Genetic Testing or Clinical Assessment in Determining the Need for Chemotherapy in Women With Breast Cancer That Involves No More Than 3 Lymph Nodes (MINDACT)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00433589 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : February 12, 2007
Last Update Posted : November 17, 2022
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RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy using tamoxifen may fight breast cancer by blocking the use of estrogen by the tumor cells. Letrozole may fight breast cancer by lowering the amount of estrogen the body makes. Giving chemotherapy and hormone therapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. It is not yet known whether genetic testing is more effective than clinical assessment in determining the need for chemotherapy in treating breast cancer.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying genetic testing to see how well it works compared with clinical assessment in determining the need for chemotherapy in women with breast cancer that is either node-negative or involves no more than 3 lymph nodes.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Breast Cancer | Drug: anthracycline-based Drug: docetaxel and capecitabine Drug: tamoxifen Drug: Letrozole | Phase 3 |

Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 6600 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | MINDACT (Microarray In Node-Negative and 1 to 3 Positive Lymph Node Disease May Avoid Chemotherapy): A Prospective, Randomized Study Comparing the 70-Gene Signature With the Common Clinical-Pathological Criteria in Selecting Patients for Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer With 0 to 3 Positive Nodes |
Study Start Date : | February 2007 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | March 2020 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | March 2020 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Active Comparator: Chemotherapy randomization: Arm I (anthracycline-based)
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Drug: anthracycline-based |
Experimental: Chemotherapy randomization: Arm II (docetaxel and capecitabine)
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Drug: docetaxel and capecitabine |
Active Comparator: Endocrine therapy randomization: Arm I
2 years of tamoxifen followed by 5 years of letrozole
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Drug: tamoxifen Drug: Letrozole |
Experimental: Endocrine therapy randomization: Arm II
7 years of letrozole
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Drug: Letrozole |
Active Comparator: Treatment decision randomization: Arm I
chemotherapy-decision-making according to clinical criteria (using Adjuvant! Online)
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Drug: anthracycline-based Drug: docetaxel and capecitabine |
Experimental: Treatment decision randomization: Arm II
chemotherapy-decision-making according to genomic prognosis using the 70-gene signature
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Drug: anthracycline-based Drug: docetaxel and capecitabine |
- Distant metastasis-free survival at 5 years [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]o The primary endpoint for chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy (R-T) is that the 5-year distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) of 92% will be tested (a one-sided test).
- Disease-free survival (DFS) [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]o The primary endpoint for the chemotherapy randomization (R-C) is disease free survival (DFS).
- DFS [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]The primary test for the endocrine randomization (R-E) is DFS.
- Proportion of patients treated with chemotherapy based on clinical prognosis compared to 70-gene signature prognosis [ Time Frame: from enrollment ]For R-T randomization
- Overall survival at 5 years [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]For R-T randomization
- DFS at 5 years [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]For R-T randomization
- Safety (early and late) [ Time Frame: from registration ]For R-C randomization
- Overall survival at 5 years [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]For R-C randomization
- DMFS at 5 years [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]For R-C randomization
- Overall survival at 5 years [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]For R-E randomization
- DMFS at 5 years [ Time Frame: from enrollment/randomization ]For R-E randomization

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 120 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | Female |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
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Histologically confirmed invasive breast cancer meeting the following criteria:
- T1, T2, or operable T3 disease
- Zero to three positive lymph nodes and no distant metastases
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Unilateral tumor
- Multifocal tumors are allowed provided that they have identical histology
- Ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ allowed
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Operable disease
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Must have undergone breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy with either a sentinel node procedure or full axillary clearance
- Radiotherapy is mandatory in the case of breast-conserving surgery
- Unresectable positive deep margins and will receive adjuvant radiotherapy provided that all other margins negative allowed
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Patients eligible for inclusion in the chemotherapy randomization must meet one of the following criteria:
- High-risk of recurrence according to both the clinical-pathological criteria and the 70-gene signature
- High risk of recurrence according to the clinical-pathological criteria and low-risk of recurrence according to the 70-gene signature and are randomized to use the clinical-pathological criteria for chemotherapy decision
- Low-risk of recurrence according to the clinical-pathological criteria and high-risk of recurrence according to the 70-gene signature and are randomized to use the 70-gene signature for chemotherapy decision
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Patients eligible for inclusion in the endocrine therapy randomization must meet all of the following criteria:
- Endocrine-responsive disease
- Hormone receptor-positive disease (estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-positive, or both)
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
- Female
- WHO performance status 0-1
- Neutrophil count > 1,500/mm^3
- Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3
- Creatinine clearance at least 50 mL/min OR creatinine up to 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
- ALT and AST up to 2.5 times ULN
- Alkaline phosphatase up to 2.5 times ULN
- Bilirubin up to 2.0 times ULN
- Normal echocardiogram (ECHO) compatible with chemotherapy treatment
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No serious cardiac illness or medical condition including, but not limited to, any of the following:
- History of documented congestive heart failure
- High-risk uncontrolled arrhythmias
- Angina pectoris requiring antianginal medication
- Clinically significant valvular heart disease
- Evidence of transmural infarction on ECG
- Poorly controlled hypertension (e.g., systolic blood pressure [BP] > 180 mm Hg or diastolic BP > 100 mm Hg)
- Symptomatic coronary artery disease or a myocardial infarction within the past 12 months
- Other risk factors that contraindicate the use of anthracycline-based chemotherapy
- No serious uncontrolled infection or other serious uncontrolled disease
- No other cancer within the past 5 years except for adequately treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix, nonmelanoma skin cancer, lobular or ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast, or any invasive cancer (other than breast cancer)
- Not pregnant or nursing
- Negative pregnancy test
- Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception
- No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study treatment
- No psychiatric disability
- No history of uncontrolled seizures or CNS disorders
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Patients eligible for inclusion in the chemotherapy randomization must meet all of the following additional criteria:
- LVEF normal by ECHO or MUGA
- No prior severe hypersensitivity reaction to drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
- Must have physical integrity of the upper gastrointestinal tract
- Able to swallow tablets
- No malabsorption syndrome
- No prior thromboembolic disorder, deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary emboli (for patients eligible for inclusion in the endocrine therapy randomization)
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
- See Disease Characteristics
- No prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy, or radiotherapy for primary breast cancer
- No participation in another investigational drug study within the past 4 weeks
- No systemic hormone replacement therapy (with or without progestins) for more than 3 months in duration
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Patients eligible for inclusion in the chemotherapy randomization must meet all of the following additional criteria:
- Interval between definitive surgery and start of chemotherapy 8-18 weeks
- No prior organ allografts requiring immunosuppressive therapy
- No concurrent sorivudine or chemically related analogues, such as brivudine
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Patients eligible for inclusion in the endocrine therapy randomization must meet all of the following additional criteria:
- No prior high-dose systemic corticosteroids (except as antiemetic treatment), immunotherapy, or biological response modifiers (e.g., interferon)
- No prior adjuvant antiestrogen therapy for > 1 month immediately after surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy
- No hormone replacement therapy within the past 4 weeks
- No antiestrogens (e.g., tamoxifen or raloxifen) as chemoprevention or osteoporosis treatment for breast cancer within the past 18 months
- No concurrent primary prophylaxis with filgrastim (G-CSF), sargramostim (GM-CSF), or pegfilgrastim
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No other concurrent treatment during endocrine therapy, including the following:
- Anticancer therapy (anti-estrogens, aromatase inhibitors, chemotherapy)
- Investigational agents
- Raloxifene or other selective estrogen-receptor modulators
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Hormonal contraceptives (including depot injections and implants)
- Intrauterine devices, including progesterone-coated, allowed
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Oral or transdermal hormonal treatments, including estrogen, progesterone, androgen, or aromatase inhibitor
- Local vaginal (topical) estrogens with minimal systemic absorption allowed for severe vaginal dryness/dyspareunia
- Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00433589
Netherlands | |
Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital | |
Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Study Chair: | Emiel Rutgers, MD, PhD | The Netherlands Cancer Institute | |
Study Chair: | Martine Piccart-Gebhart, MD, PhD | Jules Bordet Institute | |
Study Chair: | Fatima Cardoso, MD | Champalimaud Cancer Center |
Publications of Results:
Other Publications:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer - EORTC |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00433589 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
EORTC-10041 2005-002625-31 ( EudraCT Number ) BIG-3-04 EU-20676 NOVARTIS-EORTC-10041 ROCHE-EORTC-10041 SANOFI-AVENTIS-EORTC-10041 |
First Posted: | February 12, 2007 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | November 17, 2022 |
Last Verified: | November 2022 |
invasive ductal breast carcinoma invasive lobular breast carcinoma stage IA breast cancer stage IB breast cancer |
stage II breast cancer estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer |
Breast Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms Breast Diseases Skin Diseases Tamoxifen Docetaxel Capecitabine Letrozole Antineoplastic Agents Tubulin Modulators Antimitotic Agents Mitosis Modulators Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action |
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic Antimetabolites Aromatase Inhibitors Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors Enzyme Inhibitors Estrogen Antagonists Hormone Antagonists Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists Physiological Effects of Drugs Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators Estrogen Receptor Modulators Bone Density Conservation Agents |