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Using a Blood Test to Monitor Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment

Using a Liquid Biopsy to Monitor Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05804578
Acronym
BEACON
Enrollment
150
Registered
2023-04-07
Start date
2023-10-19
Completion date
2026-04-30
Last updated
2025-07-25

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Metastatic Breast Cancer

Keywords

Liquid Biopsy, Treatment Response, Circulating Tumour DNA, DNA Methylation, Breast Cancer, Metastatic Breast Cancer

Brief summary

The goal of this observational study is to assess the effectiveness of the mDETECT breast cancer blood test at monitoring treatment response in women with metastatic breast cancer undergoing treatment.

Detailed description

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women. While survival rates for women with metastatic breast cancer have almost doubled in the last 20 years, the 5-year survival rate is about 25%. Currently, determining whether a breast cancer therapy is working is very difficult. Women undergo CT-scans every three months to assess the effectiveness of their therapy. If the chosen treatment is not effective, a patient would have been delayed in receiving a more effective treatment and will be exposed to the serious side effects of their ineffective treatment during this time. The investigators have developed a blood test, called mDETECT, which is a DNA methylation-based liquid biopsy that targets multiple tumour specific hypermethylated regions on DNA. DNA shed from tumours travels through the blood stream and which can be collected through a blood draw and analyzed for breast cancer specific methylation patterns. The mDETECT breast cancer assay is sensitive and specific and has been proven to work well in detecting breast cancer in women with metastatic disease. This assay has been designed to work with all subtypes of breast cancer. Moreover, this blood test measures changes in the size of the tumour; therefore, it will work with any treatment. The goal of this observational study is to assess the effectiveness of the mDETECT breast cancer blood test in women undergoing treatment for metastatic breast cancer to determine if a response to therapy can be seen earlier than the current 3 month time point for CT-scans. In this study, women undergoing treatment for metastatic breast cancer will be recruited. Participants will have blood drawn at baseline and multiple timepoints throughout treatment. The participants will also be monitored using the current standard of care, imaging every 3 months with CT-scans. The aim of this study will be to determine if the mDETECT blood test can predict within the first few weeks of treatment the results of the 3 month CT-scan.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV
Queen's University
CollaboratorOTHER
Dr. Christopher Mueller
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

-Adult women (≥ 18 years of age) with proven diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the breast with evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease not amenable to resection or radiation therapy with curative intent \[to be herein described as 'metastatic'\]

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in ctDNA level from baseline to 6 months of treatmentBaseline - 6 monthsThe change in circulating tumour DNA methylation level over the course of treatment (Baseline blood draw, with timing of every standard of care blood draw for 8 weeks after treatment initiation, then monthly with standard of care blood draw for up to six after treatment initiation).
Changes in radiographic tumour assessments for monitoring response to treatment3 months and 6 monthsRadiographic tumor assessments will be performed as per RECIST v.1.1
Change in measurable lytic lesions in participants with bone only metastasis assessed by CT scans as measured per RECIST v.1.13 months and 6 months

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Progression-free survival in patients with increasing, stable, and decreasing ctDNA levels during treatmentBaseline - 6 monthsProgression-free survival is the time from enrolment in the study to disease progression

Countries

Canada

Contacts

Primary ContactChristopher R Mueller, Ph.D.
muellerc@queensu.ca613-533-6751
Backup ContactKeira Frosst
16kmf4@queensu.ca613-533-6773

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026