Clinical Trials

OBJECTIVES: Primary - To determine whether an accelerated course of hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation (WBI) including a concomitant boost to the tumor bed in 15 fractions following lumpectomy will prove to be non-inferior in local control to a regimen of standard WBI with a sequential boost following lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer patients. Secondary - To determine whether breast-related symptoms and cosmesis from accelerated WBI that is hypofractionated (in only 3 weeks) with a concomitant boost is non-inferior to standard WBI with sequential boost. - To determine whether the risk of late cardiac toxicity in patients with left-sided breast cancer treated with hypofractionation will be non-inferior to conventional fractionated radiation therapy (RT) based upon analysis of radiation dosimetry from CT-based treatment planning and NTCP calculations. - To determine whether CT-based conformal methods intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) for WBI are feasible in a multi-institutional setting following lumpectomy in early-stage breast cancer patients and whether dose-volume analyses can be established to assess treatment adequacy and likelihood of toxicity. - To determine that cosmetic results and breast-related symptoms 3 years after hypofractionated breast radiation with concomitant boost will not be inferior to that obtained 3 years after WBI with sequential boost. - To determine whether future correlative studies can identify individual gene expressions and biological host factors associated with toxicity and/or local recurrence from standard and hypofractionated WBI. - If shown to be non-inferior, to then determine if accelerated course of hypofractionated WBI including a concomitant boost to the tumor bed in 15 fractions following lumpectomy will prove to be superior in local control to a regimen of standard WBI with a sequential boost following lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer patients. - To determine whether treatment costs for hypofractionated WBI with concomitant boost are not higher than WBI with sequential boost. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to age (< 50 vs. ≥ 50 years), prior chemotherapy (yes vs. no), estrogen-receptor status (+ vs. -), and histology grade (1-2 vs. 3). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. Treatment begins within 9 weeks of last surgery or chemotherapy delivery. - Arm I: Patients undergo standard whole-breast radiotherapy (WBI) comprising intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) 5 days a week for 3-5 weeks followed by a sequential radiotherapy boost to the lumpectomy area 5 days a week for 1-1½ weeks. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. - Arm II: Patients undergo accelerated hypofractionated WBI comprising IMRT or 3D-CRT with a concurrent boost to the lumpectomy area 5 days a week for 3 weeks. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients' tissue samples may be collected for future research studies. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed at 1 month, at 6 months, and then yearly.

The study is designed as an open-label, randomized, parallel, two arm, multicenter, international Phase 3 study in patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens. The primary study objective is to compare overall survival of patients who receive NKTR-102 given once every 21 days to patients who receive treatment of Physician's Choice selected from a list of seven single-agent intravenous therapies.