Clinical trials are important for the advancement of cancer treatment and care, as well as important in improving the standard-of-care. Each year, May 20th is recognized as Clinical Trials Day across the globe. In honor of this, we are highlighting various multi-centre clinical trials that are currently recruiting participants.
The following list provides very general information about clinical trials that are being conducted. For example, while we provide the city in which the study is being conducted, we do not provide the specific centre it is being run out of. Similarly, although we provide very general inclusion and exclusion criteria, the studies have more stringent eligibility requirements. You can find out more detailed information of a given study by clicking on the study title. Additionally, even though we focused this list on studies being conducted across Canada, it is possible to participate in clinical trials outside of Canada. Speak to your oncologist to participate in the clinical trial you are interested in. You can also speak to them about any other clinical trial that you may be eligible for as this is not an exhaustive list of all breast cancer clinical trials in Canada.
Summary of study: The study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab deruxtecan (also known as T-DXd), either alone or in combination with pertuzumab. This study aims to see if trastuzumab deruxtecan allows patients to live longer without the cancer getting worse, or simply to live longer, compared to patients receiving standard of care chemotherapy. This study is also looking to see how the treatment and the cancer affects patients' quality of life.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria:
- HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer
- Only 1 previous line of endocrine therapy in the metastatic setting
- No prior chemotherapy or HER2-targeted therapy for advanced or metastatic breast cancer
Location:
- Alberta – Calgary
- Nova Scotia – Halifax
- Ontario – Kitchener, North York, Toronto
- Quebec – Montreal
- Saskatchewan – Saskatoon
Summary of study: To find out whether ipatasertib, can slow the growth of advanced breast cancer when added to standard therapy (fulvestrant). The study will provide information about the ability of ipatasertib plus fulvestrant to control the cancer, the side effects and safety of the treatment, how patients feel while taking the treatment and associated costs.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria:
- Metastatic ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer
- Has not received more than one prior line of treatment with a CDK 4/6 inhibitor and an AI in the advanced disease setting
- No prior treatment with fulvestrant, selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) or known inhibitors of the PI3K pathway including PI3K inhibitors, AKT inhibitors, or mTOR inhibitors
Location:
- British Columbia – Kelowna, Surrey, Vancouver
- New Brunswick – Moncton
- Ontario – Barrie, Brampton, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Markham, Newmarket, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Toronto, Windsor
- Quebec – Greenfield Park, Montreal, Quebec City
- Saskatchewan – Regina, Saskatoon
Summary of study: This study is being done to see if tucatinib with ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) works better than T-DM1 alone.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria:
- Unresectable locally-advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer
- Prior treatment with a taxane and trastuzumab in any setting
Location:
- Alberta – Edmonton
- Nova Scotia – Halifax
- Ontario – Kingston, Toronto
- Quebec – Montreal
- Saskatchewan - Saskatoon
Summary of study: The purpose of this study is to compare the effects on low-risk breast cancer receiving usual care that includes regional radiation therapy, with receiving no regional radiation therapy. Researchers want to see if not giving this type of radiation treatment works as well at preventing breast cancer from coming back.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria:
- ER ≥ 1% and HER2-negative breast cancer
- Newly diagnosed histologically proven invasive carcinoma of the breast with no evidence of metastases
Location:
- Alberta – Calgary, Edmonton
- British Columbia – Abbotsford, Kelowna, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria
- Manitoba – Winnipeg
- New Brunswick – Saint John
- Newfoundland and Labrador – St. John’s
- Nova Scotia – Halifax
- Ontario – Barrie, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Saint Catherines, Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury, Toronto
- Quebec – Greenfield Park, Laval, Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke
- Saskatchewan – Regina, Saskatoon
Summary of study: To evaluate whether the addition of chest wall plus regional nodal radiation therapy (XRT) after mastectomy or breast plus regional nodal XRT after breast conserving surgery will significantly reduce the rate of events for invasive breast cancer recurrence-free interval (IBC-RFI) in patients who present with histologically positive axillary nodes but convert to histologically negative axillary nodes following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria:
- Patient must have clinically T1-3, N1 breast cancer at the time of diagnosis (before neoadjuvant therapy); clinical axillary nodal involvement can be assessed by palpation, ultrasound, CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) scan, or PET/CT scan
- Has not had prior breast or thoracic radiation therapy for any condition
Location:
- Alberta – Calgary, Edmonton
- Manitoba – Winnipeg
- New Brunswick – Saint John
- Quebec – Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke
- Saskatchewan – Regina, Saskatoon
Interested in learning more about clinical trials? Visit the following links:
- Clinical Trials Series Part 1: What Are Clinical Trials and Are They Right for Me?
- Clinical Trials Part 2: Debunking Common Myths About Clinical Trials
- What You Need to Know: Accessing Clinical Trials Out of Province and Out of Country
- Where to find clinical trials in Canada
- Clinical Trials - 101
- Clinical trials for individuals with metastatic breast cancer
Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels
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