Last reviewed · How we verify

NCT00601900

Tamoxifen Citrate or Letrozole With or Without Bevacizumab in Treating Women With Stage IIIB or Stage IV Breast Cancer

Completed Phase 3 Results posted Last updated 23 May 2025
What this trial tests

Phase 3 trial testing Bevacizumab in Invasive Breast Carcinoma in 394 participants. Completed in 1 May 2025.

Timeline
24 September 2008
Primary endpoint
30 June 2014
1 May 2025

Quick facts

Lead sponsorNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
PhasePhase 3
StatusCompleted
Study typeINTERVENTIONAL
Allocationrandomized
Designparallel
Maskingnone
Primary purposetreatment
Enrollment394
Start date24 September 2008
Primary completion30 June 2014
Estimated completion1 May 2025
Sites522 locations across Puerto Rico, United States

Drugs / interventions tested

Conditions studied

Sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Who can join

18 and older, female only, with Invasive Breast Carcinoma or Recurrent Breast Carcinoma. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.

Progression-free Survival Primary · From randomization until disease progression or death whichever occurs first, assessed up to 5 years

The Primary Endpoint for this study was to compare the progression-free survival of letrozole therapy alone with the combination of letrozole therapy plus bevacizumab as first-line treatment in women with estrogen- and/or progesterone-receptor-positive advanced breast cancer. Progression-free survival (PFS) was defined as the time from randomization until disease progression or death, whichever occurs first. The median PFS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Progression was assessed per RECIST criteria, and defined as at least a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameters of targ

GroupValue95% CI
Arm I (Endocrine Therapy With Monoclonal Antibody)20.217 – 24
Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)15.612.9 – 19.7
12 Month Progression Free Survival Rate Secondary · At 12 months

The 12 month progression-free survival rate was defined as the proportion of patients who were alive progression-free 12 months after registration into the study.

GroupValue95% CI
Arm I (Endocrine Therapy With Monoclonal Antibody)7366 – 80
Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)6154 – 68
6 Month Progression-Free Survival Rate Secondary · At 6 months

The 6 month progression-free survival rate was defined as the proportion of patients who were alive progression-free 6 months after registration into the study.

GroupValue95% CI
Arm I (Endocrine Therapy With Monoclonal Antibody)8782 – 93
Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)7771 – 83
Objective Response Rate Secondary · Assessed up to 5 years

Response was defined using RECIST criteria: Complete Response (CR): disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR) 30% decrease in sum of longest diameter of target lesions.

Complete Response (CR)
GroupValue95% CI
Arm I (Endocrine Therapy With Monoclonal Antibody)4
Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)7
Partial Response (PR)
GroupValue95% CI
Arm I (Endocrine Therapy With Monoclonal Antibody)65
Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)42
Stable Disease (SD)
GroupValue95% CI
Arm I (Endocrine Therapy With Monoclonal Antibody)22
Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)34
Overall Survival (OS) Secondary · Assessed up to 5 years

OS is defined as the time from study entry to death from any cause. The median OS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

GroupValue95% CI
Arm I (Endocrine Therapy With Monoclonal Antibody)47.239 – 56.8
Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)43.937.6 – 49.6

Adverse events — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Time frame: All patients that received study treatment and were analyzed for adverse events are included in this summary.. Reporting threshold: 0%. Adverse-event reports describe events observed during the trial — not all are caused by the drug.

Arm I (Endocrine Therapy With Monoclonal Antibody)
Serious: 56/195 (29%)
Deaths:
Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)
Serious: 30/196 (15%)
Deaths:

Serious adverse events (103 terms)

ReactionSystemArm I (Endocrine Therapy W…Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)
ArthralgiaMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
HypertensionVascular disorders
ProteinuriaRenal and urinary disorders
HeadacheNervous system disorders
NauseaGastrointestinal disorders
FeverGeneral disorders
VomitingGastrointestinal disorders
DyspneaRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
AnorexiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders
DehydrationMetabolism and nutrition disorders
Abdominal painGastrointestinal disorders
DiarrheaGastrointestinal disorders
Disease progressionGeneral disorders
FatigueGeneral disorders
Wound infectionInfections and infestations
Alkaline phosphatase increasedInvestigations
Aspartate aminotransferase increasedInvestigations
Serum sodium decreasedMetabolism and nutrition disorders
Muscle weaknessMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
SyncopeNervous system disorders
Renal failureRenal and urinary disorders
HypoxiaRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
ThrombosisVascular disorders
Hemoglobin decreasedBlood and lymphatic system disorders
Left ventricular failureCardiac disorders
Other adverse events (149 terms — click to expand)

ReactionSystemArm I (Endocrine Therapy W…Arm II (Endocrine Therapy)
ArthralgiaMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
HypertensionVascular disorders
ProteinuriaRenal and urinary disorders
HeadacheNervous system disorders
FeverGeneral disorders
EpistaxisRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
FatigueGeneral disorders
HypersensitivityImmune system disorders
Back painMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
Hot flashesVascular disorders
Upper respiratory infectionInfections and infestations
Urinary tract infectionInfections and infestations
Bone painMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
SinusitisInfections and infestations
Aspartate aminotransferase increasedInvestigations
MyalgiaMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
Wound dehiscenceInjury, poisoning and procedural complications
Pain in extremityMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
ThrombosisVascular disorders
Hemoglobin decreasedBlood and lymphatic system disorders
NauseaGastrointestinal disorders
Weight lossInvestigations
DepressionPsychiatric disorders
DyspneaRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
Left ventricular failureCardiac disorders
DiarrheaGastrointestinal disorders
PainGeneral disorders
Tooth infectionInfections and infestations
Alanine aminotransferase increasedInvestigations
Alkaline phosphatase increasedInvestigations
Blood glucose increasedMetabolism and nutrition disorders
Serum calcium decreasedMetabolism and nutrition disorders
Serum sodium decreasedMetabolism and nutrition disorders
DizzinessNervous system disorders
Peripheral sensory neuropathyNervous system disorders
AnxietyPsychiatric disorders
Abdominal painGastrointestinal disorders
Edema limbsGeneral disorders
InfectionInfections and infestations
PneumoniaInfections and infestations

Most-reported serious reactions: Arthralgia, Hypertension, Proteinuria, Headache, Nausea, Fever, Vomiting, Dyspnea.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00601900 adverse events section.

Sponsor's own description

This randomized phase III trial studies tamoxifen citrate or letrozole together with bevacizumab to see how well it works compared with tamoxifen citrate or letrozole alone in treating women with stage IIIB or stage IV breast cancer. Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy using tamoxifen citrate or letrozole may fight breast cancer by blocking the use of estrogen by the tumor cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, may induce changes in the body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. It is not yet known whether giving hormone therapy is more effective with or without bevacizumab in treating advanced breast cancer.

Publications & conference data

8 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

  1. Circulating tumor cells: biology and clinical significance.
    Lin D, Shen L, Luo M, Zhang K, et al · · 2021 · cited 655× · PMID 34803167 · DOI 10.1038/s41392-021-00817-8
  2. Detection of circulating tumor cells: opportunities and challenges.
    Ju S, Chen C, Zhang J, Xu L, et al · · 2022 · cited 115× · PMID 35962400 · DOI 10.1186/s40364-022-00403-2
  3. Phase III Trial Evaluating Letrozole As First-Line Endocrine Therapy With or Without Bevacizumab for the Treatment of Postmenopausal Women With Hormone Receptor-Positive Advanced-Stage Breast Cancer: CALGB 40503 (Alliance).
    Dickler MN, Barry WT, Cirrincione CT, Ellis MJ, et al · · 2016 · cited 85× · PMID 27138575 · DOI 10.1200/jco.2015.66.1595
  4. Bevacizumab and Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of First-Line Phase III Studies and a Critical Reappraisal of Available Evidence.
    Rossari JR, Metzger-Filho O, Paesmans M, Saini KS, et al · · 2012 · cited 71× · PMID 23008712 · DOI 10.1155/2012/417673
  5. Research progress of CTC, ctDNA, and EVs in cancer liquid biopsy.
    Wang X, Wang L, Lin H, Zhu Y, et al · · 2024 · cited 54× · PMID 38333685 · DOI 10.3389/fonc.2024.1303335
  6. Expanded Genomic Profiling of Circulating Tumor Cells in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients to Assess Biomarker Status and Biology Over Time (CALGB 40502 and CALGB 40503, Alliance).
    Magbanua MJM, Rugo HS, Wolf DM, Hauranieh L, et al · · 2018 · cited 39× · PMID 29311117 · DOI 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-17-2312
  7. Cancer patient survival can be parametrized to improve trial precision and reveal time-dependent therapeutic effects.
    Plana D, Fell G, Alexander BM, Palmer AC, et al · · 2022 · cited 22× · PMID 35169116 · DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-28410-9
  8. Clinical Significance of Circulating Tumor Cells in Hormone Receptor-positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients who Received Letrozole with or Without Bevacizumab.
    Magbanua MJM, Savenkov O, Asmus EJ, Ballman KV, et al · · 2020 · cited 22× · PMID 32586939 · DOI 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-1329

Verify or expand the search:

Other trials of Bevacizumab

Trials testing the same drug.

Other recruiting trials for Invasive Breast Carcinoma

Currently open trials in the same condition.

Other National Cancer Institute (NCI) trials

Trials by the same sponsor.

Verify against primary sources

Data sources for this page

Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT00601900.

Primary sources · FDA · ClinicalTrials.gov · EMA · SEC EDGAR · ChEMBL · Wikidata · full sourcing