Flaxseed in Treating Postmenopausal Women With Hot Flashes Who Have a History of Breast Cancer or Other Cancer or Who Do Not Wish to Take Estrogen Therapy

Breast Cancer Clinical Trial

Official title: Phase III, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-Blind Trial of Flaxseed for the Treatment of Hot Flashes

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

RATIONALE: Estrogen can relieve the symptoms of menopause, but can also cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Flaxseed may reduce the number of hot flashes and improve mood and quality of life in postmenopausal women not receiving estrogen therapy.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying flaxseed to see how well it works in treating postmenopausal women with hot flashes who have a history of breast cancer or other cancer or who do not wish to take estrogen therapy.

Clinical Trial Description

OBJECTIVES:

• To evaluate the efficacy of flaxseed on hot flash scores in women with a history of breast cancer or other cancer or in women who do not wish to take estrogen therapy for fear of increased risk of breast cancer as measured by a daily prospective hot flash diary.

• To evaluate the side effect profile of flaxseed in this population.

• To evaluate the effects of flaxseed on mood (per the Profile of Mood States) and broader menopausal symptoms (per the MENQOL), daily interference from hot flashes (per the HFRDIS), and perception of benefit (per Global Impression of Change).

OUTLINE: Patients are stratified according to age (18-49 years vs ≥ 50 years); treatment with tamoxifen citrate, selective estrogen receptor modulators, or aromatase inhibitors (yes vs no); duration of hot flashes (≤ 9 months vs > 9 months); and daily frequency of hot flashes (4-9 vs ≥ 10). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

• Arm I: Patients receive oral flaxseed in the form of a bar similar to a granola bar once daily.

• Arm II: Patients receive oral placebo bar once daily. In both arms, treatment continues for 6-12 weeks. Patients in arm II may crossover to receive treatment as in arm I after 6 weeks.

Patients complete questionnaires (Hot Flash Diary, Side Effect Experience Questionnaire, Profile of Mood States, Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale, and Menopause Specific Quality of Life) at baseline and periodically during treatment. Patients are contacted by telephone at the end of weeks 2, 4, 5, and 7 to assess product tolerability, document compliance, encourage completion of questionnaires, and address problems. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Supportive Care

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Breast Cancer
• Breast Neoplasms
• Hot Flashes
• Menopausal Symptoms
• Unspecified Adult Solid Tumor, Protocol Specific

• NCT number: NCT00956813
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: October 2009
• Completion date: May 2013