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NCT Number: NCT04959474

Pre-operative SABR With and Without Caloric Restriction for Early Stage Breast Cancer

This phase II trial studies the effect of calorie reduction while undergoing stereotactic ablative radiation therapy in treating patients with breast cancer. Stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (sABR) is a highly focused radiation treatment that gives an intense dose of radiation concentrated on a tumor, while limiting the dose to the surrounding organ. Giving SABR before surgery may make the tumor smaller. Adding dietary restrictions in combination with radiation therapy may help increase local control and decrease the spread of the cancer to other places in the body. The purpose of this trial is to identify if there is a decrease in tumor tissue in patients undergoing caloric restriction during pre-operative SABR, compared to patients undergoing pre-operative SABR alone.

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Key information

About this study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To detect a decrease in cellularity of the tumor in participants undergoing caloric restriction during pre-operative SABR as compared to participants undergoing SABR alone.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Change in miR-21 as defined by baseline and post radiation levels. II. Investigate measurable changes of patient and tumor characteristics from the combination of SABR and caloric restriction (CR) versus SABR alone to inform future trials.

III. To describe pathologic complete response (pCR) rates as defined by no residual carcinoma or no residual invasive carcinoma, but ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) may be present, in each arm as well as by subtype.

IV. To assess response of each treatment arm using contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) and correlate with pathologic response.

V. To describe short term surgical outcomes including: sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification rate, positive margins requiring return to the operative room for re-excision, and post-operative complications (infection, delayed wound healing, seroma requiring aspiration).

VI. To measure patient reported health-related outcomes and satisfaction with outcome.

VII. To compare patient reported cosmesis to physician reported cosmesis scores, where cosmesis is rated as excellent, good, fair or poor.

VIII. To compare pCR rates between women randomized to SABR alone to women randomized to SABR + CR who are at least 80% adherent to the CR intervention.

IX. To compare pCR rates between women randomized to SABR alone who do not deviate by more than 10% from their baseline caloric intake to women randomized to SABR + CR who are at least 80% adherent to the CR intervention.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. Tissue: To determine the downstream molecular effects of diet related to miR-21 such as FAS/FASL, PD-1, LAG3 and STAT3 expression.

II. Microbiome: Compare baseline to post-SABR microbiome species separately for each trial arm.

III. Serum: Determine if anti-tumor immunity has increased with increased CD8 and decreased Treg in tumor. Compare proteomic profiles.

TERTIARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the ipsilateral breast recurrence rate, distant disease-free interval, recurrence free survival, and overall survival.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive standard dietary recommendations. Patients undergo SABR every other day for 5 fractions. Within 4-12 weeks of completion of SABR, patients undergo surgical resection with sentinel lymph node biopsy.

ARM II: Beginning 1 week before the start of SABR, patients undergo a caloric restriction diet for 6-12 weeks (for the duration of radiation treatment, until post radiation follow-up appointment) consisting of reducing calorie intake by 25%. Patients undergo SABR every other day for 5 fractions. Within 4-12 weeks of completion of SABR, patients undergo surgical resection with sentinel lymph node biopsy.

After completion of study intervention, patients are followed up at 3-6 weeks, and then 6 months after surgery.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • • Patients with pathologically proven DCIS or invasive breast cancer histologies
  • Willing and able to provide informed consent
  • Willing and able to comply with study treatments including dietary intervention
  • Body mass index (BMI) >= 21 at time of enrollment
  • Age >= 40 years at time of consent
  • Patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) must be >= 50 years of age at time of consent
  • Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score 70 - 100
  • Tumor size =< 3.0 cm
  • Gross disease within the breast must be unifocal
  • Gross disease may be multifocal as long as the total extent of tumor, gross and microscopic, occupies a volume with greatest dimension =< 3 cm
  • Patients with invasive disease are required to have clinical axillary staging including axillary ultrasound (US) that proves patient is clinically node negative or can be done by physical examination if the patient is over 70
  • Patient is not being considered for preoperative chemotherapy
  • Must be English or Spanish speaking

Exclusion criteria

  • Patient is clinically node positive: clinically suspicious axillary lymph node(s) by axillary US or exam unless biopsied and found to be negative
  • Patient has stage IV metastatic disease
  • Patients with oligo-metastatic disease who are being treated with curative intent per the treating physician will not be excluded if all other eligibility criteria are met
  • Breast tumor size is > 3.0 cm
  • Positive non-axillary sentinel nodes or evidence of suspicious supraclavicular, infraclavicular, or internal mammary nodes by imaging or physical exam, unless biopsied and found to be negative for tumor
  • Evidence by physical examination or mammography of other suspicious masses, densities, or microcalcifications in either breast, unless biopsied and found to be benign
  • Paget's disease of the nipple
  • Previous breast radiation on ipsilateral side
  • Any prior treatment with radiation therapy or chemotherapy for the current breast cancer diagnosis prior to registration
  • Patients with significant psychiatric illness that would preclude them from adhering to the protocol in the judgement of the treating clinician
  • BMI < 21 at the time of study enrollment

Treatment and study plan

Best Practice

Other

Given standard dietary recommendations

Other names: best practice, standard of care, standard of care, standard therapy

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Radiation

Undergo SABR

Other names: SABR, SBRT, SBRT, Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation Therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy

Resection

Procedure

Undergo surgical resection

Other names: Resection, resection, Surgical Resection, SURGICAL RESECTION, Surgical Resection, Surgical Resection, Surgical Resection

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

Procedure

Undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy

Other names: SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY, sentinel lymph node biopsy, Sentinel Node Biopsy, Sentinel node biopsy alone, SLNB, SNB

Dietary Intervention

Other

Undergo a caloric restriction diet

Other names: Dietary Modification, intervention, dietary, Nutrition Intervention, Nutrition Interventions, Nutritional Interventions

Questionnaire Administration

Other

Ancillary studies

Quality-of-Life Assessment

Other

Ancillary studies

Other names: Quality of Life Assessment

Mammography

Procedure

Undergo mammography

Other names: Mammography, MAMMOGRAPHY, mammography, MG

Biospecimen Collection

Procedure

Undergo blood, tissue, and rectal swab sample collection

Other names: Biological Sample Collection, Biological Sample Collection, Biospecimen Collected, Biospecimen Collection, Specimen Collection

Primary outcomes

  1. Percent reduction in cellularity of breast tumor

    Time frame: 4-16 weeks, depending on the date of surgery

    The mean percent reduction will be compared between the study arms using a two-sample two-sided t-test with alpha 0.05.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Feasibility of identifying sentinel lymph node (SLN)

    Time frame: After pre-operative SABR

    Sentinel lymph node biopsy performed at the time of surgical resection per standard institutional protocol including dual tracer SLN identification. The first 10 enrolled patients who have a SLN biopsy performed (decided per institutional protocol and surgeon standard practice)will be assessed to determine the feasibility of identifying sentinel lymph node after pre-operative SABR and if the rate of SLN mapping is not at least 95% the trial will be closed to accrual and modified to reflect the safety and feasibility of finding the sentinel node.

  2. Global physiologic assessment

    Time frame: Up to 6 months after SABR

    Weight, height, and body composition will be assessed. Calipers will be used to assess biceps, triceps, scapula, and hips. Bioimpedence will be used to measure percent body fat and muscle mass.

  3. Change in patient-reported health-related quality of life

    Time frame: Baseline to 6 months after SABR

    Psycho-social evaluation will be done using the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System cancer fatigue short form, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress thermometer, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast measure to determine how the interventions affect the patients prior to intervention, just before surgery, and end of treatment visit post SABR completion.

  4. Physician cosmesis evaluation

    Time frame: Up to 6 months after SABR

    Physicians will evaluate cosmesis using the excellent, good, fair, poor scale at the times specified in the Study Schedule.

  5. Rate of positive margins and need for re-excision

    Time frame: Up to 6 months after SABR

    Positive margin is defined as the presence of invasive carcinoma at the inked margin of the submitted operative specimen that does not appear to have significant radiation effect. The same definition will be applied to ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS); however, there should be a 2mm margin on DCIS from the inked edge of the operative specimen. Will be compared between the study arms using a two-sample two-sided Fisher's exact with alpha 0.05.

  6. Rate of post-operative complications

    Time frame: Up to 6 months after SABR

    The presence or absence of the following potential adverse effects will be assessed: infection/cellulitis requiring antibiotics, wound dehiscence or open wound, and persistent seroma requiring aspiration. Will be compared between the study arms using a two-sample two-sided Fisher's exact with alpha 0.05.

  7. Change in tumor stiffness, angiogenesis, and tumor size

    Time frame: Baseline and before surgery

    Contrast-enhanced mammography and ultrasound shear-wave elastography will be done at baseline and just before surgical intervention to determine if diet improves tumor stiffness and angiogenesis as well as size of tumor. Will be compared between the study arms using a two-sample two-sided t-test with alpha 0.05.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Nicole Simone, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

215-955-8874

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Thomas Jefferson University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

SABR-CaRe: A Phase II Randomized Trial of Pre-Operative Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy (SABR) With and Without Caloric Restriction for Early Stage Breast Cancer

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Jul 13, 2021
Registry last updated
Jan 23, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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