MedPath

FAC Versus FAC Plus Weekly Paclitaxel as Adjuvant Treatment of Node Negative High Risk Breast Cancer Patients

Phase 3
Completed
Conditions
Breast Cancer
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT00129389
Lead Sponsor
Spanish Breast Cancer Research Group
Brief Summary

This is a prospective, open-label, randomized, phase III trial. Patients will be stratified after breast surgery, as per investigational site; menopausal status; node negative diagnosis, as per sentinel-node technique versus lymphadenectomy; hormone receptor status (positive versus negative).

Detailed Description

Patients will be randomized to:

* Fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC) x 6 (cycles): 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m2 + doxorubicin 50 mg/m2 + cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 day 1, every 3 weeks, for 6 cycles.

* FAC x 4 (cycles) → Paclitaxel x 8 (cycles): 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m2 + doxorubicin 50 mg/m2 + cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 day 1, every 3 weeks, for 4 cycles, followed by 8 administrations of weekly paclitaxel 100 mg/m2

Premenopausal women with hormone receptor positive tumors must receive tamoxifen 20 mg daily for 5 years, after the end of chemotherapy.

Postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive tumors are allowed to receive aromatase inhibitors as initial adjuvant hormone therapy or after tamoxifen.

All patients with breast conservative surgery must receive radiotherapy.

Estimated 5-year disease-free survival in the control arm (FAC x 6) is expected to be 80%. It is expected that disease-free survival will increase by 5% in the experimental arm (FAC-paclitaxel). 906 patients per arm must be recruited, to detect this difference with an alpha error of 0.05 and 80% power. Assuming a 6% post-randomization drop-out rate, 960 patients per arm are needed, 1920 in total.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
1925
Inclusion Criteria
  • Written informed consent.

  • Histological diagnoses of operable invasive adenocarcinoma of the breast (T1-T3). Tumors must be Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) negative. Patients must be free of disease in the axilla (node negative). If lymphadenectomy is done, at least 10 nodes must be examined. If sentinel node technique is used, sentinel node must be free of disease. Patients must present at least one high risk criterion (St. Gallen, 1998) as follows:

    • Tumor size > 2 cm; and/or
    • ER and Progesterone Receptor (PgR) negative; and/or
    • Histological grade 2-3; and/or
    • Age < 35 years old.
  • Time window between surgery and study randomization must be less than 60 days.

  • Surgery must consist of mastectomy or conservative surgery. Margins free of disease and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are required. Lobular carcinoma is not considered a positive margin.

  • Patients must not present evidence of metastatic disease.

  • Status of hormone receptors in primary tumor. Results must be available before the end of adjuvant chemotherapy.

  • Status of HER2 in primary tumor, known before randomization. Patients with Immunohistochemistry (IHC) 0 or +1 are eligible. For patients with IHC 2+, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is mandatory and result must be negative.

  • Age >= 18 and <= 70 years old.

  • Performance status (Karnofsky index) >= 80.

  • Normal electrocardiogram (EKG) in the 12 weeks prior to randomization. If needed, normal cardiac function must be confirmed by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

  • Laboratory results (within 14 days prior to randomization):

    • Hematology: neutrophils >= 1.5 x 10^9/l; platelets >= 100x 10^9/l; hemoglobin >= 10 mg/dl;
    • Hepatic function: total bilirubin <= 1 upper normal limit (UNL); Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) <= 2.5 UNL; alkaline phosphatase <= 2.5 UNL. If values of AST and ALT > 1.5 UNL are associated with alkaline phosphatase > 2.5 UNL, patient is not eligible.
    • Renal function: creatinine <= 175 mmol/l (2 mg/dl); creatinine clearance >= 60 ml/min.
  • Complete stage workup during the 12 weeks prior to randomization (mammograms are allowed within a 20 week time window). All patients must have a bilateral mammogram, thorax x-ray, abdominal echography and/or computed tomography (CT)-scan. If bone pain, and/or alkaline phosphatase elevation, a bone scintigraphy is mandatory. This test is recommended for all patients. Other tests, as clinically indicated.

  • Patients able to comply with treatment and study follow-up.

  • Negative pregnancy test done in the 14 previous days to randomization.

Exclusion Criteria
  • Prior systemic therapy for breast cancer.
  • Prior therapy with anthracyclines or taxanes (paclitaxel or docetaxel) for any malignancy.
  • Prior radiotherapy for breast cancer.
  • Bilateral invasive breast cancer.
  • Pregnant or lactating women. Adequate contraceptive methods must be used during chemotherapy and hormone therapy treatments. Negative pregnancy test in the 14 previous days to randomization.
  • Any T4 or N1-3 or M1 tumor.
  • HER2 positive breast cancer (IHC 3+ or positive FISH result).
  • Pre-existing grade >=2 motor or sensorial neurotoxicity by the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCICTC) v-2.0.
  • Any other serious medical pathology, such as congestive heart failure, unstable angina, history of myocardial infarction during the previous year, uncontrolled hypertension or high risk arrhythmias.
  • History of neurological or psychiatric disorders, which could preclude the patients to free informed consent.
  • Active uncontrolled infection.
  • Active peptic ulcer; unstable diabetes mellitus.
  • Previous or current history of neoplasms different from breast cancer, except for skin carcinoma, cervical in situ carcinoma, or any other tumor curatively treated and without recurrence in the last 10 years; ductal in situ carcinoma in the same breast; lobular in situ carcinoma.
  • Concomitant treatment with other investigational products. Participation in other clinical trials with a non-marketed drug in the 20 previous days before randomization.
  • Concomitant treatment with other therapy for cancer.
  • Males.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Arm A: FACDoxorubicinFAC X 6 The standard arm consisted of six cycles of FAC (fluorouracil 500 mg/m2, doxorubicin 50mg/m2, and cyclophosphamide 500mg/m2) administered once every 3 weeks.
Arm A: FACFluorouracilFAC X 6 The standard arm consisted of six cycles of FAC (fluorouracil 500 mg/m2, doxorubicin 50mg/m2, and cyclophosphamide 500mg/m2) administered once every 3 weeks.
Arm A: FACCyclophosphamideFAC X 6 The standard arm consisted of six cycles of FAC (fluorouracil 500 mg/m2, doxorubicin 50mg/m2, and cyclophosphamide 500mg/m2) administered once every 3 weeks.
Arm B: FAC-wPFluorouracilFAC X 4 + 8 weekly Paclitaxel (wP) Patients in the experimental arm received four cycles of the FAC regimen followed by eight weekly administrations of paclitaxel (100mg/m2 per dose)
Arm B: FAC-wPPaclitaxelFAC X 4 + 8 weekly Paclitaxel (wP) Patients in the experimental arm received four cycles of the FAC regimen followed by eight weekly administrations of paclitaxel (100mg/m2 per dose)
Arm B: FAC-wPDoxorubicinFAC X 4 + 8 weekly Paclitaxel (wP) Patients in the experimental arm received four cycles of the FAC regimen followed by eight weekly administrations of paclitaxel (100mg/m2 per dose)
Arm B: FAC-wPCyclophosphamideFAC X 4 + 8 weekly Paclitaxel (wP) Patients in the experimental arm received four cycles of the FAC regimen followed by eight weekly administrations of paclitaxel (100mg/m2 per dose)
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Disease-free Survival (DFS) EventUp to 5 years

DFS is defined as the evidence of local, regional or metastatic recurrence, second primary cancer (with the exception of carcinoma of squamous cells or basal cells of the skin, cervical carcinoma in situ or lobular or ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast) or death for any reason.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Overall Survival (OS) EventUp to 5 years

OS event is defined as the death from any cause.

Trial Locations

Locations (68)

Hospital General de Elda

🇪🇸

Elda, Alicante, Spain

Consorci Sanitari Terrassa

🇪🇸

Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain

Hospital Clínico Universitario de Salamanca

🇪🇸

Salamanca, Spain

Hospital del Mar

🇪🇸

Barcelona, Spain

Hospital Clinic i Provincial

🇪🇸

Barcelona, Spain

Hospital Puerta del Mar

🇪🇸

Cadiz, Spain

Hospital Reina Sofía

🇪🇸

Córdoba, Spain

Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén

🇪🇸

Jaén, Spain

Hospital General Yagüe

🇪🇸

Burgos, Spain

Hospital General de Guadalajara

🇪🇸

Guadalajara, Spain

Hospital Ruber Internacional

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Hospital Doce de Octubre

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau

🇪🇸

Barcelona, Spain

Hospital General de Vic

🇪🇸

Barcelona, Spain

Hospital de Móstoles

🇪🇸

Móstoles, MAdrid, Spain

Hospital Universitario de Canarias

🇪🇸

La Laguna, Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain

Hospital Insular de Gran Canaria

🇪🇸

Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain

Hospital Sant Joan de Reus

🇪🇸

Reus, Tarragona, Spain

Hospital General Univ. De Elche

🇪🇸

Elche, Alicante, Spain

Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca

🇪🇸

El Palmar, Murcia, Spain

Hospital Comarcal de Barbastro

🇪🇸

Barbastro, Huesca, Spain

Hospital de Basurto

🇪🇸

Bilbao, Spain

ICO Hospital Universitari Josep Trueta

🇪🇸

Gerona, Spain

Hospital General de Ciudad Real

🇪🇸

Ciudad Real, Spain

Hospital Virgen de la Luz

🇪🇸

Cuenca, Spain

Hospital Xeral Calde

🇪🇸

Lugo, Spain

Hospital Universitario La Princesa

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Hospital Ramón y Cajal

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Hospital Puerta de Hierro

🇪🇸

MAdrid, Spain

Hospital Clínico San Carlos

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

CIOCC Hospital Norte-Sanchinarro

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Complejo Hospitalario Virgen de la Victoria

🇪🇸

Málaga, Spain

Hospital Morales Messeguer

🇪🇸

Murcia, Spain

Hospital Sta María Nai

🇪🇸

Orense, Spain

Hospital Carlos Haya

🇪🇸

Málaga, Spain

Hospital General Río Carrión

🇪🇸

Palencia, Spain

Instituto Oncológico de Guipuzcoa

🇪🇸

San Sebastián, Spain

Hospital de Donostia

🇪🇸

San Sebastián, Spain

Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla

🇪🇸

Santander, Spain

Hospital Univ. Virgen del Rocío

🇪🇸

Sevilla, Spain

Hospital Universitario de Valme

🇪🇸

Sevilla, Spain

Hospital Virgen de la Salud

🇪🇸

Toledo, Spain

Hospital Universitario La Fe

🇪🇸

Valencia, Spain

Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia

🇪🇸

Valencia, Spain

Hospital Arnau de Vilanova

🇪🇸

Valencia, Spain

Hospital Provincial de Zamora

🇪🇸

Zamora, Spain

Hospital Lozano Blesa

🇪🇸

Zaragoza, Spain

Hospital Miguel Servet

🇪🇸

Zaragoza, Spain

Consorci Sanitari Parc Tauli

🇪🇸

Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain

Hospital del Espíritu Santo

🇪🇸

Santa Coloma De Gramenet, Barcelona, Spain

Hospital Mutua Terrassa

🇪🇸

Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain

Hospital Provincial de Castellón

🇪🇸

Castellón De La Plana, Castellón, Spain

Fundación Hospital de Alcorcón

🇪🇸

Alcorcón, MAdrid, Spain

Complejo Hospitalario Juan Canalejo

🇪🇸

A Coruña, Spain

Hospital General Universitario de Alicante

🇪🇸

Alicante, Spain

Hospital de la Ribera

🇪🇸

Alzira, Valencia, Spain

Hospital Policlínico Vigo POVISA

🇪🇸

Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain

Hospital Virgen de los Lirios

🇪🇸

Alicante, Spain

Complejo Hospitalario de Albacete

🇪🇸

Albacete, Spain

Clínica Corochan S.A.

🇪🇸

Barcelona, Spain

Centro Oncológico de Galicia

🇪🇸

A Coruña, Spain

Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol

🇪🇸

Badalona, Spain

Hospital Txagorritxu

🇪🇸

Vitoria, Spain

Hospital General Jerez de la Frontera

🇪🇸

Jerez De La Frontera, Cadiz, Spain

Hospital Madrid- Montepríncipe

🇪🇸

Boadilla Del Monte, Madrid, Spain

Complejo Hospitalario de Manresa

🇪🇸

Manresa, Barcelona, Spain

Instituto Valenciano de Oncología

🇪🇸

Valencia, Spain

Hospital La Paz

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

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