STARS Breast Trial (Study of Anastrozole and Radiotherapy Sequencing)

Breast Cancer Clinical Trial

— STARS  

Official title:

A Randomised Comparison of Anastrozole Commenced Before and Continued During Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer Versus Anastrozole and Subsequent Anti-oestrogen Therapy Delayed Until After Radiotherapy.

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Active, not recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00887380
• Other study ID #: TROG 08.06
• Secondary ID: ACTRN12610000307
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: September 16, 2009
• Est. completion date: December 2024

Study information

• Verified date: November 2022
• Source: Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether starting anastrozole prior to radiotherapy, so that it is taken during radiotherapy, decreases local recurrence of breast cancer in post-menopausal women in comparison to waiting until after radiotherapy to commence anastrozole.

Description:

Adjuvant radiotherapy is well established as the primary modality to enhance local control in breast cancer. The use of adjuvant hormone therapy such as tamoxifen has shown to improve local control to a relatively minor amount on its own and does enhance local control of adjuvant radiotherapy. There is, however, conflicting invitro and clinical data regarding the effects or different sequences on tamoxifen and radiotherapy in terms of both local control and enhancement of radiotherapy toxicities. Aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole are establishing themselves as a class of drug superior to tamoxifen for the control of estrogen dependent breast cancers and overall are better tolerated with the exception of greater bone loss. As the key question is whether the sequencing of the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole alters local control by acting as an enhancer of the radiation breast cancer cell kill, it is therefore the aim of this study to compare 3 months of anastrozole prior to radiotherapy versus 3 months of anastrozole after radiotherapy with a specific objective of reducing the baseline ratio of in-field radiotherapy failure from 6% to 3%.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Enrollment: 2023
• Est. completion date: December 2024
• Est. primary completion date: December 2024
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Female
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women aged 18 years or older
• Post total mastectomy or lumpectomy. All planned cancer resection surgery complete.
• Histologic or pathologic reports must verify either:
• No tumour contacting the inked margin of surgically removed tissue, or
• Focal involvement (<2mm front) if the margin is at the deep (posterior part) of the breast and the surgeon confirms that surgery extended to the deep fascia, or
• Focal involvement (<2mm front) if the margin is superficial (anterior part of the breast or subcutaneous) and the surgeon confirms that surgery extended to the subcutis NB: In the case of focally involved deep or superficial margins, the medical records or multidisciplinary meeting notes or correspondence from the surgeon must indicate that the surgeon confirms the surgery extended to the deep fascia or subcutis as appropriate. Patients should routinely receive a lumpectomy bed boost in the conserved breast setting if there is focal superficial or focal deep involvement as defined above.
• Tumour oestrogen receptor and/or progesterone receptor positive (=10% cells positive).
• Radiotherapy not yet commenced
• Planned radiotherapy dose prescribed to ICRU reference points in the irradiated breast / chest wall volumes at least the biological equivalent of 45 Gy in 25 fractions or more. (BED Gy4 = 65, BED Gyx=D(1+n/x) where D=total dose, n=dose per fraction, x=alpha beta ratio, Gy4 selected as appropriate alpha-beta ratio for human breast cancer lines)
• An ECOG performance status score of 2 or less.
• Female and post menopausal shown by satisfying at least one of the following criteria

(as per the ATAC study criteria16):

• bilateral oophorectomy
• age greater than 60
• age 45-59 years with intact uterus and amenorrhoeic at least 12 months
• Amenorrhoeic less than 12 months with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels within the post menopausal range (including patients with amenorrhoea due to chemotherapy, LHRH use or who have had hormone replacement following hysterectomy) Note: it is recommended for women under the age of 45 who have been rendered menopausal by chemotherapy that they be enrolled onto the strata which switches to Tamoxifen after the initial 3 months of anastrozole.
• Is not receiving chemotherapy, or is receiving chemotherapy but the course will be completed at least 3 weeks prior to commencing radiotherapy
• Unilateral treatment
• Has provided written informed consent for participation in this trial

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous radiotherapy to the area to be treated
• Previous invasive malignancy within 5 years of current breast cancer diagnosis with the exception of cervix in-situ or skin cancer other than melanoma.
• Patients with clinical evidence of metastatic disease.
• Previous hormonal breast cancer therapy.
• Ongoing hormone replacement therapy

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Breast Cancer
• Breast Neoplasms

Intervention

Drug:
• Pre-radiotherapy commencement of anastrozole
Anastrozole: 1mg per day will be prescribed for 12 weeks. Commencing within 1 week of randomisation, to be administered from a min of 1 week before and a max of 4 weeks before commencement of radiotherapy and continued throughout radiotherapy. After 12 weeks administration of anastrozole according to trial regimen, anastrozole can be continued at the treating clinician's discretion and in accordance with the preference selected at the time of randomisation and stratification. The alternative options to long-term anastrozole are tamoxifen or cessation of anti-oestrogen therapy.

Radiation:
• Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy must commence within 1 month of randomisation. Radiotherapy planning and treatment is as per the protocol.

Drug:
• Post radiotherapy commencement of anastrozole
Anastrozole 1mg per day will be prescribed for 12 weeks after radiotherapy is completed. Anastrozole should commence within 1 week of the last fraction of radiotherapy and be continued for a total of 12 weeks. After 12 weeks administration according to the trial regimen, any subsequent hormone therapy is as for the concurrent arm.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Australia	Royal Adelaide Hospital	Adelaide	South Australia
Australia	Genesis Cancer Care	Auchenflower	Queensland
Australia	Genesis Cancer Care	Bunbury	Western Australia
Australia	Cairns ROQ	Cairns	Queensland
Australia	Campbelltown Hospital	Campbelltown	New South Wales
Australia	Royal Prince Alfred Hospital	Camperdown	New South Wales
Australia	The Canberra Hospital	Canberra	Australian Capital Territory
Australia	Genesis Cancer Care	Chermside	Queensland
Australia	Alan Walker Cancer Centre	Darwin	Northern Territory
Australia	The Townsville Hospital	Douglas	Queensland
Australia	Geelong Hospital	Geelong	Victoria
Australia	Radiation Oncology Gold Coast	Gold Coast	Queensland
Australia	Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital	Herston	Queensland
Australia	Royal Hobart Hospital	Hobart	Tasmania
Australia	Genesis Cancer Care Hurstville	Hurstville	New South Wales
Australia	St George Hospital	Kogarah	New South Wales
Australia	Liverpool Hospital	Liverpool	New South Wales
Australia	Fiona Stanley Hospital	Murdoch	Western Australia
Australia	Calvary Mater Newcastle	Newcastle	New South Wales
Australia	Central West Cancer Service	Orange	New South Wales
Australia	Royal Perth Hospital	Perth	Western Australia
Australia	Prince of Wales Hospital	Randwick	New South Wales
Australia	Radiation Oncology - Mater Centre	South Brisbane	Queensland
Australia	Genesis Southport	Southport	Queensland
Australia	Royal North Shore Hospital	St Leonards	New South Wales
Australia	St Andrew's Toowoomba Hospital	Toowoomba	Queensland
Australia	Genesis Care	Tugun	Queensland
Australia	Riverina Cancer Centre	Wagga Wagga	New South Wales
Australia	Perth Radiation Oncology	Wembley	Western Australia
Australia	Illawarra Cancer Care Centre	Wollongong	New South Wales
Australia	Princess Alexandra Hospital	Woolloongabba	Queensland
New Zealand	Auckland Hospital	Auckland
New Zealand	Christchurch Hopsital Oncology Sevice	Christchurch
New Zealand	Palmerston North	Palmerston North

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group

Countries where clinical trial is conducted

Australia,  New Zealand, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	To determine if commencement of anastrozole prior to radiotherapy results in improved local control compared to anastrozole commenced after radiotherapy.		10 years post radiotherapy
Secondary	Rates of distant failure		10 years post radiotherapy
Secondary	Overall Survival		10 years post radiotherapy
Secondary	Normal tissue complications		10 years post radiotherapy
Secondary	Cosmesis		10 years post radiotherapy

External Links

•   Link to the TROG website where trial information can be found.