Blood test could help personalize breast cancer therapy
NCT ID NCT05977036
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a blood test measuring thymidine kinase activity (TKa) can help doctors decide early if a patient's breast cancer treatment is working. Patients with HR+ HER2- metastatic breast cancer start standard therapy with a CDK4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy. If the blood test at day 15 shows the treatment isn't suppressing TKa, patients switch to a different therapy. The goal is to see if this early switch improves how long the cancer stays under control.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- CDK4/6 inhibitor plus endocrine therapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a simple blood test helps doctors choose the right treatment earlier, potentially improving how long the cancer is controlled.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study (65 people) without a control group, so results may not apply broadly. The blood test may not reliably predict treatment response.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 65 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2024
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2034
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria - Patients * Diagnosis of metastatic or advanced unresectable invasive breast cancer that is hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and HER2-negative. * Planned to initiate standard of care first-line therapy with FDA-approved endocrine therapy plus CDK4/6 inhibitor for the stated diagnosis at the time of study enrollment. Ribociclib is the preferred CDK4/6 inhibitor. In the event this drug cannot be obtained due to insurance authorization or if there are specific side effect profile concerns from the treating physician, an alternative CDK4/6 inhibitor is allowed. * Any prior therapy for early stage breast cancer is allowed, including endocrine therapy and chemotherapy. * Prior receipt of adjuvant CDK 4/6 inhibitor therapy is permitted provided therapy completion occurred \> 12 months prior to study enrollment. * Presence of RECIST-evaluable disease. Patients with bone-only disease are eligible. * At least 18 years of age. * ECOG performance status ≤ 2 * Post-menopausal status, defined as one of the following: * Age ≥ 60 years * Age \< 60 with intact uterus and amenorrhea for 12 consecutive months or more * Status post bilateral oophorectomy, total hysterectomy * Pre- or peri-menopausal with suppressed ovarian function by use of GnRH agonist/antagonist or surgical bilateral oophorectomy * Ability to understand and willingness to sign an IRB approved written informed consent document (or that of legally authorized representative, if applicable). Exclusion Criteria - Patients * Receipt of any prior cytotoxic chemotherapy line for metastatic disease. There will be no limit to chemotherapy use in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. * Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy are excluded unless that malignancy's natural history or treatment does not have the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen are eligible for this trial. * Concurrent participation in any investigational therapeutic trial for treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Eligibility Criteria - Physicians * Medical Oncologist at Siteman Cancer Center. * Treating patients with metastatic or advanced unresectable breast cancer. * Willing to complete Physician Surveys during participation.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Washington University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a Two-Drug combo outsmart resistant breast and ovarian cancers?