4EVER - Efficacy, Safety, Health Economics, Translational Research of Postmenopausal Women With Estrogen Receptor Positive Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer (MACS2096)

• Progression free survival (PFS) after 48 weeks of treatment [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]
  Progression-free survival (PFS) is the time from date of start of treatment to the date of event defined as the first documented progression or death due to any cause. If a patient has not had an event, progression-free survival is censored at the date of last adequate tumor assessment.
• Overall Response Rate (ORR) after 48 weeks of treatment [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]
  The ORR by Week 48 will be derived from the sequence of overall lesion responses as described for the primary efficacy variable. The ORR by Week 48 will be summarized using frequency tables presenting absolute and relative frequencies together with appropriate confidence intervals
• Overall survival (OS) after 48 weeks of treatment [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]
  Overall survival (OS) is defined as the time from date of start of treatment to date of death due to any cause. If a patient is not known to have died, survival will be censored at the date of last contact. OS will be summarized using the Kaplan-Meier method.
• Safety within 48 weeks of treatment [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]
  The assessment of safety will be based mainly on the frequency of adverse events and on the number of laboratory values that fall outside of pre-determined ranges. Other safety data (e.g. vital signs, and special tests) will be considered as appropriate. For all safety analyses, the safety set will be used.
• Resource utilization [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]

  Data relating to Resource Utilization will be used for the purpose of economic evaluation, which will be carried out and reported as a separate activity.

  The study population receiving RAD001 plus Exemestane will be compared to alternative cohorts (e.g., purely endocrine treatment with Fulvestrant monotherapy, Exemestane monotherapy or chemotherapy, e.g. Capecitabine) using a Markov model. For each alternative therapy option, median PFS, OS and health-related quality of life will be determined by a systematic review of literature or databases.

• Health-related quality of life [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]
  Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) will be assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and BR23 questionnaires and the EuroQoL EQ-5D questionnaire. The HADS D questionnaire will be used to assess anxiety and depression. Scoring will follow the instructions of the respective manuals.

In light of the need for new treatment options for postmenopausal, hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative women after failure of prior non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) therapy, the BOLERO-2 trial was performed and demonstrated significant efficacy of the combinatorial treatment of Everolimus and Exemestane compared to an Exemestane monotherapy in this setting.

In this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) by adding Everolimus to exemestane versus Exemestane alone was reported. Adding Everolimus determined a 2.4-fold prolongation in PFS from 3.2 up to 7.4 months and so lowered the risk of cancer progression by 56% for these women. These findings were confirmed by an independent assessment (4.1 vs. 11.0 months, risk reduction: 64%). The quality of life data shows positive trend in the Everolimus plus Exemestane treatment arm. (Baselga 2011, Hortobagyi 2011). Thus, the benefit of the combinatorial treatment versus Exemestane monotherapy was shown in a defined patient population under controlled conditions.

The primary objective of this trial to assess the Overall Response Rate (ORR) in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer progressing following prior therapy with NSAIs treated with the combination of Everolimus and Exemestane. The secondary objectives include, Progression free survival (PFS), Overall survival (OS), Safety, Change in Quality of life scores over time, Health resource utilization. The exploratory objectives reflect scientific interest within the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and are to be modified, if applicable, according to the current scientific state of the art at the time of actual analysis. These include: the influence of age, performance status, cancer activity and inflammation on anxiety and depression; changes in serum bone-turnover biomarkers; Pharmacogenetics of Everolimus in patients with advanced breast cancer; presence and molecular characteristics of Circulating Tumor Cells; correlation of response to Exemestane/Everolimus with Proteomic analysis.

The present national, multi-center, open-label, single-arm study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety, quality of life and health resources utilization of the combination of Everolimus and Exemestane in a broader patient population compared to BOLERO-2, i.e. without limitations as to the number of previous chemotherapy lines, the time point of progression after NSAI therapy, and the previous endocrine therapy as patients under Exemestane monotherapy may be enrolled. Since the combination was shown to significantly improve PFS in the previous BOLERO-2 trial, for ethical reasons no endocrine comparator drugs will be investigated in the present study, due to the low efficacy of Exemestane monotherapy (PFS 3.2 months).

• Drug: Exemestane
  Exemestane is supplied by Novartis until Everolimus is commercially available for the study setting. Afterwards the investigator will prescribe Exemestane according to the individual label. Commercially available Exemestane will be supplied as tablets of 25 mg strength for oral administration. Complete guidelines for management and administration of Exemestane can be found in the package insert. Exemestane will be dosed starting on treatment Day 1. Patients will be instructed to take 1 tablet of 25 mg Exemestane orally. Package insert instructions should be followed. On the first day of each cycle, patients will receive an adequate drug supply (before commercial availability) or a prescription (after commercial availability) for self-administration at home. The investigator must emphasize compliance and will instruct the patient to take Exemestane exactly as prescribed.
• Drug: Everolimus (RAD001)
  Everolimus (RAD001) is supplied by Novartis until Everolimus is commercially available for the study setting. Afterwards the investigator will prescribe Everolimus according to the individual label. Everolimus is formulated as tablets of 10 and 5 mg strength for oral administration. All study medication will be packaged into blister packs. The blisters should be opened only at the time of administration, as the drugs are both hygroscopic and light sensitive. Everolimus will be dosed starting on treatment Day 1. Patients will be instructed to take 1 tablet × 10 mg Everolimus orally with a large glass of water once daily at the same time each day with or without food. On the first day of each cycle, patients will receive an adequate drug supply (before commercial availability) or a prescription (after commercial availability) for self-administration at home. The investigator must emphasize compliance and will instruct the patient to take Everolimus exactly as prescribed.

Main Inclusion criteria:

Metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer not amenable to curative treatment by surgery or radiotherapy or any other non-systemic treatment.

Histological or cytological confirmation of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and/or progesterone receptor positive (PgR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative breast cancer Postmenopausal women. Disease progression following prior therapy with non steroidal aromatase inhibitors (NSAI), defined as: Recurrence while on, or following completion of an adjuvant treatment with Letrozole or Anastrozole, or Progression while on or following completion of Letrozole or Anastrozole treatment for ABC/MBC.

Radiological evidence of recurrence or progression on last systemic therapy prior to enrollment.

Patients must have at least one lesion that can be accurately measured or bone lesions: lytic or mixed (lytic + sclerotic) in the absence of measurable disease.

Written informed consent obtained before any screening procedure and according to local guidelines.

Other protocol defined inclusion criteria apply.

Main Exclusion criteria:

HER2-overexpressing patients by local laboratory testing (IHC 3+ staining or in situ hybridization positive).

Patients with only non-measurable lesions other than bone metastasis (e.g. pleural effusion, ascites etc.).

Previous treatment with mTOR inhibitors or known hypersensitivity to mTOR inhibitors.

Symptomatic brain or other CNS metastases. Previously treated brain metastases are allowed provided the patient is free of symptoms, prior radiotherapy for brain metastasis was more than four weeks before enrollment and the dose of corticosteroids is low (i.e. ≤ 10 mg/d Prednisolone equivalent) and stable for at least two weeks prior to enrollment.

Patients with Hepatitis B or C or with a history of Hepatitis B or C. Patients unwilling to or unable to comply with the protocol. Other protocol defined exclusion criteria apply.