Could breast cancer patients avoid surgery? new trial tests less treatment
NCT ID NCT02945579
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is for people with certain types of breast cancer (HER2-positive or triple-negative) who have a complete response to initial drug therapy. It tests whether they can safely skip surgery and only receive radiation, or skip radiation if surgery shows no cancer left. For another group (ER-positive/HER2-negative), it tests skipping surgery after hormone therapy and radiation. The goal is to see if less treatment can still keep cancer from coming back.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- radiation therapy (external beam radiotherapy or partial breast irradiation)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could allow some breast cancer patients to avoid surgery or additional radiation, reducing side effects and recovery time while maintaining cancer control.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase trial with only 120 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. There is a risk that skipping standard treatments could lead to cancer recurrence.
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 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2017
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
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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30 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- 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: * Cohort A1 and A2 • Conditions for patient eligibility: Patients on this portion of the study can receive radiation treatment at any MD Anderson Cancer Center or any outside hospital and may be enrolled prior to, during, or following neoadjuvant systemic therapy provided they meet the following eligibility and ineligibility requirements noted below: 1. Pathologically confirmed unicentric invasive breast cancer defined as radiologic clinical stage T1 or T2 (≤ 5 cm), N0 or N1 (≤ 4 abnormal axillary nodes on initial ultrasound), clinical stage M0. 2. HER2 positive (IHC 3+ and or FISH amplified) or triple receptor negative (TN, ER/PR\< 10% HER2 negative (IHC 1+ or 2+ FISH non-amplified) receiving any standard routine clinical NST regimen. 3. Patient desires breast conserving therapy. 4. Age 40 years or older. This age cutoff is justified because breast cancers in women under the age of 40 are known to have a significantly higher risk of IBTR presumably due to underlying biologic differences \[124, 125\]. 5. Female sex. 6. If the patient has a history of a prior non-breast cancer, all treatment for this cancer must have been completed prior to study registration and the patient must have no evidence of disease for this prior non-breast cancer. 7. Patient must have an initial nodal ultrasound that does not demonstrate more than four suspicious lymph nodes, any suspicious lymph nodes should be biopsied to determine if nodal metastatic disease present. 8. Patient understands that the breast lesion size on final breast imaging must be less than or equal to 2 cm prior to the biopsy procedure being performed on study and if the biopsy shows residual carcinoma the patient will be taken off study. * Cohort B1 and B2 • Conditions for patient eligibility: Patients on this portion of the study will be limited to receive radiation treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center or other approved locations and must be enrolled prior to any neoadjuvant systemic therapy provided they meet the following eligibility and ineligibility requirements noted below: 1. ER and/or PR positive, HER2 negative 2. Clinical stage T1N0M0, unicentric non-lobular breast cancer, no lymphovascular space invasion, 3. At least 40 years of age. 4. Oncotype ≤ 25 if age ≥ 50 years 5. Oncotype 0-20 and tumor size ≤ 1.5cm if age 40-49 years. 6. Patient agrees to take anti-estrogen therapy and is interested in breast conservation 7. Female sex. 8. If the patient has a history of a prior non-breast cancer, all treatment for this cancer must have been completed prior to study registration and the patient must have no evidence of disease for this prior non-breast cancer. 9. No history of prior radiation to the area of the breast that would require protocol-mandated treatment * Cohort C • Conditions for patient eligibility: Patients on this portion of the study can receive surgical treatment at any MD Anderson Cancer Center or any outside hospital and may be enrolled prior to or following neoadjuvant systemic therapy provided they meet the following eligibility and ineligibility requirements noted below: 1. Pathologically confirmed invasive breast cancer defined as radiologic clinical stage T1 or T2 (≤ 5 cm), N0, clinical stage M0 and HER2 positive (IHC 3+ and or FISH amplified) receiving any standard routine clinical NST regimen containing her-2 directed therapy OR Pathologically confirmed invasive breast cancer defined as radiologic clinical stage T1 (≤ 2 cm), N0, clinical stage M0 and triple negative, receiving any standard routine clinical NST regimen. 2. For cohort C patients participating in the optional pretreatment biopsy, the patient should be able undergo biopsy or surgery of the primary tumor site of suspected or proven invasive breast cancer and should be planned to receive neoadjuvant systemic therapy. 3. Patient desires breast conserving therapy. 4. Age 30 years or older if HER2 positive. Age 50 or older if HER2 negative (triple negative). 5. Female sex. 6. If the patient has a history of a prior non-breast cancer, all treatment for this cancer must have been completed prior to study registration and the patient must have no evidence of disease for this prior non-breast cancer. 7. Patient must have an initial nodal ultrasound that does not demonstrate suspicious lymph nodes; any suspicious lymph nodes should be biopsied to determine if nodal metastatic disease present. 8. Patient must have no evidence of residual invasive tumor or DCIS on pathologic review of the lumpectomy surgical specimen 9. Patient must have no evidence of metastatic disease or isolated tumor cells involving the lymph nodes on pathologic review of the lymph node surgical specimen. If treatment effect in the nodes is noted on the pathology report, the investigators would generally discourage enrollment on this protocol. 10. Unifocal disease or limited multifocal disease that can be excised in a single lumpectomy specimen * Cohort D (MD Anderson Houston patients only) * Conditions for patient eligibility: Patients on this portion of the study meet all eligibility requirements for cohort C, but have not enrolled onto the study to omit radiation. Patients in Cohort D can be identified at the time of diagnosis or prior to lumpectomy. They are not required to participate in one of the treatment arms of the study, but can ultimately choose to move to an omission Cohort at a later time point. 3.5.1 Patients with triple negative or her-2 positive tumor who are amenable to breast conserving treatment and have received or are planned for neoadjuvant systemic therapy prior to surgery are eligible for Cohort D. 3.5.2 Eligible patients in cohort D who have undergone optional ARTIDIS biopsies of the primary breast tumor at the time of diagnosis, prior to starting neoadjuvant therapy, or following completion of systemic therapy, at the time of surgery, may later move to Cohort A or C if they meet all eligibility requirements and ultimately desire surgery or radiation omission Exclusion Criteria: 1. Radiologic evidence for a stage T3 or clinical stage T4 breast cancer in Cohort A1/A2/C; radiologic evidence for a stage T2-T3 or clinical stage T4 breast cancer in Cohort B1/B2. 2. Clinical or pathologic evidence for distant metastases. 3. Prior diagnosis of invasive or ductal carcinoma in situ breast cancer in the ipsilateral breast. 4. Clinical evidence of progression of disease \>20% in the breast or new evidence of nodal metastases. 5. Patient is known to be pregnant. 6. Patient is participating in a NST protocol in which surgical excision of the breast and or lymph nodes are required in Cohort A1/A2/B1/B2.
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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
6 sites. 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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Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center
RECRUITINGJacksonville, Florida, 32207, United States
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Carolinas Medical Center/Levine Cancer Institute
RECRUITINGCharlotte, North Carolina, 28203, United States
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Cooper Hospital Univ Med Ctr, MD Anderson at Cooper Voorhees
RECRUITINGVoorhees Township, New Jersey, 08103, United States
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M D Anderson Cancer Center
RECRUITINGHouston, Texas, 77030, United States
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MD Anderson Cancer Center - Banner
COMPLETEDGilbert, Arizona, 85234, United States
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Mayo Clinic
RECRUITINGRochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
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Queen's Medical Center
COMPLETEDHonolulu, Hawaii, 96813, United States
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University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI)
RECRUITINGPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232, United States
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