A Phase 2 interventional study of entinostat and Dalpiciclib in Breast Cancer, sponsored by Hebei Medical University Fourth Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-02.
Sponsored by Hebei Medical University Fourth Hospital · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
Brief Summary This is an open-label, randomized, phase II clinical study designed to evaluate neoadjuvant treatment regimens in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) early breast cancer.
A total of 60 premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal patients with HR+/HER2- breast cancer who meet the inclusion criteria will be enrolled. During the study, clinical information will be collected according to standard practice, including demographic data, tumor imaging, and pathological results (e.g., Ki-67). Investigator-assessed outcomes will be used as the final results.
After 14 days of treatment, patients who provide consent will undergo a second biopsy to evaluate the rate of complete cell-cycle arrest. Safety assessments and imaging evaluations will be performed at treatment completion or upon study withdrawal. Informed consent must be obtained at each study center before participation.
Treatment arms:
Arm A (30 patients):
Dalpiciclib 125 mg orally once daily on Days 1-21 of each 28-day cycle (3 weeks on, 1 week off), for 6 cycles Letrozole 2.5 mg orally once daily continuously for 6 cycles Entinostat 3 mg orally once weekly (Days 1-28 of each 28-day cycle), for 6 cycles
Arm B (30 patients):
Dalpiciclib 150 mg orally once daily on Days 1-21 of each 28-day cycle, for 6 cycles Letrozole 2.5 mg orally once daily continuously for 6 cycles Premenopausal and perimenopausal women will also receive ovarian function suppression (OFS), such as with a GnRHa agent.
After signing informed consent, patients will begin neoadjuvant therapy with dalpiciclib plus entinostat and letrozole ± OFS. Ultrasound assessments will be conducted every two treatment cycles and before surgery under the same imaging conditions as baseline. Bone scans will be performed at the end of neoadjuvant treatment. MRI of the breast will be performed at baseline, after two cycles, and before surgery to assess treatment efficacy. Treatment discontinuation will occur if toxicity is intolerable, consent is withdrawn, or the investigator determines it is necessary.
Adjuvant therapy:
After surgery, patients will receive physician's choice of therapy (TPC).
Safety follow-up:
Patients will be followed until they start another anticancer therapy, all adverse events have resolved to Grade 0-1 or baseline level, or death-whichever occurs first.
For patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative early or locally advanced breast cancer, achieving a clinical complete response with traditional neoadjuvant chemotherapy is challenging, and treatment tolerance is often suboptimal. Endocrine therapy plays an important role in both early-stage and advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer; however, its efficacy in the neoadjuvant setting remains to be further clarified. Existing studies have shown that, compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy in HR+/HER2- breast cancer yields comparable clinical complete response and breast-conserving surgery rates, with substantially lower toxicity. Therefore, strategies to further improve response to neoadjuvant endocrine therapy may be more meaningful than intensifying chemotherapy in this population.
With the clinical availability of CDK4/6 inhibitors, the efficacy of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy has been further improved. Results from DAWNA-1, DAWNA-2, and DAWNA-A have strengthened the evidence base supporting the use of the domestically developed CDK4/6 inhibitor dalpiciclib in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer.
However, some studies have found that increased histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity in the estrogen receptor (ER) promoter region can suppress ER expression and lead to endocrine therapy resistance. Entinostat is an oral HDAC inhibitor that selectively inhibits class I (primarily HDAC1 and HDAC3) and class IV HDACs. In the phase III study EOC103A3101 conducted in China, entinostat significantly improved median progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo (6.32 vs. 3.72 months), reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 24% (HR 0.76). Median overall survival (OS) was also prolonged in the entinostat group (38.39 months), with a 17% reduction in mortality risk (HR 0.83), demonstrating clinically meaningful survival benefits.
Based on these findings, the present study aims to further evaluate whether the combination of dalpiciclib, entinostat, and letrozole as neoadjuvant therapy for patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer may provide an improved clinical strategy compared with current standards.
12,544 studies on the registry are indexed under Breast Neoplasms; 2,892 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 72 across 9,302 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.
Browse Breast Neoplasms studies →Hebei Medical University Fourth Hospital is the lead sponsor of 78 studies on the registry; 53 are open to participants now.
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- Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria:
- Exclusion Criteria
Dalpiciclib: 125 mg orally once daily on Days 1-21 of each 28-day cycle (3 weeks on, 1 week off), for a total of 6 cycles. Letrozole: 2.5 mg orally once daily continuously, for a total of 6 cycles. Entinostat: 3 mg orally once weekly on Days 1-28 of each 28-day cycle, for a total of 6 cycles.
Drug: Dalpiciclib · Drug: Letrozole
Dalpiciclib: 150 mg orally once daily on Days 1-21 of each 28-day cycle (3 weeks on, 1 week off), for a total of 6 cycles. Letrozole: 2.5 mg orally once daily continuously, for a total of 6 cycles.
Drug: entinostat · Drug: Dalpiciclib · Drug: Letrozole
Entinostat is added in the experimental arm, while the control arm does not receive Entinostat.
Also known as: HDAC inhibitor
Dalpiciclib is both added in the experimental arm and control arm.
Letrozole is both added in the experimental arm and control arm.
ORR
Objective Response Rate (ORR) is defined as the proportion of participants who achieve a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) as assessed according to RECIST v1.1 criteria. Tumor response must be confirmed by repeat imaging at least 4 weeks after the initial documentation of response.
Time frame: From baseline to end of neoadjuvant therapy (approximately 6 cycles, ~24 weeks
tpCR
Total pathological complete response (tpCR) is defined as the absence of residual invasive cancer in both the breast and axillary lymph nodes following neoadjuvant therapy, corresponding to ypT0/Tis, ypN0.
Time frame: At the time of definitive surgery (approximately 18-24 weeks after initiation of neoadjuvant therapy)
Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) rate
Breast-conserving surgery rate is defined as the proportion of participants who undergo breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) among all participants who proceed to definitive breast surgery after completion of neoadjuvant therapy. The classification of breast-conserving surgery is based on the operative report and pathology assessment.
Time frame: At the time of definitive surgery
Proportion of participants achieving PEPI 0
PEPI 0 (Preoperative Endocrine Prognostic Index score of 0) is defined as meeting all of the following criteria at surgery after completion of neoadjuvant endocrine-based therapy: Pathologic tumor size: ypT1 or smaller (≤2 cm) Nodal status: ypN0 (no metastatic involvement in regional lymph nodes) Ki-67 proliferation index: ≤2.7% in the surgical specimen Estrogen receptor (ER): Allred score of 3-8 (ER-positive) Participants meeting all components are classified as achieving PEPI score = 0, indicating an extremely low risk of relapse.
Time frame: At the time of definitive surgery
Plan to share: No
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Hebei Medical University Fourth Hospital