Can sound waves and a tiny dose of chemo train the body to fight breast cancer?
NCT ID NCT04796220
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This early-stage trial is testing whether focused ultrasound (sound waves aimed at tumors) combined with a low dose of the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine can boost the immune system's ability to fight early breast cancer. About 32 participants will receive either ultrasound, low-dose gemcitabine, or both before surgery. The main goals are to check safety and see if the treatment reduces certain immune-suppressing cells and increases cancer-fighting T cells.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Gemcitabine (a chemotherapy drug)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a way to use focused ultrasound and low-dose chemo to help the immune system fight breast cancer more effectively before surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early (Phase 1) trial with only 32 participants, so it is mainly checking safety and immune effects, not yet proving it works. The combination may not improve outcomes or could cause side effects.
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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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
-
About 32 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2022
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2030
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: * Disease Status * Patients must have histologically confirmed, newly diagnosed breast cancer, stage 1-3 disease and be appropriate surgical candidates for complete resection. Recurrent disease patients must have disease localized to the breast, chest wall or axilla and must be surgical candidates for completion resection of recurrent disease. * If genomic profiling is performed, then the results must indicate that the cancer is high-risk * Any receptor status may be eligible (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2 receptor) * Patients must have a lesion in the breast/chest wall/axilla that is accessible to focused ultrasound ablation. Accessible is defined as the following: * A targetable portion of the tumor must be ≥ 5mm from the skin * The rib cage should not be in the prefocal ultrasound path or behind the target area of the lesion (minimum distance from the posterior aspect of the target area to rib cage must be at least 10 mm). Participants must have at least one high-risk feature of breast cancer (tumor size and nodal status may be measured by mammogram, MRI, US, CT, or calipers): * Triple negative breast cancer with Tumor size ≥10mm * Lymph node involvement by imaging or biopsy (any receptor status, any size) * Tumor size ≥ 20mm (estrogen receptor positive, HER2 negative) * Tumor size ≥ 10mm (HER2 receptor positive, any ER status) * Tumor size ≥ 10mm and Oncotype or Mammaprint high status (estrogen receptor positive, HER2 negative) \*If patient has more than one tumor, then the treated tumor must have a high-risk feature (if 2 tumors meet high risk criteria), they may both be treated). * Willing and able to provide written consent * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study. * Male or female, ≥ 18 years * Be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion. * ECOG performance status of 0-2 * Adequate organ function * Agreement to adhere to lifestyle considerations throughout the study duration Exclusion Criteria: * Received other treatment (standard or investigational) for their current breast cancer. * Pregnant or lactating * Diagnosis of immunodeficiency or receiving systemic steroid therapy within 7 days prior to enrollment with the following exceptions: * In patients with adrenal or pituitary insufficiency replacement steroid doses are allowed; however, daily doses of 10 mg or more of prednisone (or equivalent) per day administered parenterally or orally are not allowed in patients with normal adrenal and pituitary function. * Inhaled steroids (e.g.: Advair®, Flovent®, Azmacort®) are permitted at low doses (less than 500 mcg fluticasone per day, or equivalent). * Topical, nasal, and intra-articular corticosteroids are acceptable. * Known allergic reactions to gemcitabine * Breast implant on the side of the body that will receive HIFU application * Known history of HIV (Patients with HIV will be excluded because immunotherapy may impact the T cell profiling as part of the biologic correlates and the natural history of the disease) * Known active Hepatitis B virus or Hepatitis C virus * Other malignancy other than basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that is undergoing potentially curative therapy, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or in situ cervical cancer * Active infection requiring other systemic therapy * Participants in whom there is a medical contraindication or potential problem in complying with the requirements of the protocol in the opinion of the investigator. * Any condition(s) or diagnosis, both physical or psychological, or physical exam finding that precludes 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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, 22903, United States
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