Conditions: Breast Cancer
Keywords: Locally Advanced Breast Cancer
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 44
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Paclitaxel 30 mg/m2 twice/week Trastuzumab 4mg/kg, loading dose, then 2 mg/kg weekly and Concurrent RT (to start within one week from first dose of Paclitaxel/Trastuzumab) to breast, supraclavicular, axillary fields, 45 Gy @ 1.8 Gy/fraction, + 14 Gy @ 2 Gy/fraction to the primary tumor. At the end of chemo-radiation, Trastuzumab will be continued weekly until surgery and as per standard of care after surgery for up to 1 year total.

\*\*Surgery: Patients will undergo lumpectomy and axillary node dissection or modified radical mastectomy within two months following discontinuation of pre-operative systemic therapy, contingent upon recovery of skin toxicity. Pathologic response will be evaluated at the time of surgery. Additional tissue samples will be collected from the surgical specimen for assessment of tumor molecular characteristics.

\*\*\*All patients may undergo four cycles of post-operative Standard AC (doxorubicin 60 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2) or four cycles of post-operative epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide (epirubicin 100 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2) if doxorubicin is not available Tamoxifen as well or any alternative antihormonal therapy may be prescribed for five years for patients with hormone receptor positive tumors. Herceptin (Trastuzumab) will be prescribed for a total of 1 year since first dose as per standard of care.

Detailed description:
Locally Advanced Breast Cancer: T greater than 3.0 cm. HER-2/neu positive. Patients with ipsilateral supraclavicular nodes are eligible. Patients with inflammatory breast cancer or distant metastases are excluded. Patients with prior treatment for their breast cancer are excluded. Patients must have adequate laboratory parameters and normal cardiac function. Patients receive Concurrent Radiation therapy with either Capecitabine, Paclitaxel and Herceptin. Capecitabine (Xeloda®) 750 mg/m2 twice/daily given orally. Treatment should begin on day 1 of radiation therapy. The two doses should be taken about 30 minutes after eating (eg. after breakfast and after dinner). Treatment will be given for 10 weeks (for 6 weeks during radiation and for 4 weeks after radiation).Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) will begin on day 1 of radiation therapy and be administered weekly. The first dose will be 4mg/kg given IV over 90 minutes. Subsequent weekly doses will be 2 mg/kg/week IV over 30 minutes. Paclitaxel 30 mg/m2 twice per week given IV over 1 hour. Treatment will be initiated during the first week of radiation therapy and should be administered on a Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday schedule.Paclitaxel 30 mg/m2 twice per week given IV over 1 hour. Treatment will be initiated during the first week of radiation therapy and should be administered on a Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday schedule.Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) treatment will be administered weekly, together with one of the two weekly doses of Paclitaxel. The first dose will be 4mg/kg given IV over 90 minutes. Subsequent weekly doses will be given at a dose of 2 mg/kg/week IV over 30 minutes. The treatment with Trastuzumab will continue weekly after the completion of the radiation treatment until surgery and thereafter as per standard of care up to 1 year post surgery.

Arms:
arm 1: Her-2/neu negative patients will be given Capecitabine (xeloda, 750mg/m2 twice daily orally. Treatment should begin on day 1 of radiation therapy. The two doses should be taken about 30 minutes after eating (eg. after breakfast and after dinner). Treatment will be given for 10 weeks (for 6 weeks during radiation and for 4 weeks after radiation). arm 2: Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) will begin on day 1 of radiation therapy and be administered weekly to Her-2/neu Positive patients. The first dose will be 4mg/kg given IV over 90 minutes. Weekly doses will be 2 mg/kg/week IV over 30 minutes.Paclitaxel 30 mg/m2 twice per week given IV over 1 hour. arm 3: Paclitaxel 30 mg/m2 twice per week given IV over 1 hour to Her-2/neu negative patients. Treatment will be initiated during the first week of radiation therapy and should be administered on a Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday schedule. arm 4: Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) tx will be administered weekly, together with one of the 2 weekly doses of Paclitaxel to Her-2/neu Positive patients. The 1st dose will be 4mg/kg given IV over 90 minutes. Weekly doses will b given at a dose of 2 17mg/kg/week IV over 30 minutes. The Tx with Trastuzumab will continue weekly after the completion of the radiation tx until surgery \& thereafter as per std of care up to 1 yr post surgery.Paclitaxel 30 mg/m2 twice per week given IV over 1 hour. Tx will be administered on a Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday schedule.The radiation treatment will start within 1 week from the first dose of paclitaxel and trastuzumab.

Interventions: intervention 1: Radiation Therapy (RT) intervention 2: Capecitabine intervention 3: Trastuzumab intervention 4: Paclitaxel
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Concurrent RT (to start within one week from first dose of Paclitaxel/Trastuzumab) to breast, supraclavicular, axillary fields, 45 Gy @ 1.8 Gy/fraction, + 14 Gy @ 2 Gy/fraction to the primary tumor. At the end of chemo-radiation, Trastuzumab will be continued weekly until surgery and as per standard of care after surgery for up to 1 year total. intervention 2: Capecitabine (Xeloda®) 750 mg/m2 twice/daily given orally. Treatment should begin on day 1 of radiation therapy. The two doses should be taken about 30 minutes after eating (eg. after breakfast and after dinner). Treatment will be given for 10 weeks (for 6 weeks during radiation and for 4 weeks after radiation). intervention 3: Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) treatment will be administered weekly, together with one of the two weekly doses of Paclitaxel. The first dose will be 4mg/kg given IV over 90 minutes. Subsequent weekly doses will be given at a dose of 2 mg/kg/week IV over 30 minutes. The treatment with Trastuzumab will continue weekly after the completion of the radiation treatment until surgery and thereafter as per standard of care up to 1 year post surgery. intervention 4: Paclitaxel 30 mg/m2 twice per week given IV over 1 hour. Treatment will be administered on a Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday schedule.The radiation treatment will start within 1 week from the first dose of paclitaxel and trastuzumab. Pre-meds for paclitaxel should be based on the institutional standards; it is suggested that dexamethasone (Decadron®), 20 mg IV, be given with the first paclitaxel dose. If the patient tolerates the treatment, the dexamethasone may be tapered and/or discontinued for subsequent doses. Treatment will be given for 10 weeks (for 6 weeks during radiation and for 4 weeks following radiation).

Protocol document: