Clinical trial NCT00004125: Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Women With Stage II or Stage IIIA Breast Cancer That Has Spread to the Lymph Nodes
Official title: A Phase III Study of Doxorubicin-Cyclophosphamide Therapy Followed by Paclitaxel or Docetaxel Given Weekly or Every 3 Weeks in Patients With Axillary Node-Positive Breast Cancer
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE3
Conditions: Breast Cancer
Keywords: stage II breast cancer
stage IIIA breast cancer
Lead sponsor: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Sponsor class: NETWORK
Collaborators: name: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
name: North Central Cancer Treatment Group
name: SWOG Cancer Research Network
name: Cancer and Leukemia Group B
First posted: 2003-08-25
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 120
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known which regimen of chemotherapy is more effective for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of two different regimens of combination chemotherapy in treating women who have stage II or stage IIIA breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.

Detailed description: OBJECTIVES:

* Compare the disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with node-positive or high-risk node-negative operable stage II or IIIA breast cancer treated with docetaxel or paclitaxel after doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide.
* Determine whether the weekly administration of paclitaxel or docetaxel for 12 weeks improves disease-free survival and overall survival when compared with the conventional schedule of every 3 weeks for 4 courses after doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in this patient population.
* Compare the toxic effects of docetaxel and paclitaxel when administered weekly for 12 weeks versus every 3 weeks for 4 courses in these patients.
* Compare the toxicity of paclitaxel administered every 3 weeks for 4 courses or weekly for 12 weeks to that of docetaxel administered on the same schedules in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to estrogen receptor status (positive vs negative vs unknown), nodal status (0 positive nodes vs 1-3 positive nodes vs 4-9 positive nodes vs at least 10 positive nodes), tumor size (no more than 5 cm vs more than 5 cm vs unknown), and type of prior surgery (mastectomy vs breast conservation surgery). Patients are randomized to one of four treatment arms.

* Arm I: Patients receive doxorubicin IV and cyclophosphamide IV every 3 weeks for 4 courses (weeks 1-12). Beginning at week 13, patients receive paclitaxel IV over 3 hours every 3 weeks for 4 courses.
* Arm II: Patients receive doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide as in arm I. Beginning at week 13, patients receive paclitaxel IV over 1 hour weekly for 12 weeks.
* Arm III: Patients receive doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide as in arm I. Beginning at week 13, patients receive docetaxel IV over 1 hour every 3 weeks for 4 courses.
* Arm IV: Patients receive doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide as in arm I. Beginning at week 13, patients receive docetaxel IV over 1 hour weekly for 12 weeks.

Within 4 weeks after completion of chemotherapy, patients with estrogen and/or progesterone receptor positive tumors receive oral tamoxifen daily for 5 years.

After completion of all chemotherapy, patients with prior segmental mastectomy receive radiotherapy once daily 5 days per week for 5-6 weeks. Patients with prior modified radical mastectomy may receive radiotherapy after chemotherapy completion at the investigator's discretion.

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

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 5,000 patients will be accrued for this study within 1.27 years.

Eligibility criteria: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed operable stage IIA, IIB, or IIIA adenocarcinoma of the breast with histologically involved lymph nodes (T1, 2, or 3; N1 or 2; M0) OR high-risk node-negative disease (T2 or 3; N0)

  * Primary tumor at least 2.1 cm in diameter for node-negative disease
  * Bilateral breast disease allowed if at least 1 primary tumor meets the criteria above
* Must have had at least 6 axillary lymph nodes removed at dissection and at least one node positive for metastasis OR
* Sentinel node biopsy negative for metastasis (sentinel node biopsy positive allowed if enrolled on American College of Surgery Trial Z0011 and have beenrandomized to receive no axillary dissection)

  * Additional axillary nodes may be obtained provided they are also negative for metastasis
* Complete tumor removal by either a modified radical mastectomy or local excision plus axillary lymph node dissection (i.e., breast conservation therapy) or sentinel node biopsy

  * Tumor-free margins at least 1 mm for both invasive and noninvasive carcinoma except for lobular carcinoma in situ (less than 1 mm allowed)
* Concurrent enrollment on American College of Surgery Trial Z0010, Z0011, or NSABP B-32 allowed
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Estrogen receptor status positive, negative, or unknown

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Sex:

* Female

Menopausal status:

* Not specified

Performance status:

* Not specified

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
* SGOT no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

* No history of myocardial infarction
* No congestive heart failure
* No significant ischemic or valvular heart disease

Other:

* No other prior invasive malignancies within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No hypersensitivity to paclitaxel or docetaxel or other similarly formulated drugs (with Cremophor or polysorbate)
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* Not specified

Chemotherapy:

* No prior chemotherapy for breast cancer

Endocrine therapy:

* Prior tamoxifen of no more than 4 weeks duration for breast cancer allowed
* Prior tamoxifen or other selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) for chemoprevention (e.g., Breast Cancer Prevention Trial) or for other indications (e.g., osteoporosis) allowed
* No concurrent tamoxifen or other SERMs

Radiotherapy:

* No prior radiotherapy for this malignancy
* At least 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy to the breast for ductal carcinoma in situ

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Less than 84 days since prior surgical procedure to adequately treat primary tumor

Primary outcomes:
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Birmingham
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Birmingham
state: Alabama
city: La Jolla
country: United States
facility: University of California San Diego Cancer Center
state: California
city: San Francisco
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - San Francisco
state: California
city: San Francisco
country: United States
facility: UCSF Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute
state: California
city: Wilmington
country: United States
facility: CCOP - Christiana Care Health Services
state: Delaware
city: Washington
country: United States
facility: Lombardi Cancer Center
state: District of Columbia
city: Washington
country: United States
facility: Walter Reed Army Medical Center
state: District of Columbia
city: Miami Beach
country: United States
facility: CCOP - Mount Sinai Medical Center
state: Florida
city: Chicago
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Chicago (Westside Hospital)
state: Illinois
city: Chicago
country: United States
facility: University of Chicago Cancer Research Center
state: Illinois
city: Bettendorf
country: United States
facility: Hematology Oncology Associates of the Quad Cities
state: Iowa
city: Iowa City
country: United States
facility: Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at The University of Iowa
state: Iowa
city: Togus
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Togus
state: Maine
city: Baltimore
country: United States
facility: Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland
state: Maryland
city: Boston
country: United States
facility: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
state: Massachusetts
city: Worcester
country: United States
facility: University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center
state: Massachusetts
city: Minneapolis
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Minneapolis
state: Minnesota
city: Minneapolis
country: United States
facility: University of Minnesota Cancer Center
state: Minnesota
city: Columbia
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Columbia (Truman Memorial)
state: Missouri
city: Columbia
country: United States
facility: Ellis Fischel Cancer Center - Columbia
state: Missouri
city: Saint Louis
country: United States
facility: Barnes-Jewish Hospital
state: Missouri
city: Omaha
country: United States
facility: University of Nebraska Medical Center
state: Nebraska
city: Las Vegas
country: United States
facility: CCOP - Southern Nevada Cancer Research Foundation
state: Nevada
city: Lebanon
country: United States
facility: Norris Cotton Cancer Center
state: New Hampshire
city: Buffalo
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Buffalo
state: New York
city: Buffalo
country: United States
facility: Roswell Park Cancer Institute
state: New York
city: Manhasset
country: United States
facility: CCOP - North Shore University Hospital
state: New York
city: Manhasset
country: United States
facility: Schneider Children's Hospital at North Shore
state: New York
city: New York
country: United States
facility: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
state: New York
city: New York
country: United States
facility: New York Presbyterian Hospital - Cornell Campus
state: New York
city: New York
country: United States
facility: Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY
state: New York
city: Syracuse
country: United States
facility: State University of New York - Upstate Medical University
state: New York
city: Syracuse
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Syracuse
state: New York
city: Syracuse
country: United States
facility: CCOP - Syracuse Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York, P.C.
state: New York
city: Chapel Hill
country: United States
facility: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC
state: North Carolina
city: Durham
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Durham
state: North Carolina
city: Durham
country: United States
facility: Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center
state: North Carolina
city: Winston-Salem
country: United States
facility: CCOP - Southeast Cancer Control Consortium
state: North Carolina
city: Winston-Salem
country: United States
facility: Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest University
state: North Carolina
city: Columbus
country: United States
facility: Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital - Ohio State University
state: Ohio
city: Providence
country: United States
facility: Rhode Island Hospital
state: Rhode Island
city: Memphis
country: United States
facility: University of Tennessee, Memphis Cancer Center
state: Tennessee
city: Memphis
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Memphis
state: Tennessee
city: Bennington
country: United States
facility: Green Mountain Oncology Group
state: Vermont
city: Burlington
country: United States
facility: Vermont Cancer Center
state: Vermont
city: White River Junction
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - White River Junction
state: Vermont
city: Richmond
country: United States
facility: Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Richmond
state: Virginia
city: Richmond
country: United States
facility: MBCCOP - Massey Cancer Center
state: Virginia
Study officials:
affiliation: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
name: Joseph A. Sparano, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Mayo Clinic
name: Edith A. Perez, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Saint John's Cancer Institute
name: Silvana Martino, DO
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: University of California, San Diego
name: Vicky E. Jones, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Sparano JA, Wang M, Martino S, Jones V, Perez EA, Saphner T, Wolff AC, Sledge GW Jr, Wood WC, Davidson NE. Weekly paclitaxel in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2008 Apr 17;358(16):1663-71. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0707056.
citation: Sparano JA, Wang M, Martino S, et al.: Phase III study of doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel or docetaxel given every 3 weeks or weekly in patients with axillary node-positive or high-risk node-negative breast cancer: results of North American Breast Cancer Intergroup Trial E1199. [Abstract] Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 94 (Suppl 1): A-48, 2005.
citation: Sparano JA, Zhao F, Martino S, Ligibel JA, Perez EA, Saphner T, Wolff AC, Sledge GW Jr, Wood WC, Davidson NE. Long-Term Follow-Up of the E1199 Phase III Trial Evaluating the Role of Taxane and Schedule in Operable Breast Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2015 Jul 20;33(21):2353-60. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.60.9271. Epub 2015 Jun 15.