Red Clover and Lifestyle Changes to Contrast Menopausal Symptoms in Premenopausal Breast Cancer Patients Given Tamoxifen

Breast Cancer Clinical Trial

Official title:

RED CLOVER EXTRACT (PROMENSIL) AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO CONTRAST MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH HORMONE-SENSITIVE BREAST CANCER RECEIVING ADJUVANT ANTI-ESTROGEN THERAPY

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03844685
• Other study ID #: INT 101/11
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: July 5, 2012
• Est. completion date: February 23, 2016

Study information

• Verified date: February 2019
• Source: Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

A prospective double-blind randomized trial of red clover extract (Promensil) vs placebo in surgically-treated premenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer taking tamoxifen

Description:

Premenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer treated by surgery and receiving postoperative tamoxifen with or without LHRH analogues, who may have received pre or postoperative chemotherapy, or immunotherapy (for HER2-positive disease), are recruited to a double-blind randomized clinical trial, to receive either a dry extract of red clover (Promensil) as one tablet/day orally containing 80 mg isoflavones (treatment group), or one oral tablet/day without active principle (placebo group) for 24 months. All patients receive a diet-lifestyle intervention involving meetings with a dietician (physician) scheduled once a month for the first 6 months, and every 3 months thereafter. The dietician encourages patients to adhere to a macronutrient-balanced, low glycaemic load Mediterranean-type diet with personalized recommendations to increase intakes of unrefined cereals, pulses, vegetables, unrefined vegetable fats (e.g. olive oil, nuts, oil-containing seeds), and fish, and reduce intake of high-glycaemic-index foods and saturated animal fats. Patients are also encouraged to undertake regular physical activity. Outcomes are Menopausal Rating Score (MRS), body mass index (BMI), waist and hip girth, insulin resistance, and levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and sex hormones.

The safety of the red clover preparation is assessed by pelvic ultrasound and mammograms for endometrial thickness and breast density, and by evaluation of the effects of the serum from treated and placebo patients on ER-positive BC cell lines.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 88
• Est. completion date: February 23, 2016
• Est. primary completion date: March 25, 2014
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Female
• Age group: 18 Years to 60 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically confirmed operable ER-positive breast cancer

• Can be ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)

• Absence of locoregional relapse or distant metastasis

• Normal ovarian function

• Menopause Rating Score > or equal to 8

• Signed informed consent to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

• Menopause Rating Score <8

• Menopausal at diagnosis or at surgery

• Previous malignancies other than in situ cervical carcinoma or non-melanoma skin cancer

• Breast cancer recurrence

• Metastatic breast cancer

• Non-epithelial breast cancer at histological examination

• In situ lobular breast cancer

• Participation in other randomized clinical trials that could interfere with current study

• Living distant from center and unable to attend for check-ups and meetings.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Breast Cancer
• Breast Neoplasms

Intervention

Drug:
• Promensil
1 tablet (80 mg) /day of MCE-11 (Promensil) taken orally for 24 months
• Placebo Oral Tablet
Placebo tablet (80 mg) (without active principle) given once a day for 24 months

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Italy	Cristina Ferraris	Milan

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Italy, 

References & Publications (19)

Atkinson C, Compston JE, Day NE, Dowsett M, Bingham SA. The effects of phytoestrogen isoflavones on bone density in women: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Feb;79(2):326-33. — View Citation

Chedraui P, San Miguel G, Hidalgo L, Morocho N, Ross S. Effect of Trifolium pratense-derived isoflavones on the lipid profile of postmenopausal women with increased body mass index. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2008 Nov;24(11):620-4. doi: 10.1080/09513590802288283 — View Citation

Chlebowski RT, Schwartz AG, Wakelee H, Anderson GL, Stefanick ML, Manson JE, Rodabough RJ, Chien JW, Wactawski-Wende J, Gass M, Kotchen JM, Johnson KC, O'Sullivan MJ, Ockene JK, Chen C, Hubbell FA; Women's Health Initiative Investigators. Oestrogen plus p — View Citation

Cross HS, Kállay E, Lechner D, Gerdenitsch W, Adlercreutz H, Armbrecht HJ. Phytoestrogens and vitamin D metabolism: a new concept for the prevention and therapy of colorectal, prostate, and mammary carcinomas. J Nutr. 2004 May;134(5):1207S-1212S. Review. — View Citation

Dornstauder E, Jisa E, Unterrieder I, Krenn L, Kubelka W, Jungbauer A. Estrogenic activity of two standardized red clover extracts (Menoflavon) intended for large scale use in hormone replacement therapy. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2001 Jul;78(1):67-75. — View Citation

Guha N, Kwan ML, Quesenberry CP Jr, Weltzien EK, Castillo AL, Caan BJ. Soy isoflavones and risk of cancer recurrence in a cohort of breast cancer survivors: the Life After Cancer Epidemiology study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009 Nov;118(2):395-405. doi: 1 — View Citation

Hidalgo LA, Chedraui PA, Morocho N, Ross S, San Miguel G. The effect of red clover isoflavones on menopausal symptoms, lipids and vaginal cytology in menopausal women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2005 Nov;21(5 — View Citation

Horn-Ross PL, Hoggatt KJ, Lee MM. Phytoestrogens and thyroid cancer risk: the San Francisco Bay Area thyroid cancer study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2002 Jan;11(1):43-9. — View Citation

Horn-Ross PL, John EM, Canchola AJ, Stewart SL, Lee MM. Phytoestrogen intake and endometrial cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2003 Aug 6;95(15):1158-64. Erratum in: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Oct 18;98(20):1501. — View Citation

Howes J, Waring M, Huang L, Howes LG. Long-term pharmacokinetics of an extract of isoflavones from red clover (Trifolium pratense). J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Apr;8(2):135-42. — View Citation

Imhof M, Gocan A, Reithmayr F, Lipovac M, Schimitzek C, Chedraui P, Huber J. Effects of a red clover extract (MF11RCE) on endometrium and sex hormones in postmenopausal women. Maturitas. 2006 Aug 20;55(1):76-81. Epub 2006 Mar 2. — View Citation

Imhof M, Molzer S, Imhof M. Effects of soy isoflavones on 17beta-estradiol-induced proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Toxicol In Vitro. 2008 Sep;22(6):1452-60. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2008.04.018. Epub 2008 May 4. — View Citation

Kawakita S, Marotta F, Naito Y, Gumaste U, Jain S, Tsuchiya J, Minelli E. Effect of an isoflavones-containing red clover preparation and alkaline supplementation on bone metabolism in ovariectomized rats. Clin Interv Aging. 2009;4:91-100. Epub 2009 May 14 — View Citation

Lipovac M, Chedraui P, Gruenhut C, Gocan A, Stammler M, Imhof M. Improvement of postmenopausal depressive and anxiety symptoms after treatment with isoflavones derived from red clover extracts. Maturitas. 2010 Mar;65(3):258-61. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.20 — View Citation

Mueller M, Jungbauer A. Red clover extract: a putative source for simultaneous treatment of menopausal disorders and the metabolic syndrome. Menopause. 2008 Nov-Dec;15(6):1120-31. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e31817062ce. — View Citation

Piersen CE, Booth NL, Sun Y, Liang W, Burdette JE, van Breemen RB, Geller SE, Gu C, Banuvar S, Shulman LP, Bolton JL, Farnsworth NR. Chemical and biological characterization and clinical evaluation of botanical dietary supplements: a phase I red clover ex — View Citation

Simoncini T, Fornari L, Mannella P, Caruso A, Garibaldi S, Baldacci C, Genazzani AR. Activation of nitric oxide synthesis in human endothelial cells by red clover extracts. Menopause. 2005 Jan-Feb;12(1):69-77. — View Citation

Teede HJ, McGrath BP, DeSilva L, Cehun M, Fassoulakis A, Nestel PJ. Isoflavones reduce arterial stiffness: a placebo-controlled study in men and postmenopausal women. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2003 Jun 1;23(6):1066-71. Epub 2003 Apr 24. — View Citation

Terzic MM, Dotlic J, Maricic S, Mihailovic T, Tosic-Race B. Influence of red clover-derived isoflavones on serum lipid profile in postmenopausal women. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2009 Dec;35(6):1091-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2009.001059.x. — View Citation

* Note: There are 19 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Menopause Rating Scale (MRS)	Full name of questionnaire is "Menopause Rating Scale" ; The total score of the MRS ranges between 0 (asymptomatic) and 44 (highest degree of complaints). the ranges are: 0-4 no/little symptoms, 5-8 mild, 9-15 moderate and 16/16+ severe.; The sub-scale are: Psychological score, (Question N° 4-7), Somatic score (Question N° 1-3; 11), Urogenital score (Question N° 8-10). The subscales are combined in a total MRS score.	24 months
Primary	weight gain (kg)		24 months
Primary	insulin resistance	fasting blood glucose x fasting blood insulin (HOMA-IR)	24 months
Secondary	endometrial thickness	assessed by annual pelvic ultrasound (mm)	24 months
Secondary	breast density	assessed by annual mammography (BI-RADS)	24 months
Secondary	growth of breast cancer cell lines highly expressing estrogen receptors	OD Units	24 months
Secondary	transcript expression of estrogen-regulated genes in breast cancer cell lines highly expressing estrogen receptors	transcript levels	24 months