Current Clinical Trials

Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (UW-Madison)

Progesterone Receptor Imaging

Phase II Study of 18F-FFNP Breast PET/MRI in the Assessment of Early Response of Breast Cancer to Presurgical Endocrine Therapy

Brief Summary: This clinical trial will investigate an estrogen-regulated parameter as an early measure of endocrine therapy response: progesterone receptor (PR) protein with a progestin-based radioligand, 18F-fluorofuranylnorprogesterone (18F-FFNP). The overall purpose of this research is to test the efficacy of 18F-FFNP PET/MRI for predicting response to presurgical endocrine therapy and to determine the quantitative reliability of 18F-FFNP breast PET/MRI in patients with newly diagnosed PR+ primary breast cancer.

FFNP PET/MR Imaging of Progesterone Receptor Expression in Invasive Breast Cancer

Brief Summary: The goal of this research is to test the accuracy of PET/MRI imaging with 18F-fluorofuranylnorprogesterone (FFNP) for measuring progesterone receptor (PR) expression in patients with invasive breast cancer. The hypothesis is that FFNP SUVmax from PET/MRI will correlate well against the semi-quantitative PR immunohistochemistry score.

Estrogen Receptor Imaging

Tamoxifen Dose Optimization for Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients with ESR1 Mutations

Brief Summary: Despite broad advancements in endocrine therapy for ERα+ breast cancer, resistance ultimately develops. A common driver of resistance are known ESR1 mutations that lead to constitutively active receptor signaling and transcriptional regulation that is always “turned on” despite the absence of estrogen. Patients with ESR1 mutations are expected to have decreased binding affinity for tamoxifen and thus may be underdosed on standard therapy. [18F]-fluoroestradiol Positron Emission Tomography/Computed tomography (FES-PET/CT) imaging is a novel functional imaging technique that can non-invasively measure ERα expression and inhibition in metastatic ERα+ breast cancer. The proposed a pilot study uses FES-PET/CT imaging to measure ERα blockade to determine the optimal dose of tamoxifen in patients with ESR1 mutations.

Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen Imaging

Evaluation of Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) in HER2-negative, Androgen Receptor (AR)-positive Metastatic Breast Cancer with 18F-DCFPyL PSMA-based PET/CT

Brief Summary: The purpose of this research is to determine the expression of prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, androgen receptor (AR)-positive metastatic breast cancer, and to determine its role in resistance to the anti-androgen, bicalutamide. The investigators hypothesize that PSMA expression will correlate with resistance to anti-androgen therapies, as has been documented in prostate cancer, and this can be used to select patients most likely to benefit from these therapies in future clinical trials. 15 people with HER2-negative, AR-positive metastatic breast cancer will be enrolled and be on study for about 3 days.

Cooperative Group Trials (National)

18F-Fluoroestradiol (FES) PET as a Predictive Measure for Endocrine Therapy in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Breast Cancer

Brief Summary: This phase II trial studies F-18 16 alpha-fluoroestradiol (FES) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in predicting response to endocrine therapy in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. FES is a radioactive form of the hormone estrogen and may “light up” where cancer is in the body. Diagnostic procedures using FES, such as FES PET/CT, may help measure the FES and help doctors predict how well the cancer will respond to treatment.

Interim FDG-PET/CT for predicting response of HER2-positive breast cancer to neoadjuvant therapy (DIRECT Trial)

Brief Summary: This phase II trial tests how well an imaging procedure called fludeoxyglucose F-18 (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) works in predicting response to standard of care chemotherapy prior to surgery in patients with HER2-positive stage IIa-IIIc breast cancer. FDG is a radioactive tracer that is given in a vein before PET/CT imaging and helps to identify areas of active cancer. PET and CT are imaging techniques that make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body. The use of FDG-PET/CT may help doctors better decide if a patient needs more or less treatment before surgery in order to get the best response. This study evaluates whether FDG-PET/CT is useful in predicting a patient’s response to standard of care chemotherapy.

A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of 4-hydroxytamoxifen Topical Gel in Women with Mammographically Dense Breast

Brief Summary: This randomized phase II trial studies how well afimoxifene works in reducing the risk of breast cancer in women with mammographically dense breast. Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy using afimoxifene may fight breast cancer by blocking the use of estrogen by the tumor cells.