Skip to content

Gemcitabine vs Paclitaxel in Caribbean Women of African Ancestry With Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Breaking Barriers in Breast Cancer Treatment for the Caribbean - Gemcitabine Versus Standard First-Line Chemotherapy in Caribbean Women of African Ancestry With Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07528768
Enrollment
750
Registered
2026-04-14
Start date
2026-06-01
Completion date
2034-06-01
Last updated
2026-04-14

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

Conditions

Metastatic Triple-negative Breast Cancer, Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Keywords

Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms, Gemcitabine, Paclitaxel, Progression-Free Survival, Overall Survival, Quality of Life, Caribbean, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if Gemcitabine, a chemotherapy drug that is usually used to treat breast cancer after other treatments have failed, is better at treating triple negative breast cancer in Black Caribbean women than Paclitaxel, one of the chemotherapy drugs that is usually used first. People will be invited to participate in the trial if they are Caribbean women of African ancestry, are 18 years or older, have had a biopsy that shows that they have triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), and are willing to take part. The main questions the trial aims to answer are: 1. Does Gemcitabine stop triple negative breast cancer from growing or spreading better than Paclitaxel? 2. Are participants more likely to get better when taking Gemcitabine or Paclitaxel? 3. What medical problems do participants have when taking Gemcitabine for breast cancer? 4. Do Gemcitabine and Paclitaxel affect Black Caribbean women differently than women from other regions or ethnic groups? To answer these questions, half of participants will be treated with Gemcitabine while half is treated with Paclitaxel. Both drugs are given by injection and have already been approved for breast cancer treatment. Participants will: * Take Gemcitabine for two weeks followed by a two-week break, or take Paclitaxel once a week for the same time period. * Have some of the cancer tissue that was tested from their biopsy taken for more testing. * Have a physical exam and a blood test done every 3 weeks. * Have images of their cancer taken using CT (Computed Tomography) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) every 6 weeks. * Answer a brief questionnaire about how they are feeling every 8 weeks. * Be checked on every month after treatment is finished to make sure the cancer hasn't come back.

Detailed description

This is a Phase II, randomized, open-label, multicentre clinical trial evaluating the second-line chemotherapy drug Gemcitabine compared with standard-of-care Paclitaxel as first-line treatment for Caribbean women of African ancestry with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Eligible participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two treatment arms, stratified by study site (5 major hospitals in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago). Treatment will continue until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal of consent, or investigator decision. Participants assigned to the investigational arm will receive Gemcitabine administered on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle. Participants assigned to the control arm will receive Paclitaxel administered weekly according to institutional standard practice. Tumour assessments- via MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or CT (Computed Tomography) as appropriate- will be conducted at regular intervals to evaluate disease status. Safety assessments (blood test panels) will occur throughout the study, and patient-reported outcomes will be collected using validated quality-of-life instruments. Participants will be followed for progression, adverse events and survival outcomes for up to 12 months following treatment initiation. Data will be collected and managed using a secure, HIPAA-compliant electronic data capture system in compliance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). All analyses will be conducted using de-identified data.

Interventions

Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m² IV on days 1 and 8 of 21-day cycles until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal

Paclitaxel 80 mg/m² IV weekly or docetaxel 75 mg/m² IV every 21 days until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal

Sponsors

AntiCancer Research Jamaica
Lead SponsorOTHER
Wellcome Trust
CollaboratorOTHER
The University of The West Indies, Mona
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
Kingston Public Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

1. Self-identified Caribbean Black women of Jamaican, Trinidadian, or Barbadian ancestry 2. Age ≥18 years 3. Histologically confirmed metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (recent biopsy required) 4. ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status 0-1 5. No prior systemic therapy for metastatic disease 6. Adequate organ function (detailed laboratory criteria specified) 7. Written informed consent 8. Willingness to provide biospecimens for research

Exclusion criteria

1. Prior gemcitabine, anthracycline, or taxane treatment in any setting 2. Active brain metastases requiring immediate treatment 3. Pregnant or breastfeeding 4. Concurrent participation in other interventional trials 5. Medical conditions precluding safe chemotherapy administration 6. Inability to provide informed consent

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Progression-Free Survival (PFS)Up to 5 yearsTime from randomization to first documented disease progression per RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) 1.1 criteria or death, whichever occurs first.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Overall Survival (OS)Up to 5 yearsTime from randomization to death from any cause
Quality of Life Score on EORTC QLQ-C30Up to 5 yearsQuality of life assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). Covers 5 functional scales (Physical, Role, Cognitive, Emotional and Social), 3 symptom scales (Fatigue, Pain and Nausea/Vomiting) and a global health status scale. All are scored from 0 to 100 with higher scores corresponding to higher functioning or better quality of life on the functional and global health scales, and higher scores indicating greater severity of symptoms on the symptom scales.
Quality of Life Score on EORTC QLQ-BR23Up to 5 yearsQuality of life assessed using the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire breast cancer-specific module (QLQ-BR23). This includes 4 functional scales (Body Image, Future Perspective, Sexual Functioning and Sexual Enjoyment) 4 symptom scales (Systemic Therapy Side Effects, Upset by Hair Loss, Arm Symptoms and Breast Symptoms). All scales are scored from 0 to 100, with a high score representing higher functioning/better quality of life on the functional scales and worse symptoms on the symptom scales.
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events graded by CTCAE v5.0Up to 5 yearsOccurrence of any treatment-emergent adverse events, graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 (CTCAE v5.0).

Countries

Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago

Contacts

CONTACTSimone Badal, PhD
simone.badal@uwi.edu1-876-325-7366
CONTACTAlison E Ayoub, MSc
alison.ayoub@uwi.edu876-553-7242
STUDY_DIRECTORMagdalene Nwokocha, DM, MBBS

University Hospital of the West Indies

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Apr 15, 2026