previous radiation to both breasts
• Co-morbid systemic illnesses or other severe concurrent disease which, in the judgment of the investigator, would make the patient inappropriate for entry into this study or interfere significantly with the proper assessment of safety and toxicity of the prescribed regimens
• Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
• Receiving pyrimethamine, cimetidine, rifampin or cephalexin
• Women who have a core biopsy or excisional biopsy containing invasive cancer
• Women who have taken metformin within the past 90 days
• Patients with hemoglobin a1c > 6.3 or who are being actively treated for diabetes

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm I: metformin hydrochloride; Patients receive metformin hydrochloride PO QD or BID for 24 months. Patients will continue metformin 850 mg PO BID for months 13-24. Patients will undergo RPFNA at 24 months. Follow up visits will be performed at 36 and 48 months after the start of treatment.	Drug: metformin hydrochloride; given PO; Other Names: 657-24-9; 1,1 - dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride; N, N - dimethylimidodicarbonimidic diamide monohydrochloride
Placebo Comparator: Arm II: placebo; Patients receive placebo PO QD or BID for 12 months. Patients may crossover to Arm I for months 13-24.	Other: placebo; given PO; Other Names: PLCB

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Test for the Presence or Absence of Cytological Atypia in Unilateral or Bilateral RPFNA Aspirates After 12 Months.	Presence of atypia at 12 months is determined through the average of Masood scores across all evaluable breasts for a patient. If the average score is at least 13.5, then patient will be labeled as having atypia. The primary aim of this study is to compare the presence of atypia at month 12 between two arms using the chi-square test in univariable analysis and regressed on group indicator, age, race, stratification factors, and baseline Masood score using logistic regression in multivariable analysis.	12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Test for the Masood Score and the Presence of Atypia or Disapperance of Atypia in RPFNA After 12 Months (for Both Arms) and 24 Months for Metformin Arm.	Up to 24 months
Compare Masood Cytology Score Value at 0 and 12 in Right and Left Breast From the Same Individual in the Metformin and Non-metformin Group.	Up to 24 months
Test the Reproducibility of RPPM in Duplicate RPPM Determinations From Individual RPFNA Specimens.	Up to 12 months
Correlate Baseline RPPM Values With Presence of Atypia at Month 12 and Month 24.	Up to 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Study Chair: Victoria Seewaldt, MD, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 23, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 10, 2023
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 18, 2013
• First Posted (Estimated): July 23, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 28, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Adenocarcinoma; Skin Diseases; Breast Diseases; Carcinoma; Neoplasms, Ductal, Lobular, and Medullary; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma in Situ; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Breast Carcinoma In Situ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating; Organic Chemicals; Biguanides; Guanidines; Amidines; Metformin
• Other Study ID Numbers: A211102; U10CA031946 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); NCI-2013-00995 (Registry Identifier: Clinical Trial Reporting Program)