MedPath

Pre-Operative Window of ET to Inform RT Decisions (POWER II)

Phase 3
Recruiting
Conditions
Breast Cancer Female
Interventions
Drug: Tamoxifen, Letrozole, Anastrozole, or Exemestane
Registration Number
NCT06507618
Lead Sponsor
University of Virginia
Brief Summary

This is a Phase III, multisite exploratory study for women ≥ 65 years of age with early stage estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. These individuals will be treated randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Intervention, treated with 3 months of pre-operative endocrine therapy (pre-ET) OR Control, participants follow standard of care and proceed directly to breast cancer surgery.

Both arms will be assessed for tolerance and compliance to the endocrine therapy by patient reported outcome (PRO) measures (patient surveys).

Detailed Description

Early-stage, estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer is traditionally treated with breast conserving surgery (BCS), radiation therapy (RT) and 5-10 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET). Radiation therapy (RT) omission is an established treatment paradigm for women 65 years and older with ER+, node negative, small (≤ 3 cm) breast cancer. Despite the option for RT omission being recommended in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, multiple modern studies demonstrate that a majority of older women still receive RT, raising concern for over-treatment. Conversely, there are a portion of patients who choose to omit RT but are not able to tolerate AET and thus are at risk for under-treatment and worse oncologic outcomes.

In the POWER I trial, patients were treated with 90 days of pre-operative endocrine therapy (pre-ET) as a window to establish endocrine therapy (ET) tolerance. The POWER I trial prospectively validated 90 days of pre-operative ET to determine if it could be used as a tool to inform adjuvant RT decisions and recommendations by patients and physicians respectively. Ninety days of pre-ET was shown to influence patient and physician preferences regarding adjuvant RT.

In the POWER II trial, participants will be randomized to treatment on either a) an intervention arm consisting of a 90-day window of pre-ET or b) the standard of care (control) arm in which participants proceed directly to BCS. In both arms, the decision to omit or administer adjuvant RT will be made by the treating physicians and patients. While not required per protocol, all patients will be recommended for AET if deemed appropriate by their oncologist, and adherence through 2 years will be monitored. The POWER I study revealed that pre-ET impacts patients' and physicians' decisions regarding adjuvant therapy and facilitates adjuvant therapy decisions that meld patient preferences and side effect tolerance. The purpose of the POWER II study is to examine whether 90 days of pre-ET results in a decrease in the number of (1) patients being treated with BCS alone and (2) patients treated with BCS+RT+AET. Adherence to AET will be defined as taking AET at 2 years post-BCS.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
354
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria
  • Bilateral synchronous breast cancer
  • Multicentric disease
  • Prior use of SERMS or aromatase inhibitors
  • History of ipsilateral breast radiation therapy
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing and/or requires active treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Malignancies deemed stable and low risk for complication per investigator's judgment may be allowed after discussion with multi-site PI.
  • Current or planned use of a strong CYP2D6 inhibitor (e.g., Fluvoxamine, Paroxetine) and is not able to receive an endocrine therapy agent that does not use the CYP2D6 pathway.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Intervention ArmTamoxifen, Letrozole, Anastrozole, or Exemestane90 days of pre-ET (endocrine therapy - tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitor) before Breast Cancer Surgery
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Proportion of participants who omit Radiation Therapy (RT) and are non-adherent to Endocrine Therapy (ET)24 months

Proportion of participants who omit RT and are non-adherent to ET as measure through the 24-month adjuvant follow-up visit

Proportion of participants who are treated with Breast Cancer Surgery (BCS) + RT + AET24 months

Proportion of participants who are treated with BCS + RT + AET as measured through the 24-month adjuvant follow-up visit

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
To obtain data on regional recurrence5 years

Regional recurrence as measured through the 5 year adjuvant follow-up period

Treatment with pre-ET and its impact on Decision Conflict24 months

Using Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) assessments of Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) to determine whether treatment with pre-ET lessens Decision Conflict. The DCS is a validated measure of patient perceptions of uncertainty surrounding treatment choices. The minimum score is a 0, which is interpreted as no decisional conflict, and the maximum score is 64, which is interpreted as the highest decisional conflict.

Treatment with pre-ET and its impact on Decision Regret24 months

Using Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) assessments of Decision Regret Scale (DRS) to determine whether treatment with pre-ET lessens Decision Regret. The DRS is a validated, 5-item scale that measures self-reported regret after health care decisions. DRS scores range from 0 (no regret) to 100 (high regret).

Assessing whether patient's final treatment correlates with their beliefs about breast cancer7 months

Using the PRO assessment "Perceived Sensitivity to Medicine (PSM)" to determine patient's beliefs about breast cancer. The PSM is a validated 5-question survey designed to capture patients' opinions regarding their sensitivity to medications.

Assessing whether treatment with pre-ET leads to improved Health Related Quality of Life compared to those treated with standard of care24 months

Using PRO Assessments: EORTC Quality of Life questionnaires (QLQ-C30) to determine whether treatment with pre-ET leads to improved health-related quality of life compared to those treated with standard of care

Assessing whether early side effects of ET correlate with patient treatment group within study arms24 months

Using the PRO Assessment "Center for Epidemiologic Study Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R)" to assess whether early side effects of ET correlate with patient treatment group within study arms

To obtain data on local recurrence5 years

Local recurrence as measured through the 5 year adjuvant follow-up period

To obtain data on contralateral breast cancer5 years

Contralateral breast cancer as measured through the 5 year adjuvant follow-up period

To obtain data on distant metastases5 years

Distant metastases as measured through the 5 year adjuvant follow-up period

To obtain data on disease free survival5 years

Disease free survival (DFS) as measured through the 5 year adjuvant follow-up period

To obtain data on overall survival5 years

Overall survival (OS) as measured through the 5 year adjuvant follow-up period

To obtain data on cancer specific survival5 years

Cancer specific survival as measured through the 5 year adjuvant follow-up period

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University of Virginia

🇺🇸

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

Virginia Commonwealth University

🇺🇸

Richmond, Virginia, United States

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath