Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Clinical Trial

Official title:

A Randomized Phase III Trial of Sequential Chemotherapy Using Doxorubicin, Paclitaxel, and Cyclophosphamide or Concurrent Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide Followed by Paclitaxel at 14 or 21 Day Intervals in Women With Node Positive Stage II/IIIA Breast Cancer

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00003088
• Other study ID #: CALGB-9741
• Secondary ID: U10CA031946CALGB
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: September 1997
• Est. completion date: June 2003

Study information

• Verified date: April 2020
• Source: Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving drugs at different times or combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which chemotherapy regimen is more effective for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of chemotherapy consisting of either doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, or paclitaxel given at different times with that of combination chemotherapy consisting of doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel in treating women with stage II or stage IIIA breast cancer.

Description:

OBJECTIVES: I. Compare the sequential chemotherapy with doxorubicin, paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide to combined doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel for disease free and overall survival in women with node positive stage II or IIIA breast cancer. II. Determine whether increasing the dose density of adjuvant chemotherapy will improve disease free and overall survival. III. Compare the toxicity in patients treated with these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are randomized into one of four arms (sequential chemotherapy every 2 weeks vs every 3 weeks vs concurrent chemotherapy followed by paclitaxel every 2 weeks vs every 3 weeks). All tumor should be removed by either a modified radical mastectomy or a segmental mastectomy plus axillary node dissection. Adjuvant chemotherapy is started within 84 days following the last surgical procedure. Arm I: Patients receive sequential chemotherapy every 3 weeks. Doxorubicin IV is administered once every 3 weeks for 4 doses. Paclitaxel IV is then administered over 3 hours once every 3 weeks for 4 doses. Cyclophosphamide IV is administered once every 3 weeks for 4 doses following paclitaxel. Arm II: Patients receive sequential chemotherapy every 2 weeks. Doxorubicin IV is administered once every 2 weeks for 4 doses. Paclitaxel IV is then administered over 3 hours once every 2 weeks for 4 doses. Cyclophosphamide IV is administered once every 2 weeks for 4 doses following paclitaxel. Filgrastim (G-CSF) is administered by subcutaneous injection on days 3-10 after each dose of doxorubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide. Arm III: Patients receive combination chemotherapy every 3 weeks. Combination doxorubicin IV and cyclophosphamide IV is administered once every 3 weeks for 4 doses. Paclitaxel IV is administered over 3 hours once every 3 weeks for 4 doses following combination chemotherapy. Arm IV: Patients receive combination chemotherapy every 2 weeks. Combination doxorubicin IV and cyclophosphamide IV is administered once every 2 weeks for 4 doses. Paclitaxel IV is administered over 3 hours once every 2 weeks for 4 doses following combination chemotherapy. G-CSF is administered by subcutaneous injection on days 3-10 after each dose of doxorubicin/cyclophophamide and after each dose of paclitaxel. After completion of all chemotherapy, patients receive tamoxifen orally for 5 years. Patients undergo radiotherapy 4-6 weeks after the completion of chemotherapy. Patients are followed every 6 months for 5 years, then annually until death.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 2,000 patients will be accrued for this study within 22 months.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 2005
• Est. completion date: June 2003
• Est. primary completion date: April 2003
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Female
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

1. Required Tumor Parameters

1.1 Patients with operable, histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the female breast and positive lymph nodes. Node positivity may be determined by either an axillary node dissection or a positive sentinel node finding by immunohistochemistry or histology. This includes any patient with one or more positive lymph nodes whose tumors are T0, T1, 2 or 3 and N1, N2, MO. Patients with metaplastic carcinoma are eligible. Bilateral disease does not exclude patients from entry.

1.2 Tumors that are locally advanced at diagnosis are not eligible. This is left to investigator judgment. Patients with tumors fixed to the chest wall, peau d'orange skin changes, skin ulcerations, or clinical inflammatory changes (T4 disease) are excluded from this study. Dermal lymphatic involvement noted on pathology without clinical inflammatory changes will not exclude a patient from this study.

1.3 Patients with any ERP/PgR status are eligible.

2. Prior treatment:

2.1 <84 days from mastectomy or within 84 days of axillary dissection if the patient's most extensive breast surgery was a breast sparing procedure.

2.2 Surgical resection margins - All tumor should be removed by either a modified radical mastectomy or a segmental mastectomy. Node dissection: patients may have had either an axillary node dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy before beginning treatment on protocol.

• Mastectomy: There should be no evidence of gross or microscopic tumor at the surgical resection margins noted in the final surgery or pathology reports for patients who have had a modified radical mastectomy. Patients with close margins (tumor < 1 mm from margin) are eligible.

• Segmental mastectomy (lumpectomy): Although clear margins are preferable, DCIS or LCIS at the surgical resection margin will not render a patient who has undergone a segmental mastectomy ineligible for this study. Invasive tumor at the final resection margin will render a patient ineligible.

2.3 No prior chemotherapy.

2.4 No prior radiation therapy for this malignancy. Patients who received radiation to the breast for DCIS are eligible. Patients who have had segmental mastectomy will be treated with radiotherapy according to standard procedures in the treating physician's institution after completion of all chemotherapy. Patients who have had modified radical mastectomy may also receive radiotherapy at the discretion of the treating physician according to institutional guidelines.

2.5 Patients may receive up to four weeks of tamoxifen therapy for this malignancy and still be eligible for study entry. Patients who received tamoxifen for purposes of chemoprevention (e.g., Breast Cancer Prevention Trial) or for other indications (including previous breast cancer) are eligible. Tamoxifen therapy should be discontinued before the patient is enrolled on this study.

3. Age > 18. There is no upper age limit for enrollment on this study.

4. Required initial laboratory data:

• Granulocyte count > 1000/mm3

• Platelet count > 100,000/mm3

• Bilirubin within upper limits of normal

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Breast Cancer
• Breast Neoplasms

Intervention

Drug:
• cyclophosphamide
given IV
• doxorubicin hydrochloride
given IV
• paclitaxel
given IV

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	Saskatchewan Cancer Agency	Regina	Saskatchewan
United States	CCOP - Ann Arbor Regional	Ann Arbor	Michigan
United States	Quain & Ramstad Clinic, P.C.	Bismarck	North Dakota
United States	CCOP - Cedar Rapids Oncology Project	Cedar Rapids	Iowa
United States	CCOP - Iowa Oncology Research Association	Des Moines	Iowa
United States	CCOP - Duluth	Duluth	Minnesota
United States	CCOP - Merit Care Hospital	Fargo	North Dakota
United States	Altru Health Systems	Grand Forks	North Dakota
United States	CCOP - Ochsner	New Orleans	Louisiana
United States	CCOP - Missouri Valley Cancer Consortium	Omaha	Nebraska
United States	CCOP - Illinois Oncology Research Association	Peoria	Illinois
United States	Rapid City Regional Hospital	Rapid City	South Dakota
United States	Mayo Clinic Cancer Center	Rochester	Minnesota
United States	CentraCare Clinic	Saint Cloud	Minnesota
United States	CCOP - Scottsdale Oncology Program	Scottsdale	Arizona
United States	Siouxland Hematology-Oncology	Sioux City	Iowa
United States	CCOP - Sioux Community Cancer Consortium	Sioux Falls	South Dakota
United States	CCOP - Toledo Community Hospital Oncology Program	Toledo	Ohio
United States	CCOP - Carle Cancer Center	Urbana	Illinois

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology	National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Countries where clinical trial is conducted

United States,  Canada, 

References & Publications (12)

Berry DA, Cirrincione C, Henderson IC, Citron ML, Budman DR, Goldstein LJ, Martino S, Perez EA, Muss HB, Norton L, Hudis C, Winer EP. Estrogen-receptor status and outcomes of modern chemotherapy for patients with node-positive breast cancer. JAMA. 2006 Apr 12;295(14):1658-67. Erratum in: JAMA. 2006 May 24;295(20):2356. — View Citation

Berry DA, Cirrincione C, Henderson IC, et al.: Effects of improvements in chemotherapy on disease-free and overall survival of estrogen-receptor negative, node-positive breast cancer: 20-year experience of the CALGB U.S. Breast Intergroup. [Abstract] Breast Cancer Res Treat 88 (Suppl 1): A-29, 2004.

Campone M, Fumoleau P, Bourbouloux E, Kerbrat P, Roché H. Taxanes in adjuvant breast cancer setting: which standard in Europe? Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2005 Sep;55(3):167-75. Review. — View Citation

Citron M, Berry D, Cirrincione C, et al.: Superiority of dose-dense (DD) over conventional scheduling (CS) and equivalence of sequential (SC) vs. combination adjuvant chemotherapy (CC) for node-positive breast cancer (CALGB 9741, INT C9741). [Abstract] Br

Citron ML, Berry DA, Cirrincione C, et al.: Dose-dense (DD) AC followed by paclitaxel is associated with moderate, frequent anemia compared to sequential (S) and/or less DD treatment: update by CALGB on Breast Cancer Intergroup Trial C9741 with ECOG, SWOG

Citron ML, Berry DA, Cirrincione C, Hudis C, Winer EP, Gradishar WJ, Davidson NE, Martino S, Livingston R, Ingle JN, Perez EA, Carpenter J, Hurd D, Holland JF, Smith BL, Sartor CI, Leung EH, Abrams J, Schilsky RL, Muss HB, Norton L. Randomized trial of do — View Citation

Fornier M, Norton L. Dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy for primary breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2005;7(2):64-9. Epub 2005 Feb 10. — View Citation

Hudis C, Citron M, Berry D, et al.: Five year follow-up of INT C9741: dose-dense (DD) chemotherapy (CRx) is safe and effective. [Abstract] Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 94 (Suppl 1): A-41, 2005.

Muss H, Berry D, Cirrincione C, et al.: Toxicity of older and younger patients (pts) treated (Rx) with intensive adjuvant chemotherapy (Cx) for node-positive (N+) breast cancer (BC): the CALGB experience. [Abstract] J Clin Oncol 24 (Suppl 18): A-559, 2006.

Muss HB, Berry DA, Cirrincione C, Budman DR, Henderson IC, Citron ML, Norton L, Winer EP, Hudis CA; Cancer and Leukemia Group B Experience. Toxicity of older and younger patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy for node-positive breast cancer: the Cancer and Leukemia Group B Experience. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Aug 20;25(24):3699-704. — View Citation

Orzano JA, Swain SM. Concepts and clinical trials of dose-dense chemotherapy for breast cancer . Clin Breast Cancer. 2005 Dec;6(5):402-11. Review. — View Citation

Schwartz J, Domchek SM, Hwang WT, Fox K. Evaluation of anemia, neutropenia and skin toxicities in standard or dose-dense doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC)-paclitaxel or docetaxel adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Ann Oncol. 2005 Feb;16(2):247-52. — View Citation

* Note: There are 12 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Disease free survival		4 years

External Links

•   Data Available: Select individual patient-level data from this trial can be requested from the NCTN/NCORP Data Archive