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Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT05090358

Preventing High Blood Sugar in People Being Treated for Metastatic Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study to find out whether a very low carbohydrate diet (ketogenic diet), a low carbohydrate diet, or the study drug canagliflozin can prevent high blood sugar and may improve the effectiveness of cancer therapy in people who are receiving standard treatment with alpelisib and fulvestrant for their metastatic PIK3CA-mutant breast cancer.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Limited Protocol Activities), Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Histologically confirmed metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. HR positive is defined by ER status >10% immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of any intensity. HER2 negativity is defined as the following as per the 2018 American Society of

Clinical Oncology and College of American Pathologists guidelines:

  • IHC score of 0 or 1+ or
  • Single-probe average HER2 copy number of <4 signals/cell or
  • Dual-probe HER2/CEP17 ratio <2 with an average HER2 copy number of <4 signals/cell or
  • IHC 0, 1+, or 2+ and dual-probe HER2/CEP17 ratio ≥2 with an average HER2 copy number of <4 signals/cell or
  • IHC 0 or 1+ and dual-probe HER2/CEP17 ratio <2 with an average HER2 copy number of ≥6 signals/cell or
  • IHC 0 or 1+ and dual-probe HER2/CEP17 ratio <2 with an average HER2 copy number of ≥4 and <6 signals/cell.
  • Presence of one or more activating PIK3CA mutations in tumor tissue.
  • Measurable or non-measurable disease per RECIST v1.1 OR at least one predominantly lytic bone lesion must be present.
  • Written informed consent provided
  • Female or male ≥18 years of age
  • Adequate archived tumor tissue for the analysis of PIK3CA mutational status or evaluable circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for analysis of PIK3CA mutation status
  • Recurrence or progression of disease during or after endocrine-based therapy
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1.
  • Life expectancy ≥6 months.
  • Adequate organ and marrow function as defined below:
  • Hemoglobin ≥9.0 g/dL (without blood transfusion within 7 days of laboratory test used to determine eligibility)
  • Absolute neutrophil count ≥1.5 × 109/L (without granulocyte colony stimulating factor support within 2 weeks of laboratory test used to determine eligibility)
  • Platelet count ≥100 × 109/L (without transfusion within 2 weeks of laboratory test used to determine eligibility)
  • Total bilirubin (TB) ≤1.0 × institutional upper limit of normal (ULN; Patients with known Gilbert's disease who have TB ≤3 × ULN may be enrolled)
  • Aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase ≤2.5 × ULN with normal alkaline phosphatase (≤5 × ULN for patients with liver metastases) OR ≤1.5 × ULN in conjunction with alkaline phosphatase >2.5 × ULN
  • Creatinine ≤1.5 mg/dL.
  • Fasting blood glucose ≤140 mg/dL and HbA1c <8% (both criteria have to be met) and not on anti-hyperglycemic medications other than metformin (i.e., metformin is allowable if fasting blood glucose and HbA1c parameters are met).
  • Able to swallow oral medication.
  • Willing to be randomized to any of the diet arms and able to comply with the protocol for the duration of the study including undergoing treatment and scheduled visits and examinations
  • Women must be of postmenopausal status. Postmenopausal status is defined by any one of the following criteria:
  • Prior bilateral oophorectomy or current ovarian suppression with a GnRH agonist
  • Age ≥60 years
  • Age <60 years and amenorrheic for at least 12 months (spontaneous cessation of menses for 12 consecutive months or more in the absence of chemotherapy

Exclusion criteria

  • Multiple prior lines of chemotherapy in the metastatic setting (One line of chemotherapy is allowed. Also prior treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors is allowed)
  • Currently participating in a study of an investigational agent
  • Current participation in a formalized weight loss program or currently consuming a ketogenic diet
  • Body mass index < 20 kg/m^2
  • Known hypersensitivity to alpelisib, fulvestrant, canagliflozin, or to any of the excipients of alpelisib or fulvestrant.
  • Concurrent malignancy (basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or cervical cancer in situ that have undergone curative intent therapy are allowed)
  • Type 1 diabetes mellitus
  • Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (hemoglobin A1c ≥8.0)
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus requiring treatment with a sulfonylurea, meglitinide, SGLT2 inhibitors or insulin.
  • Vegetarian or vegan eating habits.
  • Allergy or intolerance to egg, gluten, nut or milk protein that would interfere with adherence to diet.
  • Individuals with impaired decision making capacity

Treatment and study plan

Ketogenic diet

Dietary Supplement

Properly formulated meals will be provided to both diet groups for the first 12 weeks to facilitate compliance in women with metastatic breast cancer prescribed alpelisib. After 12 weeks, subjects on the two dietary arms will be given the option to cross-over to the other diet arm and continue the prescribed dietary formulation. The decision to cross over will be per patient preference.

Low Carbohydrate Diet

Dietary Supplement

Properly formulated meals will be provided to both diet groups for the first 12 weeks to facilitate compliance in women with metastatic breast cancer prescribed alpelisib. After 12 weeks, subjects on the two dietary arms will be given the option to cross-over to the other diet arm and continue the prescribed dietary formulation. The decision to cross over will be per patient preference.

Alpelisib

Drug

The recommended dose of PIQRAY is 300 mg (two 150 mg film-coated tablets) taken orally, once daily, with food. Patients should take their dose of PIQRAY at approximately the same time each day.

Other names: Piqray

Fulvestrant

Drug

The recommended dose is 500 mg to be administered intramuscularly into the buttocks slowly (1 - 2 minutes per injection) as two 5 mL injections, one in each buttock, on days

1, 15, 29 and once monthly thereafter.

Other names: Faslodex

Canagliflozin

Drug

Canagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2, the transporter responsible for reabsorbing the majority of glucose filtered by the kidney. For the first week of canagliflozin dosing, the dose will be 100 mg. Starting week 2 and onward the dose will be 300 mg and supplied by the site.

Other names: Invokana

Primary outcomes

  1. Hyperglycemia-free rate for participants

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    To determine the grade 3/4 hyperglycemia-free rate at 12 weeks, as assessed by the NCI CTCAE v5.0

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Targeting Insulin Feedback to Enhance Alpelisib (TIFA): A Phase 2 Randomized Control Trial in Metastatic PIK3CA-mutant Hormone-Receptor Positive Breast Cancer

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Oct 22, 2021
Registry last updated
Oct 27, 2025

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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