PET scans may predict breast cancer drug response before surgery

NCT ID NCT01937117

Ongoing Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jul 01, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This study investigates whether early changes on a PET scan can predict which patients with HER2-positive breast cancer will have a complete response to a combination of trastuzumab and pertuzumab given before surgery. Participants receive the two drugs and undergo PET scans at the start and on day 15. The goal is to see if a drop in tumor activity on the scan correlates with no cancer remaining at surgery.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: trastuzumab and pertuzumab
What this could lead to: If early PET changes reliably predict response, doctors could tailor treatment more quickly, avoiding ineffective therapy and its side effects.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase study focused on imaging correlation, not treatment outcome. The approach may not prove accurate enough for routine use.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

breast cancer breast neoplasm HER2 positive breast carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

BREAST CANCER

Contacts and locations

Locations

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center - University of Washington

Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States
Indiana University Simon Cancer Center

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20016, United States
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

Baltimore, Maryland, 21287-0013, United States
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
University of Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Center

Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States
Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States

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