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NCT Number: NCT07553234

Study to Understand Relationship Between Gut Health and Toxicities of Hormonal Breast Cancer Treatment

This study will be conducted in 2 sequential parts. The first part will be a prospective, observational study. This will be followed by a small interventional, pilot study involving use of fiber supplement (chia seeds). The study aims to evaluate the relationship between the gut microbiome (a diverse ecosystem of microorganisms that affects your health and well-being) and treatment-related gastrointestinal toxicities in patients with HR+/HER2- breast cancer receiving abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

Location contact

Clinical Trials Intake

CONTACT

[email protected]

855-702-8222

Rita Nanda

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Be willing and able to provide written informed consent for the trial
  • Be a male or female subject 18 years of age on day of signing informed consent.
  • Histologically proven infiltrating carcinoma of the breast on core needle biopsy that is:

HER2 negative in primary tumour pre-treatment by local pathology assessed according current American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines: In situ hybridization non-amplified (ratio of HER2 to CEP17 < 2.0 or single probe average HER2 gene copy number < 4 signals/cell), OR Immunohistochemistry (IHC) 0 or IHC 1+.

  • Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) positive in primary tumour pre-treatment defined as >1% of cells expressing hormonal receptors via IHC analysis by local laboratory assessment.
  • Planned to undergo standard of care therapy with abemaciclib and endocrine therapy, in the adjuvant or metastatic setting (Part 1) or the adjuvant setting (Part 2).
  • Be willing to provide mandatory stool samples at baseline and on treatment.
  • The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-2

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients who are pregnant or breast-feeding
  • Current use of any investigational agents
  • Uncontrolled Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, Malabsorption syndrome or any disease significantly affecting gastrointestinal function
  • History or current evidence of any condition, therapy, lab abnormality or other circumstance that in the opinion of the investigator might expose the subject to risk by participating in the trial, confound the results of the trial, or interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial.

Treatment and study plan

Stool sampling

Other

Stool samples will be collected continuously (during as many bowel movements as possible) using the GutLab device (BiomeSense, Inc.).

Chia Seeds

Other

In the Fiber Study cohort (Part 2), participants will be advised to consume a standardized daily serving of chia seeds (25g/day) and provided with guidance on how to integrate this into their usual diet.

Primary outcomes

  1. Stool Sampling Feasibility

    Time frame: 2 years

    Proportion of enrolled participants who provide serial stool samples during the baseline and on-treatment periods, as recorded by device data and study records.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Baseline Microbiome-Diarrhea Associations

    Time frame: 2 years

    Correlation between baseline gut microbiome composition and incidence of grade ≥2 diarrhea during abemaciclib therapy, as defined by CTCAE v6.0.

  2. Microbiome Dynamics and Diarrhea

    Time frame: 2 years

    Correlation between longitudinal changes in gut microbiome composition during abemaciclib therapy and incidence and severity of grade ≥2 diarrhea, as defined by CTCAE v6.0.

Study contacts

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

Clinical Trials Intake

CONTACT

[email protected]

855-702-8222

Rita Nanda

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Chicago

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Prospective Evaluation of the Gut Microbiome and a Pilot Dietary Intervention in Patients With HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer Receiving Abemaciclib (GEMMA)

Acronym: GEMMA

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2030
Study completion
2030
First posted
Apr 27, 2026
Registry last updated
May 4, 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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