Abemaciclib and Endocrine Therapy in Older Patients With Breast Cancer.

April 30, 2026 updated by: City of Hope Medical Center

A Phase IIA Trial Assessing the Tolerability of Abemaciclib in Combination With Endocrine Therapy in Patients Age 70 and Older With Hormone Receptor Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Who Have Progressed on or After Prior CDK 4/6 Inhibition

This phase IIa trial studies the side effects of abemaciclib monotherapy in treating patients age 70 years and older with hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative breast cancer that has spread to other places in the body.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To estimate the incidence of grade 3 or higher toxicities attributed to abemaciclib monotherapy in adults aged 70 or older with hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To describe the full toxicity profile including all grade 2 and higher adverse events, and patient-reported adverse events (AEs) using Patients Reported Outcomes (PRO)-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) measures.

II. To describe rates of dose reductions, dose holds, treatment discontinuations due to factors other than progression, and hospitalizations.

III. To estimate median (and 95% confidence interval [CI]) failure-free survival, progression-free survival and overall survival.

IV. To describe the results of Was It Worth It (WIWI) and Overall Treatment Utility (OTU) questionnaires.

V. To describe the rate of adherence to abemaciclib. VI. To determine average plasma steady-state abemaciclib Ctrough concentrations.

VII. To evaluate the association of adherence rate with abemaciclib plasma t-rough concentrations.

VIII. To describe associations between cancer-specific, comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (cGA) scores and the incidence of toxicities and their grade.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the association between biomarkers of aging and grades 3 or higher toxicity.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive abemaciclib orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days 1-28. Cycles repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 30 days, then every 6 months for 2 years.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

43

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 Contact

Study Locations

    • California
      • Duarte, California, United States, 91010
        • Recruiting
        • City of Hope Medical Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Mina Sedrak
      • Irvine, California, United States, 92618
        • Recruiting
        • City of Hope at Irvine Lennar
        • Contact:
      • Long Beach, California, United States, 90813
        • Recruiting
        • City of Hope at Long Beach Elm
        • Contact:
      • South Pasadena, California, United States, 91030
        • Recruiting
        • City of Hope South Pasadena
        • Contact:
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
    • New York
      • Buffalo, New York, United States, 14203
        • Recruiting
        • Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
        • Contact:

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

66 years and older (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Documented informed consent of the participant
  • Age >= 70 years
  • Life expectancy > 6 months
  • Ability to read and understand English or Spanish
  • Measurable or non-measurable disease
  • Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of:

    • Estrogen-receptor positive and/or progesterone receptor positive breast cancer determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods according to the local institution standard protocol
    • HER2-negative breast cancer defined as negative if the IHC status is 0 or 1+, or if IHC is 2+ and in situ hybridization assay is negative per American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines
  • Radiographically confirmed metastatic breast cancer
  • Progressed on prior endocrine therapy or palbociclib or ribociclib or chemotherapy
  • Patients who received chemotherapy recovered from the acute side effects to prior cancer therapy (except alopecia or residual grade 2 peripheral neuropathy) to =< grade 1 or baseline. A washout period of at least 21 days is required between last chemotherapy dose and randomization (provided the patient did not receive radiotherapy)
  • Patients who received radiotherapy must have completed and fully recovered from the acute effects of radiotherapy. A washout period of at least 14 days is required between end of radiotherapy and randomization
  • Absence of central nervous system (CNS) involvement unless they meet ONE of the following criteria:

    • Untreated brain metastases (e.g., lesions < 1 cm) not needing immediate local therapy
    • Previously treated brain metastases not needing immediate local therapy

      • At least 4 weeks from the last date of prior therapy completion (including radiation and/or surgery) to starting the study treatment
      • Clinically stable CNS tumor at the time of screening and not receiving steroids and/or enzyme-inducing anti-epileptic medications for brain metastases
  • Absence of interstitial lung disease/pneumonitis
  • Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1.5 X 10^9/L
  • Platelets >= 100 x 10^9/L
  • Hemoglobin >= 8 g/dL

    • (Patients may receive erythrocyte transfusions to achieve this hemoglobin level at the discretion of the investigator. Initial treatment must not begin earlier than the day after the erythrocyte transfusion)
  • In the absence of liver metastases, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) =< 3.0 x upper limit of normal (ULN)

    • If the patient has liver metastases, ALT and AST < 5 x ULN
  • In patients without Gilbert's syndrome, total bilirubin =< 1.5 x ULN; In patients with Gilbert's syndrome, total bilirubin =< 2.0 x ULN or direct bilirubin within normal limits (WLN)
  • Creatinine clearance of >= 30 mL/min per 24 hour urine test or the Cockcroft-Gault formula

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Major surgery within 14 days prior to receiving study drug or has not recovered from major side effect
  • Patient is currently receiving any of the prohibited medications detailed below and cannot be discontinued 7 days prior to starting study drug

    • Other investigational therapy should be given to participants
    • Anticancer agents other than the study medications administered as part of this study protocol should be given to participants. If such agents are required for a participant then the participant must first be withdrawn from the study
    • Co-medication that may interfere with study results; e.g. immune-suppressive agents other than corticosteroids, such as systemic cyclosporine and tacrolimus are prohibited during the treatment phase of the study, unless discussed with principal investigator felt to be of low clinical risk to the participant
    • Use of herbal medications may have unknown interactions with the metabolism of the study agents, and therefore are prohibited from use during the treatment phase of the trial
  • Known hypersensitivity to any of the excipients of abemaciclib
  • Active systemic bacterial infection (requiring intravenous [IV] antibiotics at time of initiating study treatment), fungal infection, or detectable viral infection (such as known human immunodeficiency virus positivity or with known active hepatitis B or C (for example, hepatitis B surface antigen positive). Screening is not required for enrollment
  • Impairment of gastrointestinal (GI) function or GI disease that in the investigator's opinion may significantly alter the absorption of the study drugs (e.g., ulcerative diseases, uncontrolled nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malabsorption syndrome, or small bowel resection)
  • History of any of the following conditions: syncope of cardiovascular etiology, ventricular arrhythmia of pathological origin (including, but not limited to, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation), or sudden cardiac arrest
  • Patient has any other concurrent severe or uncontrolled medical condition that would, in the investigator's judgment, cause unacceptable safety risks, contraindicate patient participation in the clinical study or compromise compliance with the protocol (e.g. chronic pancreatitis, chronic active hepatitis)
  • Inability to swallow oral medications
  • Serious or uncontrolled preexisting medical condition(s) that, in the judgment of the investigator, would preclude participation in this study (for example, interstitial lung disease, severe dyspnea at rest or requiring oxygen therapy, severe renal impairment [e.g. estimated creatinine clearance < 30 ml/min], history of major surgical resection involving the stomach or small bowel, or preexisting Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis or a preexisting chronic condition resulting in baseline grade 2 or higher diarrhea)
  • History of non-compliance to medical regimen
  • Patients with a prior malignancy diagnosed within 2 years and with evidence of disease (except adequately treated, basal or squamous cell carcinoma, non-melanomatous skin cancer or curatively resected cervical cancer

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
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Treatment (abemaciclib)
Patients receive abemaciclib PO BID on days 1-28. Cycles repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Ancillary studies
Given PO
Other Names:
  • LY-2835219
  • LY2835219
  • Verzenio

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of grade 3 or higher toxicities
Time Frame: Up to 30 days post treatment
Adverse events will be characterized using the descriptions and grading scales found in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version (v). 5.0.
Up to 30 days post treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of toxicities
Time Frame: Up to 30 days post treatment
Toxicities will be graded and named according to CTCAE v. 5.0.
Up to 30 days post treatment
Incidence of toxicities
Time Frame: Up to cycle 6
Toxicities will be captured by Patient Reported Outcome (PRO)-CTCAE.
Up to cycle 6
Dose reductions
Time Frame: Up to cycle 6
Will assess rates of dose reductions.
Up to cycle 6
Dose holds
Time Frame: Up to 30 days post treatment
Will assess rates of dose holds.
Up to 30 days post treatment
Treatment discontinuations due to factors other than progression
Time Frame: Up to 30 days post treatment
Will assess rates of treatment discontinuations.
Up to 30 days post treatment
Hospitalizations
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Will assess rates of hospitalizations.
Up to 2 years post treatment
Time to end of treatment
Time Frame: Up to end of treatment
Will estimate median (and 95% confidence interval [CI]) failure-free survival using Kaplan-Meier estimates and through Cox regression to adjust for covariates.
Up to end of treatment
Progression free survival
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Will estimate median (and 95% CI) progression-free survival using Kaplan-Meier estimates and through Cox regression to adjust for covariates.
Up to 2 years post treatment
Overall survival
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Will estimate median (and 95% CI) overall survival using Kaplan-Meier estimates and through Cox regression to adjust for covariates.
Up to 2 years post treatment
Was It Worth It (WIWI) response
Time Frame: Up to end of treatment
Will be assessed using the WIWI questionnaire.
Up to end of treatment
Overall treatment utility (OTU) response
Time Frame: Up to end of treatment
Will be assessed using the OTU questionnaire.
Up to end of treatment
Adherence to abemaciclib
Time Frame: Up to end of treatment
Adherence defined as taking 90% of scheduled doses per cycle. Scheduled doses are assigned doses for the participant which may vary per participant depending on whether or not there a hold in treatment. Adherence will be calculated based on consolidation of pill diary with returned unused pills, and, for City of Hope (COH) Duarte patients, Medication Event Monitoring bottle caps.
Up to end of treatment
Average plasma steady-state abemaciclib C-trough concentrations
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Up to 2 years post treatment
Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameter of plasma trough concentration
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Will evaluate the association of adherence rate with abemaciclib plasma trough concentrations.
Up to 2 years post treatment
Geriatric assessment scores
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Domains include: functional status, co-morbid medical conditions, cognitive function, nutritional status, social support and psychological state, and a review of medications.
Up to 2 years post treatment
Incidence of toxicities attributable to agent
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Graded by CTCAE v 5.0.
Up to 2 years post treatment

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Biological age via deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation level
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Up to 2 years post treatment
Genome-wide methylome and transcriptome analyses
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Up to 2 years post treatment
Incidence of toxicities at least possibly attributable to agent
Time Frame: Up to 2 years post treatment
Graded by CTCAE v 5.0.
Up to 2 years post treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Joanne Mortimer, MD, City of Hope Medical 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 (Actual)

March 25, 2020

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 21, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 21, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 2, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 10, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

March 12, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 30, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 19206 (Other Identifier: City of Hope Medical Center)
  • P30CA033572 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NCI-2019-08847 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

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.

Clinical Trials on Anatomic Stage IV Breast Cancer AJCC v8

Clinical Trials on Questionnaire Administration

Subscribe