MedPath

Study of Propranolol in Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Phase 2
Completed
Conditions
Locally Advanced Malignant Neoplasm
Breast Cancer
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT01847001
Lead Sponsor
Columbia University
Brief Summary

This study is being conducted in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer that will be undergoing chemotherapy prior to surgery - neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The study involves treatment with standard chemotherapy and a commonly used, FDA-approved, blood pressure drug called propranolol (Inderal). The purposes of this study are to:

1. Determine the effect of propranolol plus chemotherapy on breast cancer cells as well as the growth of blood vessels surrounding breast cancer cells.

2. Determine the side effect profile of propranolol and chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

This research is being done because previous laboratory work has shown that propranolol may decrease the ability for the blood vessels around breast cancer cells to grow, which may be important in helping cancer cells grow. It also may reduce the likelihood for breast cancer cells to spread. If changes are seen in the breast cancer cells and surrounding blood vessels in this study, we will pan to evaluate whether propranolol decreases the likelihood of breast cancer from recurring in future, later studies. All chemotherapy regimens used in this study have been the standard of care for many years; however, the use of propranolol is being researched along with the chemotherapy regimens.

Detailed Description

While a number of therapeutic options exist for patients with breast cancer (BC), breast tumor biology is differs across tumors and not all BCs respond to treatment. Identifying a marker predicting response could spare non-responders unnecessary side effects, cost, and time. A recent example in BC is bevacizumab, an expensive anti-angiogenic monoclonal antibody, for which the FDA revoked approval for patients with metastatic BC. While this targeted therapy may benefit some patients, no appropriate predictive marker has been identified in the drug development process. An ideal biologic marker would be easy to perform, reliable, low-cost and non-invasive. A limitation of assessing tumor-based markers in metastatic BC is the inability to procure tumor tissue at different treatment times. To circumvent this issue, anti-cancer agents can be assessed pre-operatively, where women with newly diagnosed BC receive a study drug, alone or with chemotherapy, between diagnostic breast biopsy and surgical resection. In addition, tumor changes can be directly compared to modulation of non-invasive markers, such as functional radiographs or blood, to identify a non-invasive marker predicting tumor response.

The investigators are conducting a neoadjuvant single-institution trial with the non-selective, inexpensive β -blocker propranolol with chemotherapy in locally advanced BC. β-blockade regulates angiogenesis in primary breast tumors. In these trials, the investigators plan to evaluate treatment-related microvascular response via changes in breast Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT), a non-invasive, fast, safe, and inexpensive breast imaging tool. As the optical property contrast from endogenous chromophores (oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, water, and lipid) provides information on tissue vascularity, it can monitor response to anti-angiogenic agents. DOT changes occur as early as 1 week after starting pre-operative therapy. The dynamic DOT system incorporated in these trials is unique to Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), as it has been designed by Columbia biomedical engineers. CUMC's laboratory collaborators have measured this DOT system with anti-angiogenesis agents in animal models, demonstrating the translational nature of this project. While non-dynamic DOT has been assessed in other neoadjuvant trials with small cohorts receiving heterogeneous chemotherapy agents, none have evaluated DOT response to anti-angiogenic agents.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
10
Inclusion Criteria
  • English or Spanish speaking women age ≥18
  • Heart Rate > 60 bpm
  • Systolic Blood Pressure > 100 mm/Hg
  • Deemed eligible to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy with 12 cycles of weekly taxane therapy (paclitaxel 80mg/m2 or Abraxane 100 mg/m2 if there is a shortage of paclitaxel) followed by 4 cycles of Adriamycin (60mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m2) given every 2 weeks with growth-factor support.
  • Echocardiogram (ECHO) or multiple-gated acquisition scan (MUGA) with ejection fraction > 50%.
  • Patients with hormone receptor +/- and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein (HER2) +/- breast cancer are eligible
  • If a patient has HER2-positive breast cancer, Herceptin and Perjeta will be given along with taxane therapy
  • Any stage invasive breast cancer provided the primary breast tumor size is ≥ 1 cm
  • Agree to participate in research blood collection at 4 different time periods (20 ml = 4 teaspoons)
  • Agree to the evaluation of already collected core biopsy, as well as surgical resection tissue, for predictive biomarkers. The biopsy prior to Taxol #1 is optional.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Patients failing to meet the inclusion criteria
  • Corrected QT interval (QTc) prolongation as defined by > 470 milliseconds on electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • First-degree Atrioventricular (AV) block on ECG in which P-R interval lengthened > 200 milliseconds; Second Degree; or Third Degree
  • On beta-blocker treatment. If discontinued, patients must have been off beta-blockers for at least 3 months.
  • History of asthma, given concern for β-blockade in this population

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyPegfilgrastimSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyNab-paclitaxelSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyDOT imagingSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapySurgerySubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyPremedicationSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyAnti-nausea therapySubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyPropranololSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyPaclitaxelSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyPertuzumabSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyTrastuzumabSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyDoxorubicinSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Propranolol + Neoadjuvant ChemotherapyCyclophosphamideSubjects will receive 2 types of chemotherapy regimens plus propranolol treatment. * Regimen I, involves paclitaxel (may be substituted with nab-paclitaxel; maybe given with premedication), and * Regimen II involves doxorubicin (maybe given with anti-nausea therapy) and cyclophosphamide (maybe given with Pegfilgrastim). * If your tumor is HER2 positive, you will also receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After you complete all chemotherapy plus propranolol treatment, you will then have surgery to remove the breast tumor. DOT imaging will be done at 4 additional time points, including beo.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Mean Adherence to PropranololApproximately 6 months

Propranolol adherence was documented biweekly by pill counts and drug diary checks.

Total Number of Participants Who Reached The Target Propranolol DosingApproximately 6 months

The target Propranolol dosing was 80mg ER daily.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Number of Patients With Pathologic Complete ResponseApproximately 6 months

Response was confirmed with pathology.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath