Clinical trial NCT00005957: Radiation Therapy in Treating Women Who Have Undergone Surgery for Early-Stage Invasive Breast Cancer
Official title: A Phase III Study of Regional Radiation Therapy in Early Breast Cancer
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Breast Cancer
Keywords: stage I breast cancer
stage II breast cancer
Lead sponsor: Canadian Cancer Trials Group
Sponsor class: NETWORK
Collaborators: name: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
name: NSABP Foundation Inc
name: Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
name: SWOG Cancer Research Network
name: Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group
name: North Central Cancer Treatment Group
First posted: 2003-01-27
Enrollment: 1832
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 16
Maximum age (years): 120
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Radiation to the tumor site and surrounding area may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known if radiation therapy to the breast alone following surgery is more effective than radiation therapy to the breast plus surrounding tissue in treating invasive breast cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy to the breast alone to see how well it works compared to radiation therapy to the breast plus surrounding tissue in treating women who have undergone surgery for early-stage invasive breast cancer.

Detailed description: OBJECTIVES:

* Compare the overall survival, disease-free survival, isolated local regional disease-free survival, and distant disease-free survival in women with previously resected, early stage, invasive breast cancer treated with breast radiotherapy with or without regional radiotherapy.
* Compare the toxic effects of these regimens in these patients.
* Compare the quality of life of patients (in certain participating centers) treated with these regimens.
* Compare the cosmetic outcomes in patients (in certain participating centers) treated with these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to number of positive nodes (0 vs 1-3 vs more than 3), number of axillary nodes removed (\<10, \> or equal to 10); type of chemotherapy (anthracycline containing vs other vs none), hormonal therapy (yes vs no), number of axillary lymph nodes excised\*, and participating center. Patients are randomized to one of two treatment arms.

NOTE: \* Patients with a negative sentinel node dissection with or without an axillary dissection will be stratified according to the total number of nodes removed

* Arm I: Patients undergo standard breast radiotherapy alone 5 days a week for 5 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
* Arm II: Patients undergo breast and regional radiotherapy 5 days a week for 5 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Radiotherapy in both arms begins as soon as possible after randomization. Radiotherapy must begin within 8 weeks after completion of adjuvant IV chemotherapy, unless radiotherapy is administered concurrently with chemotherapy (i.e., cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil \[CMF\]), or within 16 weeks after the last breast surgery for patients treated with hormonal therapy alone.

Quality of life is assessed (in patients in certain participating centers) within 2 weeks prior to randomization, during the last week of radiotherapy, at 3 and 9 months after completion of radiotherapy, and then annually until first distant disease recurrence.

Cosmetic outcome is assessed (in patients in certain participating centers) within 2 weeks prior to randomization, and then at 3 and 5 years after completion of radiotherapy or until first distant disease recurrence.

Patients are followed at 3, 6, and 9 months, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 1,822 patients will be accrued for this study within approximately 4 years.

Eligibility criteria: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically proven invasive carcinoma of the breast

  * No evidence of T4, N2-3, or M1 disease prior to surgery
  * Node positive or high-risk node negative
* Prior breast-conserving therapy (BCT) (e.g., lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, or segmental mastectomy) and axillary node dissection or sentinel node biopsy required and must be a candidate for breast radiotherapy after BCT

  * Normally patients should have microscopically clear resection margins and those with positive margins should undergo reexcision
  * Patients with microscopically focally positive margins (defined as no greater than 3 times high power fields) are candidates for breast radiotherapy plus a boost to the lumpectomy site
  * Patients with prior sentinel node dissection eligible if node negative, but still meet high-risk criteria

    * If node positive, then a level I and II axillary dissection must be performed
  * No evidence of residual disease in axilla after dissection
* Must be treated with currently accepted adjuvant systemic chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy
* High risk of regional and systemic recurrence due to one of the following:

  * Pathologically positive axillary lymph nodes
  * Pathologically negative axillary lymph nodes with one of the following:

    * Primary tumor greater than 5 cm
    * Primary tumor greater than 2 cm and less than 10 axillary lymph nodes excised and one of the following:

      * Estrogen receptor negative
      * Skarf-Bloom-Richardson grade 3
      * Lymphovascular invasion
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Estrogen and progesterone receptor status known

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 16 and over

Sex:

* Female

Menopausal status:

* Premenopausal or postmenopausal

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

* At least 5 years

Hematopoietic:

* Not specified

Hepatic:

* SGOT and/or SGPT no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)\*
* Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 3 times ULN\* NOTE: \* Patients with laboratory values greater than 3 times ULN may still be eligible if no metastatic disease by imaging examinations

Renal:

* No serious nonmalignant renal disease

Cardiovascular:

* No serious nonmalignant cardiovascular disease

Pulmonary:

* No serious nonmalignant pulmonary disease

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No other serious nonmalignant disease (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma) that would preclude definitive surgery or radiotherapy
* No other malignancy except:

  * Nonmelanomatous skin cancer
  * Carcinoma in situ of the cervix or endometrium
  * Contralateral noninvasive breast cancer (unless prior radiotherapy to the contralateral breast)
  * Invasive carcinoma of the cervix, endometrium, colon, thyroid, or melanoma that was curatively treated at least 5 years prior to study participation
* No psychiatric or addictive disorder that would preclude informed consent or study compliance

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* Not specified

Chemotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Concurrent standard adjuvant chemotherapy allowed

Endocrine therapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Concurrent standard adjuvant hormonal therapy allowed

Radiotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics

Primary outcomes:
measure: Overall Survival
timeFrame: 10 years
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Disease-free Survival
timeFrame: 10 years
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Calgary
country: Canada
facility: Tom Baker Cancer Centre
state: Alberta
city: Edmonton
country: Canada
facility: Cross Cancer Institute
state: Alberta
city: Surrey
country: Canada
facility: BCCA - Fraser Valley Cancer Centre
state: British Columbia
city: Vancouver
country: Canada
facility: BCCA - Vancouver Cancer Centre
state: British Columbia
city: Victoria
country: Canada
facility: BCCA - Vancouver Island Cancer Centre
state: British Columbia
city: Winnipeg
country: Canada
facility: CancerCare Manitoba
state: Manitoba
city: Moncton
country: Canada
facility: The Vitalite Health Network - Dr. Leon Richard
state: New Brunswick
city: Saint John
country: Canada
facility: Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation
state: New Brunswick
city: St. John's
country: Canada
facility: Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre
state: Newfoundland and Labrador
city: Halifax
country: Canada
facility: QEII Health Sciences Center
state: Nova Scotia
city: Hamilton
country: Canada
facility: Juravinski Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences
state: Ontario
city: Kitchener
country: Canada
facility: Grand River Regional Cancer Centre
state: Ontario
city: London
country: Canada
facility: London Regional Cancer Program
state: Ontario
city: Ottawa
country: Canada
facility: Ottawa Health Research Institute - General Division
state: Ontario
city: St. Catharines
country: Canada
facility: Niagara Health System
state: Ontario
city: Sudbury
country: Canada
facility: Northeast Cancer Center Health Sciences
state: Ontario
city: Thunder Bay
country: Canada
facility: Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre
state: Ontario
city: Toronto
country: Canada
facility: Odette Cancer Centre
state: Ontario
city: Toronto
country: Canada
facility: Univ. Health Network-Princess Margaret Hospital
state: Ontario
city: Montreal
country: Canada
facility: CHUM - Hopital Notre-Dame
state: Quebec
city: Montreal
country: Canada
facility: McGill University - Dept. Oncology
state: Quebec
city: Quebec City
country: Canada
facility: CHUQ-Pavillon Hotel-Dieu de Quebec
state: Quebec
city: Quebec City
country: Canada
facility: CHA-Hopital Du St-Sacrement
state: Quebec
city: Sherbrooke
country: Canada
facility: Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke
state: Quebec
city: Regina
country: Canada
facility: Allan Blair Cancer Centre
state: Saskatchewan
city: Saskatoon
country: Canada
facility: Saskatoon Cancer Centre
state: Saskatchewan
Study officials:
affiliation: Margaret and Charles Juravinski Cancer Centre
name: Timothy J. Whelan, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Allegheny Cancer Center at Allegheny General Hospital
name: David S. Parda
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Medical College of Wisconsin
name: Julia R. White, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
name: Lori J. Pierce, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
name: Boon Chua, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Mayo Clinic
name: Laura A. Vallow, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Whelan TJ, Olivotto IA, Parulekar WR, Ackerman I, Chua BH, Nabid A, Vallis KA, White JR, Rousseau P, Fortin A, Pierce LJ, Manchul L, Chafe S, Nolan MC, Craighead P, Bowen J, McCready DR, Pritchard KI, Gelmon K, Murray Y, Chapman JA, Chen BE, Levine MN; MA.20 Study Investigators. Regional Nodal Irradiation in Early-Stage Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jul 23;373(4):307-16. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1415340.
citation: Gross JP, Whelan TJ, Parulekar WR, Chen BE, Rademaker AW, Helenowski IB, Donnelly ED, Strauss JB. Development and Validation of a Nomogram to Predict Lymphedema After Axillary Surgery and Radiation Therapy in Women With Breast Cancer From the NCIC CTG MA.20 Randomized Trial. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2019 Sep 1;105(1):165-173. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2019.05.002. Epub 2019 May 11.