Hormone Therapy and Chemotherapy in Treating Perimenopausal or Postmenopausal Women With Node-Positive Breast Cancer — 12-93  

Breast Cancer Clinical Trial

Official title: Adjuvant Therapy for Post/Perimenopausal Patients With Node Positive Breast Cancer Who Are Suitable for Endocrine Therapy Alone.

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

RATIONALE: Estrogen can stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy may fight breast cancer by blocking the uptake of estrogen. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with hormone therapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which treatment regimen is more effective for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of hormone therapy during or after combination chemotherapy or hormone therapy alone in treating perimenopausal or postmenopausal women who have stage II or stage IIIA breast cancer.

Clinical Trial Description

OBJECTIVES: I. Compare overall survival and local and systemic disease-free survival produced by adjuvant chemoendocrine therapy with 4 courses of anthracycline/cyclophosphamide and concurrent vs. sequential tamoxifen (TMX) or toremifene (TOR) in peri- and postmenopausal women with node-positive breast cancer who are considered suitable for endocrine therapy alone. II. Evaluate these same endpoints in patients randomized to chemoendocrine therapy vs. endocrine therapy alone. III. Evaluate these same endpoints in patients randomized to TMX vs. TOR as the endocrine therapy agent. IV. Compare the quality of life of patients treated on these regimens. V. Compare the toxic effects of these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified by type of primary therapy and participating institution. Therapy must begin within 6 weeks of surgery. Patients in the first group receive doxorubicin (or epirubicin) and cyclophosphamide every 28 days for a total of 4 cycles and oral tamoxifen daily for 5 years, beginning day 1 of chemotherapy. Patients in the second group receive the same chemotherapy with oral tamoxifen initiated on day 8 of the fourth chemotherapy cycle and continued for 5 years. Patients in the third group receive oral tamoxifen daily for 5 years. Patients in the fourth group are treated the same as the first group, only tamoxifen is replaced by toremifene. Patients in the fifth group are treated the same as the second group, only tamoxifen is replaced by toremifene. Patients in the sixth group receive oral toremifene daily for 5 years. The timing of optional radiotherapy for patients with less than total mastectomy in each group is based on institutional policy; radiotherapy is administered for 5-6 weeks to the remaining breast tissue, chest wall, and lung. Patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 2 years, and yearly thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: 1,140 patients will be accrued over approximately 9 years, with 1 additional year of follow-up. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Breast Cancer
• Breast Neoplasms

• NCT number: NCT00002529
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: International Breast Cancer Study Group
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: May 1993
• Completion date: August 2010