CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT00001498Updated Mar 4, 2008

A Pilot Trial of Sequential Chemotherapy With Antimetabolite Induction, High-Dose Alkylating Agent Consolidation With Peripheral Blood Progenitor Cell Support, and Intensification With Paclitaxel and Doxorubicin for Patients With High-Risk Breast Cancer

A Phase 2 interventional study of methotrexate and leucovorin in Breast Cancer and Breast Neoplasms, sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI). Completed at 1 site in United States. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2008-03-04.

Sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI) · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
55
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Stage III patients may begin therapy prior to or following surgery. Patients with undrainable significant third space fluid collection (e.g., pleural effusions, ascites) are entered directly on Consolidation.

Patients receive induction chemotherapy with methotrexate and fluorouracil every 2 weeks for 4 courses.

Patients then receive two 3-week courses of consolidation therapy with cyclophosphamide, followed by daily granulocyte colony-stimulating factor until completion of leukapheresis. Patients next receive myeloablative doses of thiotepa followed by stem cell rescue and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

After hematopoietic reconstitution, patients receive 24-hour infusions of paclitaxel every 3 weeks for 4 doses, followed by doxorubicin or vinblastine every 3 weeks for 4 doses. Patients are then evaluated for additional therapy (surgery, radiotherapy, or hormonal therapy) as appropriate.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year, then every 6 months.

Read the detailed description

This pilot trial will examine the feasibility of administering induction high-dose therapy with antimetabolites, followed with consolidation using high-dose single alkylating agent therapy and finally intensification therapy with sequential cycles of very high doses of the natural products (paclitaxel followed by doxorubicin) to patients with metastatic breast cancer (stage IV), and to patients with lesser stage disease at high risk for relapse (patients with four or more positive nodes (stage II), locally advanced breast cancer (stage III)), and patients with locally or regionally recurrent breast cancer.

Patients will receive induction therapy with antimetabolite agents (methotrexate, leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil) for four cycles. Patients will then receive consolidation therapy with three cycles of high-dose alkylating agents. First, patients will receive one cycle of high-dose cyclophosphamide administered with growth factor support. PBPCs will be harvested during the recovery phase of the cyclophosphamide cycle.

The next cycle will consist of high-dose single agent thiotepa. Hematopoietic stem cells mobilized and collected during the previous cyclophosphamide cycles will be reinfused following treatment with thiotepa to augment recovery of bone marrow function. After recovery, intensification with natural product chemotherapy will be administered, consisting of four cycles of paclitaxel given as a 24-hour infusion followed by four cycles of single agent doxorubicin.

This protocol combines several highly active chemotherapeutic agents in an attempt to improve upon response rates achieved with current combinations. For high-risk stage II and III patients, this chemotherapy regimen (without genetic manipulation of PBPCs) will serve as a chemotherapy backbone onto which a companion immunotherapy protocol will be offered. An identical chemotherapy regimen will be offered to stage four patients as a backbone for a trial of retroviral transduction of the MDR1 and NeoR genes into harvested PBPCs.

02

Conditions studied

  • Breast Cancer
  • Breast Neoplasms

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • 5-Fluorouracil
  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Methotrexate
  • Thiotepa
03

In context

Breast Neoplasms

12,544 studies on the registry are indexed under Breast Neoplasms; 2,892 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 55 is below the median of 72 across 9,303 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.

Browse Breast Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the lead sponsor of 3,506 studies on the registry; 334 are open to participants now.

Of its 402 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 365 (91%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically proven AR and ESFT which includes: Classical, atypical and extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma, primitive peripheral neuroectodermal tumors, peripheral neuroepithelioma, primitive sarcoma of bone, and ectomesenchymoma.

Confirmed presence of tumor-specific infusion protein by documented RT-PCR which corresponds to one of the tumor specific peptides available for vaccination.

Measurable tumor.

No prior or current CNS metastases.

PRIOR/CONCURRENT THERAPY:

ARM A PATIENTS:

May be enrolled on the protocol for the first phase in the absence of RT PCR documentation of a tumor-specific fusion protein which corresponds to one of the tumor-specific peptides available for vaccination. However, RT PCR documentation at the time of tumor recurrence must occur prior to administration of immunotherapy. At time of initial tumor diagnosis, prior to any cytoreductive therapy.

ARM B PATIENTS:

Tumor recurrence occurring during or after receiving at least first line cytoreductive therapy for ESFT and AR. No more than two post-recurrence salvage regimens unless peripheral CD4+T cell number is greater than 400 cells per millimeter cubed.

At least 6 weeks since any treatments and recovered from all acute toxic effects from time in which immunotherapy will be started for this study.

No concurrent estrogen therapy during immunotherapy section of study.

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age: 2-25 (at time of initial diagnosis of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma).

Weight: Greater than 15 kg (at time of apheresis).

Performance status: ECOG 0-2.

Life expectancy: At least 8 weeks.

Hematopoietic:

ANC greater than 100,000/mm(3).

Hemoglobin greater than 9.0 g/dL.

Platelet count greater than 50,000/mm(3).

Hepatic:

Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL (unless related to involvement by tumor).

Transaminases less than 3 times normal (unless related to involvement by tumor).

Renal:

Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL or creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min.

Cardiovascular:

No major disorder of cardiovascular system.

Cardiac ejection fraction greater than 40%.

Pulmonary:

No major disorder of pulmonary system.

OTHER:

Not pregnant or nursing.

HIV negative.

Hepatitis B or C negative.

No patients requiring daily oral corticosteroid therapy.

If allergic to eggs, egg products, or thimerosal, or have a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome, ineligible to receive influenza vaccine.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Enrollment
55 participants

Interventions

  • Drugmethotrexate
  • Drugleucovorin
  • Drug5-fluorouracil
  • Drugcyclophosphamide
  • Procedureperipheral blood progenitor cell
  • Drugpaclitaxel
  • Drugdoxorubicin
06

Study locations

1 site
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Ross AA, Cooper BW, Lazarus HM, Mackay W, Moss TJ, Ciobanu N, Tallman MS, Kennedy MJ, Davidson NE, Sweet D, et al. Detection and viability of tumor cells in peripheral blood stem cell collections from breast cancer patients using immunocytochemical and clonogenic assay techniques. Blood. 1993 Nov 1;82(9):2605-10. PubMed 8219214 ↗
  • Mackall CL, Fleisher TA, Brown MR, Magrath IT, Shad AT, Horowitz ME, Wexler LH, Adde MA, McClure LL, Gress RE. Lymphocyte depletion during treatment with intensive chemotherapy for cancer. Blood. 1994 Oct 1;84(7):2221-8. PubMed 7919339 ↗
  • Bonadonna G, Zambetti M, Valagussa P. Sequential or alternating doxorubicin and CMF regimens in breast cancer with more than three positive nodes. Ten-year results. JAMA. 1995 Feb 15;273(7):542-7. PubMed 7837388 ↗
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 4, 2008, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00001498
Lead sponsor
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
First posted
Dec 10, 2002
Start date
Feb 1996
Completion
Dec 2000
Last update
Mar 4, 2008
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jan 2000. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion