New trial aims to tailor breast cancer treatment using PET scans
NCT ID NCT06245889
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This pilot study tests whether adjusting chemotherapy based on early PET scan results can improve outcomes for people with stage 2 or 3 triple negative breast cancer. Participants receive four cycles of chemotherapy plus the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab. A PET scan after the first cycle helps guide whether additional chemotherapy is needed before surgery. The study aims to see if early changes in PET signals predict whether the cancer is completely gone 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
- Pembrolizumab (immunotherapy) combined with chemotherapy drugs (paclitaxel, carboplatin, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, olaparib, capecitabine)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help personalize treatment for triple negative breast cancer, potentially reducing unnecessary chemotherapy and improving outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The approach is complex and may not improve response rates over standard care.
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 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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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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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Stage II-III TNBC - estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) up to and including 10% is eligible 2. Age ≥ 18 years 3. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2 4. Eligible for standard chemo-immunotherapy as determined by treating physician, including consideration of: 1. Adequate marrow and organ function 2. Co-morbid conditions do not preclude the use of chemo-immunotherapy (such as uncontrolled autoimmune disease, or the use of immunosuppressive medications) 5. Patients must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent prior to registration on study Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients unable to undergo PET or MRI 2. Evidence of metastatic disease or loco-regional recurrence (i.e. distant or chest wall recurrence) 3. Inflammatory breast cancer 4. Previous treatment with paclitaxel, carboplatin, or immune checkpoint inhibitors
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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
2 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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Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States
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Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States
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