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NCT Number: NCT04170465

Role of Adding Metformin to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Breast Cancer (METNEO)

Metformin, the widely prescribed oral hypoglycemic drug, is well known for its established efficacy, favorable safety profile, and low cost. Metformin has recently received increasing attention because of its potential antitumorigenic effects that are thought to be independent of its hypoglycemic effects. It has been extensively studied in preclinical models, which have implicated several molecular pathways in its antitumor activity.

Metformin was proved to have anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on tumor cells.Moreover, metformin enhances the T-cell mediated immune response to tumor tissue and fights metastases. Also, epidemiological studies have shown that metformin, but not other antidiabetic drugs, reduces cancer incidence and improves survivability in diabetic cancer patients.

The proposed research in this application will investigate two prime questions with regards to the combined use of metformin together with traditional neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. First, the hypothesis that the simultaneous use of metformin along with doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide/paclitaxel neoadjuvant protocol produces better antitumor outcomes will be tested. Second, the study will examine if the improved apoptotic effect of such regimen is paralleled by exaggerated stimulatory influences on apoptosis biomarkers.

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Key information

Conditions

Breast Cancer Female

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Damanhour University

Beheira, 22511, Egypt

About this study

  • Ethical committee approval will be obtained from Ethics committee of Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University.
  • All participants should agree to take part in this clinical study and will provide informed consent.
  • Sixty female breast cancer patients, who are candidates for neoadjuvant chemotherapy, will be recruited from the Medical Research Institute, Oncology department, Alexandria University, Alexandria.
  • The 60 participants will be randomly assigned into 2 arms:
  • Control arm (n=30): will be treated with AC-Taxol regimen (AC: Doxorubicin 60 mg/m2 IV + cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 IV) for 4 cycles every 3 weeks. Subsequent Taxol cycles (Paclitaxel 80mg/m2 IV) once weekly for 12 weeks.
  • Metformin arm (n=30): will be treated with the AC-Taxol regimen mentioned above together with Metformin 850 mg tablets orally twice per day (1700 mg/day).
  • All patients will be submitted to:
  • Full patient history and clinical examination.
  • Routine follow up before each chemotherapy cycle (complete blood picture, liver function tests, renal function tests).
  • Routine Echocardiography before each chemotherapy cycle.
  • All patients will be monitored for the incidence of chemotherapy toxicities during neoadjuvant therapy.
  • After completion of the neoadjuvant therapy, participants will undergo surgical tumor removal. The excised tumor will be collected, and the expression of apoptosis biomarkers and the pathologic complete response (pCR) will be assessed.
  • Patients demographic data will be recorded with respect to age, weight and disease history.
  • Statistical tests appropriate to the study design will be conducted to evaluate the significance of the results.
  • Results, conclusion, discussion and recommendations will be given.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Females ≥ 18 years of age and < 65 years.
  • Unilateral or bilateral primary carcinoma of the breast confirmed.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) 0-2.
  • Clinically measurable tumor size who are candidates for neoadjuvant therapy.
  • No evidence of distant metastasis.
  • Normal renal and liver functions.
  • Non-diabetics.

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
  • Prior cancer chemotherapy.
  • Heart disease or reduced cardiac output with left ventricular ejection fraction < 50%.
  • Metastatic breast cancer patients.
  • Patients with hepatic impairment.
  • Patients with renal impairment.
  • Diabetics.

Treatment and study plan

Metformin Hydrochloride 850 mg Tablets

Drug

Oral administration of Metformin hydrochloride 850 mg tablets (1700 mg/day) daily until the completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles

Other names: Cidophage 850 mg

AC-T chemotherapy regimen

Drug

AC: (Doxorubicin 60 mg/m2 IV + cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 IV) for 4 cycles every 3 weeks followed by Taxol cycles (Paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 IV) once weekly for 12 weeks.

Other names: AC (doxorubicin [Adriamycin] + cyclophosphamide) followed by paclitaxel (Taxol)

Primary outcomes

  1. Evaluation of the effect on tumor apoptosis

    Time frame: 6 months

    Tissue level of the apoptosis biomarker in the excised tumor.

  2. Chemotherapy toxicities

    Time frame: 6 months

    Monitoring the incidence of chemotherapy toxicities during neoadjuvant therapy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pathologic complete response rate (pCR)

    Time frame: 6 months

    Pathologic complete response rate defined as the absence of residual invasive cancer in the resected breast specimen and all sampled regional lymph nodes following completion of neoadjuvant systemic therapy.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Damanhour University

Other

Collaborators

  • Alexandria University

Registry information

Official study title

Investigation of the Potential Beneficial Effect of Adding Metformin to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Breast Cancer (METNEO)

Acronym: METNEO

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Nov 20, 2019
Registry last updated
Sep 10, 2022

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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