Clinical trial NCT02224807: Effects of Diet and Exercise on Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
Official title: Exploring Effects of Weight Loss on Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
Breast Cancer
Keywords: breast cancer
diet
exercise
weight loss
Lead sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2014-08-25
Enrollment: 32
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 19
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Brief summary: This pilot/feasibility trial seeks to explore whether an acute bout of negative energy balance prior to surgery affects biomarkers of neoplasia. Forty overweight or obese postmenopausal women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or early stage breast cancer (Stage I or II) who elect mastectomy or lumpectomy will be randomly assigned to 1-of-2 study arms: 1) an Attention Control Group that receives instruction on dietary approaches to correct nutritional deficiencies and progressive resistance training (PRT) that targets the arm ipsilateral to the affected breast; or 2) an Experimental Group that will receive PRT and guidance to correct nutritional deficiencies plus an intensive intervention to promote a 1.5-2 pound/week weight loss through diet, exercise, and behavior modification. This study will explore and contrast changes in body mass index (BMI) observed from enrollment to the time of surgery in the experimental vs. attention control arms, and also monitor changes in energy intake and physical activity. These changes will be studied in relation to the following endpoints: a) changes in select circulating biomarkers and gene expression related to cancer progression, hormonal status, inflammation and other energy-related factors; b) rates of tumor proliferation and apoptosis; c) tumor markers, e.g., insulin receptor, Vascular Epithelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Nuclear Factor kappa beta (NFkB), and phosphoproteins associated with the Convergence of Hormones, Inflammation and Energy-Rated Factors (CHIEF) pathway; and d) functional and health-related outcomes. Because both tumor tissue and blood will be examined from pre-to-post-intervention, this study will provide exciting new data that can elucidate pathways by which energy balance affects breast cancer progression. Although longer term weight loss is recommended for overweight and obese breast cancer survivors, it is not known whether placing the body in a state of negative energy balance will have a favorable impact on the tumor. If beneficial changes in tumor biology and the host environment occur with short-term, pre-surgical weight loss, this study provides proof of concept that weight loss may offer an acceptable and complementary treatment option that could be combined with standard therapies.

Detailed description: Obesity is a known risk factor for invasive breast cancers that occur post-menopause. Obese women also die twice as frequently from breast cancer than those of normal weight. Numerous preclinical studies show the benefits of caloric restriction on cancer progression in animals - but, will similar effects be seen in humans? In response to a call for translational studies that will identify biological/biobehavioral pathways through which weight loss may affect cancer prognosis (PAR-12-229), the investigators propose a pilot study that builds on the investigators success of pre-surgical interventions to answer the research question, "does negative energy balance with concomitant weight loss invoke anti-cancer effects on tumor biology and the host environment?" The investigators will randomly assign 40 overweight or obese postmenopausal women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or early stage breast cancer who elect mastectomy or lumpectomy to 1-of-2 study arms: 1) an Attention Control Group that receives instruction on dietary approaches to correct nutritional deficiencies and progressive resistance training (PRT) that targets the arm ipsilateral to the affected breast; or 2) an Experimental Group that will receive PRT and guidance to correct nutritional deficiencies plus an intensive intervention to promote a 1.5-2 pound/week weight loss through diet, exercise, and behavior modification. This study will explore and contrast changes in body mass index (BMI) observed from enrollment to the time of surgery in the experimental vs. attention control arms, and also monitor changes in energy intake and physical activity. These changes will be studied in relation to the following endpoints: a) changes in select circulating biomarkers and gene expression related to cancer progression, hormonal status, inflammation and other energy-related factors; b) rates of tumor proliferation and apoptosis; c) tumor markers, e.g., insulin receptor, Vascular Epithelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Nuclear Factor kappa beta (NFkB), and phosphoproteins associated with the Convergence of Hormones, Inflammation and Energy-Rated Factors (CHIEF) pathway; and d) functional and health-related outcomes. Because both tumor tissue and blood will be examined from pre-to-post-intervention, this study will provide exciting new data that can elucidate pathways by which energy balance affects breast cancer progression from a non-invasive to an invasive state. Although longer term weight loss is recommended for overweight and obese breast cancer survivors, it is not known whether placing the body in a state of negative energy balance will have a favorable impact on the tumor. If beneficial changes in tumor biology and the host environment occur with short-term, pre-surgical weight loss, this study provides proof of concept that weight loss may offer an acceptable and complementary treatment option that could be combined with standard therapies. Thus, the research that is proposed will not only increase the investigators understanding of the impact of negative energy balance on tumor biology, but could change the standard of care and offer a more conservative treatment option for the 50,000 American women who are diagnosed with DCIS each year, as well as a novel adjunct therapy for women with early stage invasive disease.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Postmenopausal women with intermediate-to-high nuclear grade DCIS or stage I or II breast cancer who elect surgery and who have \>3-week lag-time between the start of the intervention and their scheduled surgery;
* Overweight or obese (BMI:25-60);
* English speaking/reading
* Willing to be assigned to either study arm

Exclusion Criteria:

* Have a pre-existing medical condition(s) that preclude adherence to unsupervised exercise;
* Have a current medical condition that affects weight status;
* Has an active malignancy, other than DCIS, invasive breast cancer, or non-melanoma skin cancer;
* Currently enrolled in a weight loss program
* Have received or scheduled to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to mastectomy or lumpectomy

Primary outcomes:
measure: Tumor proliferation
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Weight
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Feasibility
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Body Composition
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Waist Circumference
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Tumor markers
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Serum Biomarkers
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Gene expression
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Dietary Intake
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Physical Activity
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Quality of Life
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
measure: Cardiorespiratory Fitness
timeFrame: Baseline to Time of Surgery
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Birmingham
country: United States
facility: University of Alabama at Birmingham
state: Alabama
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham
name: Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Smith KS, Fruge AD, van der Pol W, Caston NE, Morrow CD, Demark-Wahnefried W, Carson TL. Gut microbial differences in breast and prostate cancer cases from two randomised controlled trials compared to matched cancer-free controls. Benef Microbes. 2021 Jun 15;12(3):239-248. doi: 10.3920/BM2020.0098. Epub 2021 Apr 1.
citation: Fruge AD, Van der Pol W, Rogers LQ, Morrow CD, Tsuruta Y, Demark-Wahnefried W. Fecal Akkermansia muciniphila Is Associated with Body Composition and Microbiota Diversity in Overweight and Obese Women with Breast Cancer Participating in a Presurgical Weight Loss Trial. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2020 Apr;120(4):650-659. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2018.08.164. Epub 2018 Nov 9.
citation: Tsuruta Y, Rogers LQ, Krontiras H, Grizzle WE, Fruge AD, Oster RA, Umphrey HR, Jones LW, Azrad M, Demark-Wahnefried W. Exploring effects of presurgical weight loss among women with stage 0-II breast cancer: protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial. BMJ Open. 2016 Sep 15;6(9):e012320. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012320.