Ultrasound Imaging and Spectroscopy as Early Indicators of Locally-Advanced Breast Cancer Response

Pilot Investigation of Ultrasound Imaging and Spectroscopy as Early Indicators of Locally- Advanced Breast Cancer Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment

This work explores the possibility of using ultrasound imaging and spectroscopy as a way of monitoring cell death, hence, tumour response to treatment. The hypothesis here is that it can be used as a way of monitoring early response to cancer treatment and predicting which patients continue on in their therapy to have a complete pathological response as a primary endpoint and tumour size decrease as a secondary endpoint. If this work is successful it could be used in the future early on in a cancer patient's treatment to predict whether or not a course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy is going to be successful. For example, in patients in which the analysis indicates a poor response the chemotherapy regimen could be changed to a more efficacious one or for those receiving radiotherapy predicted to have a poor response a radiosensitizing agent could be used to improve outcome.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Breast Cancer

Detailed Description

The primary objective in this study is to identify optimal ultrasound spectroscopy parameters that can be used as an early predictor of pathological complete or partial response in women with locally advanced breast cancer receiving treatment with chemotherapy or combined modality chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A secondary objective is to perform an inter-user variability comparison by comparing second site data analysis outcomes with central co-coordinating site data analysis. The overarching goal of this research is to transform the delivery of neoadjuvant chemotherapy using quantitative ultrasound, which is non-invasive, inexpensive and portable to assess breast cancer therapies through functional imaging, in which tumour cell death is detected. By detecting cell death early in a treatment on the order of hours to days, rather than traditional anatomical assessments that take place weeks to months after the completion of therapy, ineffective therapies could be switched to more efficacious treatments or aggressive salvage therapy which has shown to already benefit patients. This has the potential of improving survival in addition to sparing patients unnecessary side effects of treatments that may span weeks to months. The investigators will use these quantitative methods to evaluate treatments with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with locally advanced breast cancer. This investigation will track the spatio-temporal changes in quantitative ultrasound surrogates of treatment response during neoadjuvant chemotherapy of locally advanced breast cancer and use these parameters to adapt clinical treatment. The study specifically will expand on single- institution research underway and involve a second clinical site. Data will be independently collected and analysis carried out at that site and at the co-ordinating site for comparison evaluating technology-use feasibility and reproducibility of results.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 150

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Gregory J Czarnota, PhD, MD; Phone Number: (416) 480-6128; Email: gregory.czarnota@sunnybrook.ca

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N 3M5
      • Recruiting
      • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
      • Contact: Gregory J Czarnota, PhD, MD; Phone Number: (416) 480-6128; Email: gregory.czarnota@sunnybrook.ca
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2M9
      • Completed
      • Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Completed
      • MD Anderson

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Both men and women and members of all races and ethnic groups are eligible for this trial.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Histologically or cytologically confirmed locally advanced breast carcinoma which has not been treated with any first-line therapy and will be treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy or neoadjuvant combined chemo-radiotherapy
2. Measurable disease by ultrasound, or MRI performed within 28 days prior to treatment
3. Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status of 0 or 1
4. Life expectancy of at least 6 months
5. Patients should have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. Signed informed consent must be obtained prior to any study specific procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition
2. Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, and cardiac arrhythmia
3. Psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
4. Any condition that is unstable or could jeopardize the safety of the patient and their compliance in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Measuring the rate of treatment response between the treatment groups	Correlate changes in ultrasound backscatter parameters obtained throughout the course of treatment with pathological complete or partial response	Up to 5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Inter-user variability comparison	Comparing second site data analysis outcomes with central co-coordinating site data analysis	Up to 5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Gregory Czarnota, PhD, MD, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 18, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 18, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): October 22, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 14, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 7, 2023
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Ultrasound; Spectroscopy; Characterization
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Breast Diseases; Breast Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 301-2014

Drug and device information, study documents

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