Diagnostic HER2DX-guided Treatment for Patients wIth Early-stage HER2-positive Breast Cancer

NCT ID: NCT06446882

Last Updated: 2025-10-06

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

304 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-10-11

Study Completion Date

2028-11-30

Brief Summary

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The primary goal of the DEFINITIVE trial is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the HER2DX diagnostic assay in enhancing the management of patients with early-stage HER2- positive breast cancer.

Patients randomized to arm A will receive adjuvant treatment by physician´s choice, blinded to the diagnostic HER2DX test results. Patients randomized to Arm B will receive personalized treatment according to HER2DX results.

Detailed Description

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This is an international, multicenter, prospective, randomized, two-arm, open-label, phase III study to evaluate the HRQoL, safety, efficacy, and economical costs of using HER2DX in patients with stage II to IIIA HER2-positive breast cancer, suitable for neoadjuvant therapy.

A dual primary endpoint with an according multiple testing procedure is defined in this study. First, the study will evaluate superiority in quality of life using i) the GHS scale from the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire version 3.0 and ii) the score from the FACIT Fatigue Scale.

Conditions

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HER2-positive Breast Cancer Early-stage Breast Cancer

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Arm A: Treatment by physician´s choice without the diagnostic test results

Treatment by physician´s choice, blinded to the diagnostic HER2DX test results

Group Type OTHER

Treatment by physician´s choice, blinded to the diagnostic HER2DX test results

Intervention Type OTHER

Patients randomized in ARM A will be treated with standard of care neoadjuvant CT regimens and HER2 blockade at the investigator's choice validated by national and/or international guidelines.

Arm B: Personalized treatment according to molecular diagnosis with HER2DX

Personalized treatment according to molecular diagnosis with non-blinded HER2DX results

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Personalized treatment according to molecular diagnosis with HER2DX

Intervention Type DEVICE

Patients with HER2DX high-risk disease:

* Neoadjuvant treatment:

* High HER2DX pCR score: paclitaxel per 12 weeks + trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab per 4-5 cycles.
* Medium HER2DX pCR score: carboplatin + paclitaxel per 12-18 (or docetaxel per 4-6 cycles) + trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab per 4-7 cycles.
* Low HER2DX pCR score: standard of care neoadjuvant CT regimens and HER2 blockade at the investigator's choice.
* Adjuvant treatment:

* pCR at surgery; Trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab up to a total of 18 cycles (including neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy).
* No pCR at surgery: T-DM1 per 14 cycles.

Patients with HER2DX low-risk disease:

* Neoadjuvant treatment: paclitaxel per 12 weeks + trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab per 4-5 cycles.
* Adjuvant treatment will be according to the pCR status at surgery:

* pCR at surgery: trastuzumab or no adjuvant treatment.
* No pCR at surgery: trastuzumab or T-DM1.

Interventions

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Personalized treatment according to molecular diagnosis with HER2DX

Patients with HER2DX high-risk disease:

* Neoadjuvant treatment:

* High HER2DX pCR score: paclitaxel per 12 weeks + trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab per 4-5 cycles.
* Medium HER2DX pCR score: carboplatin + paclitaxel per 12-18 (or docetaxel per 4-6 cycles) + trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab per 4-7 cycles.
* Low HER2DX pCR score: standard of care neoadjuvant CT regimens and HER2 blockade at the investigator's choice.
* Adjuvant treatment:

* pCR at surgery; Trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab up to a total of 18 cycles (including neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy).
* No pCR at surgery: T-DM1 per 14 cycles.

Patients with HER2DX low-risk disease:

* Neoadjuvant treatment: paclitaxel per 12 weeks + trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab per 4-5 cycles.
* Adjuvant treatment will be according to the pCR status at surgery:

* pCR at surgery: trastuzumab or no adjuvant treatment.
* No pCR at surgery: trastuzumab or T-DM1.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Treatment by physician´s choice, blinded to the diagnostic HER2DX test results

Patients randomized in ARM A will be treated with standard of care neoadjuvant CT regimens and HER2 blockade at the investigator's choice validated by national and/or international guidelines.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Signed informed consent must be obtained prior to any trial-specific procedure. Note: Candidate patients in France must be affiliated to a Social Security System (or equivalent).
2. Male/female patients who are at least 18 years of age on the day of signing informed consent.
3. Have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2.
4. Eligible for any of the following drugs: taxane, carboplatin, trastuzumab, pertuzumab and T-DM1 therapy.
5. Histologically confirmed non-metastatic primary invasive adenocarcinoma of the breast untreated and recently diagnosed.
6. Stage at presentation: cT1 cN1-2 or cT2-3 cN0-2 as determined by AJCC staging system, 8th edition (specifically in accordance with Anatomic Stage group rules).

Note: Axillary lymph node status must be assessed by fine needle biopsy or core biopsy. This procedure at screening will be omitted if there is no suspicion for positive axillary lymph node(s) radiographically or if a pathological report of suspicious lymph nodes of the results of a fine needle biopsy or core biopsy is available prior to the screening period.
7. Absence of distant metastasis (i.e., cM0).
8. Patients with multifocal tumors (more than one mass confined to the same quadrant as primary tumor) are eligible provided at least one focus is sampled and locally confirmed as HER2-positive.
9. Patients with multicentric tumors (multiple tumors involving more than one quadrant) are eligible provided all discrete lesions are sampled and locally confirmed as HER2-positive.

Note: In patients with multifocal or multicentric breast cancer, the largest lesion should be measured to determine T stage and to performe the HER2DX test.
10. HER2 positivity defined as either of the following: IHC 3+ or HER2 2+/ ISH positive as per most recent ASCO- CAP guideline according to the local laboratory as determined on the most recently analyzed tissue sample.
11. ER/PR status determined local based on pretreatment breast biopsy material according to the most recent ASCO/CAP guidelines.
12. Candidates for neoadjuvant treatment.
13. Patient agreement to undergo appropriate surgical management, including axillary lymph node surgery and partial or total mastectomy, after completion of neoadjuvant treatment
14. Baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50% measured by echocardiogram (ECHO) or multiple-gated acquisition (MUGA) scans.
15. Availability of pre-treatment tumor tissue sample of FFPE tumor block from primary tumor in the breast for diagnostic HER2DX test. The tumor tissue should be of good quality based on total and viable tumor content and must be evaluated centrally for quality prior to enrollment. Archival tumor tissue or ex professo biopsy are acceptable.
16. Adequate hematologic and end-organ function.
17. For women of childbearing potential: agreement to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use contraceptive methods, and agreement to refrain from donating eggs, as defined below:

* Women must remain abstinent or use contraceptive methods with a failure rate of \< 1% per year during the treatment period, 6 months after the final dose of doxorubicin, 12 months after the final dose of cyclophosphamide, 6 months after the final dose of paclitaxel, and 7 months after the final dose of trastuzumab, pertuzumab, or T-DM1, whichever occurs last. Women must refrain from donating eggs during this same period.
* A woman is of childbearing potential if she is postmenarcheal, has not reached a postmenopausal state (\> 12 continuous months of amenorrhea with no identified cause other than menopause), and has not undergone surgical sterilization (removal of ovaries and/or uterus). The definition of childbearing potential may be adapted for alignment with local guidelines or requirements.
* Examples of contraceptive methods with a failure rate of \< 1% per year include bilateral tubal ligation, male sterilization, copper intrauterine devices, hormonal contraceptives that inhibit ovulation, and hormone-releasing intrauterine devices in women with hormone receptor-negative tumors only; the use of hormonal contraceptives and hormone releasing intrauterine devices are prohibited in women with hormone receptor-positive tumors.
* The reliability of sexual abstinence should be evaluated in relation to the duration of the study and the preferred and usual lifestyle of the patient. Periodic abstinence (e.g., calendar, ovulation, symptothermal, or postovulation methods) and withdrawal are not acceptable methods of contraception.
18. For men: agreement to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use contraceptive measures, and agreement to refrain from donating sperm, as defined below:

* With a female partner of childbearing potential who is not pregnant, men who are not surgically sterile must remain abstinent or use a condom plus an additional contraceptive method that together result in a failure rate of \< 1% per year during the treatment period and for 6 months after the final dose of doxorubicin and/or cyclophosphamide, 6 months after the final dose of paclitaxel, and 7 months after the final dose of trastuzumab, pertuzumab, or T-DM1, whichever occurs last. Men must refrain from donating sperm during this same period. Male patients are encouraged to seek advice regarding cryoconservation of sperm prior to commencing study treatment because of the possibility of infertility with CT.
* With a pregnant female partner, men must remain abstinent or use a condom during the treatment period and for 6 months after the final dose of doxorubicin and/or cyclophosphamide, 6 months after the final dose of paclitaxel, and 7 months after the final dose of trastuzumab, pertuzumab, or T-DM1, whichever occurs last to avoid exposing the embryo.
* The reliability of sexual abstinence should be evaluated in relation to the duration of the study and the preferred and usual lifestyle of the patient. Periodic abstinence (e.g., calendar, ovulation, symptothermal, or postovulation methods) and withdrawal are not acceptable methods of contraception.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer.
2. Known hypersensitivity to any of the excipients of trastuzumab, pertuzumab, carboplatin, T-DM1, docetaxel or paclitaxel.
3. Patients with synchronous bilateral invasive breast cancer.
4. Prior systemic therapy for treatment of breast cancer.
5. Ulcerating or inflammatory breast cancer.
6. Undergone incisional and/or excisional biopsy of primary tumor and/or axillary lymph nodes.
7. Sentinel lymph node procedure or axillary lymph node dissection prior to initiation of neoadjuvant therapy.
8. Patients with a history of previous breast cancer are excluded. Patients with a history of any other cancers (except non-melanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix), unless in complete remission with no therapy for a minimum of 3 years are excluded. For patients with a history of other non-breast cancerscancerscancers within 3 years and considered of low risk of recurrence per investigator's judgment (for example, papillary thyroid cancer treated with surgery), eligibility is to be discussed with the Sponsor.
9. Cardiopulmonary dysfunction as defined by any of the following prior to randomization:

* History of congestive heart failure of any classification.
* Angina pectoris requiring anti-anginal medication, serious cardiac arrhythmia not controlled by adequate medication, severe conduction abnormality, or clinically significant valvular disease.
* High-risk uncontrolled arrhythmias (i.e., atrial tachycardia with a heart rate \> 100/min at rest, significant ventricular arrhythmia \[ventricular tachycardia\], or higher-grade atrioventricular \[AV\]-block \[second degree AV-block Type 2 \[Mobitz 2\] or third-degree AV-block\]).
* Significant symptoms (Grade \> 1) relating to left ventricular dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmia, or cardiac ischemia.
* Myocardial infarction within 12 months prior to randomization.
* Evidence of transmural infarction on ECG.
* Requirement for oxygen therapy.
* Dyspnea at rest.
10. Major surgical procedure, other than for diagnosis, within 4 weeks prior to initiation of study treatment or anticipation of need for a major surgical procedure during the Study.
11. Severe infection within 4 weeks prior to initiation of Study treatment, including but not limited to hospitalization for complications of infection, bacteremia, or severe pneumonia.
12. History of significant co-morbidities that, in the judgment of the investigator, may interfere with the conduction of the Study, the evaluation of response, or with consent procedure.
13. Pregnancy or breastfeeding, or intention of becoming pregnant during Study treatment or within 6 months after the final dose of paclitaxel, or 7 months after the final dose of trastuzumab, pertuzumab, or T-DM1, whichever occurs last.

Note: Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test result within 7 days prior to initiation of Study treatment.
14. Persons deprived of their liberty or under protective custody or guardianship.
15. Patients unwilling or unable to comply with the medical follow-up required by the trial because of geographic, familial, social, or psychological reasons.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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SOLTI Breast Cancer Research Group

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group

NETWORK

Sponsor Role collaborator

UNICANCER

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Westdeutsche Studiengruppe GmbH (WSG)

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University College Cork

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Padova

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Istituto Europeo di Oncologia

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

The Sheba Fund for Health Services and Research

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Erasmus University Rotterdam

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Medical University of Vienna

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Institut Català d'Oncologia

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Europa Donna

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Reveal Genomics

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Fundacio Clinic Barcelona

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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Lkh Hochsteiermark-Leoben

Leoben, , Austria

Site Status RECRUITING

Ordensklinikum Linz, Barmherzige Schwestern, Bhs

Linz, , Austria

Site Status RECRUITING

Uniklinikum Salzburg

Salzburg, , Austria

Site Status RECRUITING

Klinikum Wels-Grieskirchner

Wels, , Austria

Site Status RECRUITING

Sheba Medical Center

Ramat Gan, , Israel

Site Status RECRUITING

Instituto Catalán de Oncología (ICO) - Hospitalet

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Universitario Clínico San Cecilio

Granada, Granada, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago

Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León

León, León, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de Arrixaca

Murcia, Murcia, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Universitario Sant Joan de Reus

Reus, Tarragona, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Universitario de Basurto

Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Instituto Catalán de Oncología (ICO) - Badalona

Badalona, , Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Universitario de Salamanca

Salamanca, , Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Austria Israel Spain

Central Contacts

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Tomás Pascual, MD

Role: CONTACT

932 27 57 07

Olga Martínez, MD

Role: CONTACT

Facility Contacts

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Thamer Sliwa

Role: primary

Renate Pusch

Role: primary

Richard Greil

Role: primary

Sonja Heibl

Role: primary

Einav Nili

Role: primary

Sonia Pernas, MD

Role: primary

Isabel Blancas, MD

Role: primary

Teresa Curiel, MD

Role: primary

Mariana López Flores, MD

Role: primary

Elena López Miranda, MD

Role: primary

Pilar Sánchez Henarejos, MD

Role: primary

Kepa Amilano, MD

Role: primary

Elena Galve, MD

Role: primary

Anna Pous, MD

Role: primary

César Rodríguez, MD

Role: primary

Other Identifiers

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HCB-ONC002

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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