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CompletedNCT02668666Updated Jan 20, 2026Results posted

Palbociclib in Combination With Tamoxifen as First Line Therapy for Metastatic Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer

A Phase 2 interventional study of Palbociclib and Tamoxifen in Hormone Receptor Positive Malignant Neoplasm of Breast, Human Epidermal Growth Factor 2 Negative Carcinoma of Breast and Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer, sponsored by Oana Danciu, MD. Completed at 7 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-20.

Sponsored by Oana Danciu, MD · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
49
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is a non-randomized, open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase II study of palbociclib in combination with tamoxifen in women with HR(+)/HER2(-) advanced breast cancer who have not received prior systemic anticancer therapies for their advanced/metastatic disease.

Read the detailed description

OUTLINE: This is a multi-center trial.

INVESTIGATIONAL TREATMENT:

  • Palbociclib 125 mg will be administered orally once daily on days 1-21 (D1-D21) of each 28-day cycle. Subjects will not take palbociclib on D22-D28.
  • Tamoxifen 20 mg will be administered orally once daily for every day of the 28-day cycle (i.e., continuously).

Palbociclib should be taken with food in combination with tamoxifen. Subjects should take their dose at approximately the same time each day.

It is encouraged, but not mandatory, that premenopausal subjects will also receive treatment with goserelin or equivalent (e.g., Lupron) given as an injectable subcutaneous implant on D1 of every 28 days cycle or every 3 months.

Disease assessments will be performed at the completion of every 2 cycles.

Treatment will continue until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, subject refusal, or subject death either from progression of disease, the therapy itself, or from other causes. Subjects who voluntarily stop the study, have progressive disease, or unacceptable toxicities will be followed for a total of 24 months after discontinuation of study drug.

To demonstrate adequate organ function, all screening labs should be performed within 14 days prior to registration for protocol therapy:

Hematological (must meet ALL of the following criteria):

  • Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 × 10 9/L
  • Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
  • Platelet count ≥ 100 × 10 9/L

Renal (must meet ONE of the following criteria):

  • Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × ULN
  • Serum creatinine > 1.5 × ULN, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 40 mL/min

Hepatic (must meet ALL of the following criteria):

  • Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 × ULN or ≤ 5 × ULN for subjects with known hepatic metastases
  • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 × ULN or ≤ 5 × ULN for subjects with known hepatic metastases
  • Total serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × ULN
02

Conditions studied

  • Hormone Receptor Positive Malignant Neoplasm of Breast
  • Human Epidermal Growth Factor 2 Negative Carcinoma of Breast
  • Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer
  • Progesterone Receptor Positive Tumor
  • Metastatic Breast Cancer

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Keywords

  • Palbociclib
  • Tamoxifen
  • CDK4/6 Inhibitor
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 49 is below the median of 72 across 9,303 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.

Browse Breast Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Oana Danciu, MD as lead sponsor.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Subjects must meet all of the following applicable inclusion criteria to participate in this study:

  • Male or female ≥ 18 years of age at time of consent. NOTE: Both pre- and post-menopausal women are eligible. Pre-menopausal status is defined as either:

    • Last menstrual period within the last 12 months.
    • In case of therapy-induced amenorrhea, plasma estradiol and /or FSH is in the premenopausal range per local normal range.
  • Locally advanced, locoregionally recurrent, or metastatic disease, not amenable to curative therapy. NOTE: Although not required as a protocol procedure, a patient with a new metastatic lesion should be considered for biopsy whenever possible to reassess ER/PR/HER2 status if clinically indicated. If a biopsy is prospectively done as part of standard of care, the study would like to store samples for correlative research.
  • Histologically and/or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of ER positive and/or PR positive (ER >1%, PR >1%), HER2 negative breast cancer. NOTE: Subject has HER2-negative breast cancer (based on most recently analyzed biopsy) is defined as a negative in situ hybridization test or an IHC status of 0, 1+ or 2+. If IHC is 2+, a negative in situ hybridization (e.g. FISH, CISH, SISH, DISH, etc.) test is required by local laboratory testing.
  • Metastatic disease evaluable on imaging studies. Subjects may have measurable disease as per RECIST 1.1 or bone-only disease. NOTE: Bone-only subjects are eligible if their disease can be documented/ evaluated by bone scans, CT or MRI. Their disease will be assessed using MDA criteria. NOTE: Previously irradiated lesions are eligible as a target lesion only if there is documented progression of the lesion after irradiation.
  • No prior systemic anti-cancer therapy for advanced HR+ disease. NOTE: Subjects receiving adjuvant treatment with aromatase inhibitors at time of recurrence are allowed to participate. There is no AI washout period required.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status 0-2
  • Adequate hepatic function within 14 days prior to registration for protocol therapy defined as meeting all of the following criteria:

    • aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 × ULN or ≤ 5 × ULN for subjects with known hepatic metastases and
    • alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 × ULN or ≤ 5 × ULN for subjects with known hepatic metastases and
    • total serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × ULN
  • Adequate renal function within 14 days prior to registration for protocol therapy defined by either of the following criteria:

    • serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × ULN
    • OR if serum creatinine > 1.5 × ULN, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 40 mL/min
  • Adequate hematologic function within 14 days prior to registration for protocol therapy defined as meeting all of the following criteria:

    • hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
    • and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 × 109/L
    • and platelet count ≥ 100 × 109/L
  • Provided written informed consent and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) authorization for release of personal health information, approved by an Institutional Review Board/Independent Ethics Committee (IRB/IEC). NOTE: HIPAA authorization may be included in the informed consent or obtained separately.
  • Women of childbearing potential (WOCP) must not be pregnant or breast-feeding. A negative serum or urine pregnancy test is required within 72 hours of study registration from women of childbearing potential. If the urine test cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required.
  • Women of childbearing potential (WOCP) must be willing to use two effective methods of birth control such as use of a double barrier method (condoms, sponge, diaphragm, or vaginal ring with spermicidal jellies or cream), or total abstinence for the course of the study until 120 days after the last dose of study drug. The use of hormonal contraceptives is discouraged. NOTE: Women are considered to be of childbearing potential unless they are postmenopausal for at least 12 consecutive months or surgically sterile (bilateral tubal ligation, bilateral oophorectomy, or hysterectomy).
  • Willingness and ability to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plans, laboratory tests, and other study procedures.
  • Male subjects capable of fathering a child must agree to use adequate contraception or total abstinence for the course of the study until 120 days after the last dose of the study drug.

NOTE: Male subjects will be considered as capable of fathering a child unless they have azoospermia (whether due to having had a vasectomy or due to an underlying medical condition).

  • Co-enrollment in an imaging biomarker study or other non-therapeutic study is allowed.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects meeting any of the criteria below may not participate in the study:

  • Prior treatment with any CDK 4/6 inhibitor.
  • Confirmed diagnosis of HER2 positive disease.
  • Known uncontrolled or symptomatic CNS metastases. Subjects with known brain metastasis will only be eligible after their tumors have been treated with definitive resection and /or radiotherapy and they are neurologically stable for at least 1 month off steroids.
  • Advanced, symptomatic, visceral spread with a life expectancy less than 4 months.
  • Prior (neo)adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen within the 12 months before study entry.
  • Prior history of blood clots, pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis.
  • Impairment of gastrointestinal (GI) function or GI disease that may significantly alter the absorption of the study drugs (e.g., ulcerative diseases, uncontrolled nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malabsorption syndrome, or small bowel resection).
  • Concurrent malignancy or malignancy within 3 years of randomization, with the exception of adequately treated basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell skin carcinoma, non-melanomatous skin cancer or curatively resected cervical cancer.
  • Any other concurrent severe and/or uncontrolled medical condition that would, in the investigator's judgment, contraindicate subject participation in the clinical study.
  • Currently receiving any of the following substances and cannot be discontinued 7 days prior to study registration:

    • Known strong inducers or inhibitors of CYP3A4/5, including grapefruit, grapefruit hybrids, pomelos, star-fruit, and Seville oranges.
    • Medications that have a narrow therapeutic window and are predominantly metabolized through CYP3A4/5.
    • Known strong inducers or inhibitors of CYP2D6.
  • Major surgery within 14 days prior to study registration or has not recovered from major side effects of surgery.
  • Known history of human immunodeficiency virus [(HIV) HIV 1/2 antibodies].
  • Known active Hepatitis B (e.g., HBsAg reactive) or Hepatitis C (e.g., HCV RNA [qualitative] is detected) (testing not mandatory)
  • Any clinically significant infection defined as any acute viral, bacterial, or fungal infection that requires specific treatment. NOTE: Anti-infective treatment must be completed ≥ 7 days prior to study registration.
  • Known allergy to palbociclib or any of its excipients
  • Presence of any non-healing wound, fracture, or ulcer within 28 days prior to study registration. NOTE: if fracture is at a metastatic site, is chronic, and no surgical treatment is planned, the subject can be enrolled.
  • Any condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, might jeopardize the safety of the subject or interfere with protocol compliance.
  • Any mental or medical condition that prevents the subject from giving informed consent or participating in the trial.
  • Treatment with any therapeutic investigational agent within 28 days prior to registration for protocol therapy. The subject must have recovered from the acute toxic effects of the regimen.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
49 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Investigational Treatment

    Subjects will be enrolled to determine progression-free survival (PFS) in subjects with HR(+)/HER2(-) advanced breast cancer who have not received prior systemic anti-cancer therapies. Palbociclib 125 mg will be administered orally once daily on days D1-D21 of each 28-day cycle. Subjects will not take palbociclib on D22-D28. Tamoxifen 20 mg will be administered orally once daily for every day of the 28-day cycle (i.e., continuously).

    Drug: Palbociclib · Drug: Tamoxifen

Interventions

  • DrugPalbociclib

    Palbociclib 125 mg will be administered orally once daily on days D1-D21 of each 28-day cycle. Subjects will not take palbociclib on D22-D28.

    Also known as: Ibrance

  • DrugTamoxifen

    Tamoxifen 20 mg will be administered orally once daily for every day of the 28-day cycle (i.e., continuously).

    Also known as: Nolvadex

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Progression Free Survival (PFS) Per RECIST 1.1

    Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST): Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Progressive Disease (PD) \>= 20% increase in tumor burden relative to nadir or the appearance of one or more new lesions; Stable Disease (SD), not meet criteria for CR/PR/PD. PFS is defined as time from registration until disease progression met by RECIST 1.1 or death from any cause.

    Time frame: Time of treatment start until the criteria for disease progression or death. Up to a maximum of 61 months.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Adverse Events

    Number of subjects experienced toxicity and tolerability of palbociclib and tamoxifen combination therapy, per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v4.

    Time frame: Adverse events (AEs) had been recorded from the time of consent until 30 days after discontinuation of study drug(s), up to a maximum of 56 months.

  2. Objective Response Rates (ORR)

    Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.1) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions. Per MD Anderson (MDA) criteria for bone only disease: CR, Complete sclerotic fill-in of lytic lesions on XR or CT and Normalization of signal intensity on MRI; PR, decrease of ≥ 50% in the sum of the perpendicular measurements of any lesion on XR, CT, or MRI. Overall Response (OR) = CR + PR.

    Time frame: Up to a maximum of 61 months.

  3. Clinical Benefit Rate (CBR)

    Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.1) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Progressive Disease (PD) \>= 20% increase in tumor burden relative to nadir or the appearance of one or more new lesions; Stable Disease (SD), not meet criteria for CR/PR/PD. Per MD Anderson (MDA) criteria for bone only disease: CR, Complete sclerotic fill-in of lytic lesions on XR or CT and Normalization of signal intensity on MRI; PR, decrease of ≥ 50% in the sum of the perpendicular measurements of any lesion on XR, CT, or MRI; PD \> 25% increase in in the sum of measurable lesions or new bone metastases; SD, not meet criteria for CR/PR/PD. Clinical Benefit = CR +PR+SD lasting 24 weeks or longer.

    Time frame: Up to a maximum of 61 months.

  4. Overall Survival (OS)

    To determine the percentage of overall survival at 2 years from the initiation of treatment. Overall survival is defined as the time from treatment start until death or date of last contact.

    Time frame: 2 years

07

Results

Posted Jul 29, 2024

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneInvestigational Treatment
Started49
Completed49
Not completed0

Outcome measures

PrimaryProgression Free Survival (PFS) Per RECIST 1.1

Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST): Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Progressive Disease (PD) \>= 20% increase in tumor burden relative to nadir or the appearance of one or more new lesions; Stable Disease (SD), not meet criteria for CR/PR/PD. PFS is defined as time from registration until disease progression met by RECIST 1.1 or death from any cause.

Time frame:
Time of treatment start until the criteria for disease progression or death. Up to a maximum of 61 months.
Reported as:
Median · Months
Progression Free Survival (PFS) Per RECIST 1.1
MonthsInvestigational Treatment
Progression Free Survival (PFS) Per RECIST 1.19.13 (5.91 to 18.96)
SecondaryAdverse Events

Number of subjects experienced toxicity and tolerability of palbociclib and tamoxifen combination therapy, per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v4.

Time frame:
Adverse events (AEs) had been recorded from the time of consent until 30 days after discontinuation of study drug(s), up to a maximum of 56 months.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Adverse Events
ParticipantsInvestigational Treatment
Adverse Events49
SecondaryObjective Response Rates (ORR)

Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.1) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions. Per MD Anderson (MDA) criteria for bone only disease: CR, Complete sclerotic fill-in of lytic lesions on XR or CT and Normalization of signal intensity on MRI; PR, decrease of ≥ 50% in the sum of the perpendicular measurements of any lesion on XR, CT, or MRI. Overall Response (OR) = CR + PR.

Time frame:
Up to a maximum of 61 months.
Reported as:
Number · Percentage of participants
Objective Response Rates (ORR)
Percentage of participantsInvestigational Treatment
Objective Response Rates (ORR)30
SecondaryClinical Benefit Rate (CBR)

Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.1) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Progressive Disease (PD) \>= 20% increase in tumor burden relative to nadir or the appearance of one or more new lesions; Stable Disease (SD), not meet criteria for CR/PR/PD. Per MD Anderson (MDA) criteria for bone only disease: CR, Complete sclerotic fill-in of lytic lesions on XR or CT and Normalization of signal intensity on MRI; PR, decrease of ≥ 50% in the sum of the perpendicular measurements of any lesion on XR, CT, or MRI; PD \> 25% increase in in the sum of measurable lesions or new bone metastases; SD, not meet criteria for CR/PR/PD. Clinical Benefit = CR +PR+SD lasting 24 weeks or longer.

Time frame:
Up to a maximum of 61 months.
Reported as:
Number · Percentage of participants
Clinical Benefit Rate (CBR)
Percentage of participantsInvestigational Treatment
Clinical Benefit Rate (CBR)64
SecondaryOverall Survival (OS)

To determine the percentage of overall survival at 2 years from the initiation of treatment. Overall survival is defined as the time from treatment start until death or date of last contact.

Time frame:
2 years
Reported as:
Number · Percentage of participants
Overall Survival (OS)
Percentage of participantsInvestigational Treatment
Overall Survival (OS)75.63 (60.28 to 85.72)

Adverse events

Collected over All-Cause Mortality was monitored up to a maximum of 69 months. Serious Adverse Events and Other (Not Including Serious) Adverse Events were monitored for up to 56 months.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Investigational Treatment16/49 (32.7%)16/49 (32.7%)49/49 (100%)
Most frequent serious events
Showing 10 of 16
Most frequent serious events
EventInvestigational Treatment
THROMBOEMBOLIC EVENTVASCULAR DISORDERS4/49
ABDOMINAL PAINGASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS2/49
BACK PAINMUSCULOSKELETAL AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDERS1/49
BRONCHOSPASMRESPIRATORY, THORACIC AND MEDIASTINAL DISORDERS1/49
COLONIC PERFORATIONGASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS1/49
DYSPNEARESPIRATORY, THORACIC AND MEDIASTINAL DISORDERS1/49
ENTEROCOLITIS INFECTIOUSINFECTIONS AND INFESTATIONS1/49
ESOPHAGITISGASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS1/49
FLANK PAINMUSCULOSKELETAL AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDERS1/49
FRACTUREINJURY, POISONING AND PROCEDURAL COMPLICATIONS1/49
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 171
Most frequent other events
EventInvestigational Treatment
NEUTROPHIL COUNT DECREASEDINVESTIGATIONS35/49
FATIGUEGENERAL DISORDERS AND ADMINISTRATION SITE CONDITIONS32/49
WHITE BLOOD CELL DECREASEDINVESTIGATIONS32/49
NAUSEAGASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS26/49
ANEMIABLOOD AND LYMPHATIC SYSTEM DISORDERS22/49
PAIN IN EXTREMITYMUSCULOSKELETAL AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDERS20/49
PLATELET COUNT DECREASEDINVESTIGATIONS20/49
BACK PAINMUSCULOSKELETAL AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDERS19/49
HYPERTENSIONVASCULAR DISORDERS18/49
DIARRHEAGASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS15/49

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Investigational Treatment
Median60 (39 to 82)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Investigational Treatment
Female49
Male0
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Investigational Treatment
Hispanic or Latino3
Not Hispanic or Latino46
Unknown or Not Reported0
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Investigational Treatment
American Indian or Alaska Native1
Asian1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0
Black or African American11
White33
More than one race0
Unknown or Not Reported3
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Investigational Treatment
United States49
Menopausal Status
Menopausal Status(Participants)Investigational Treatment
Post-menopausal40
Pre-menopausal9
ECOG Performance
ECOG Performance(Participants)Investigational Treatment
ECOG = 033
ECOG = 115
ECOG = 21
08

Study locations

7 sites
  • University of Illinois Cancer Center
    Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
  • Michigan State University
    Lansing, Michigan 48910, United States
  • University of Minnesota
    Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
  • University of Nebraska Medical Center
    Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
  • Penn State Cancer Institute
    Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
  • University of Wisconsin
    Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
  • ProHealth Care
    Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Jan 23, 2020

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 20, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02668666
Lead sponsor
Oana Danciu, MD
Collaborators
Pfizer, Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium
Responsible party
Oana Danciu, MD (Sponsor-Investigator, Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Jan 29, 2016
Start date
Feb 1, 2017
Primary completion
Jul 3, 2023
Completion
Oct 24, 2023
Results posted
Jul 29, 2024
Last update
Jan 20, 2026

Study contacts

Oana Danciu, M.D.
study chair · Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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