Clinical trial Recruiting at 7 sites Phase 2 Interventional Ages 18 and up

Chemotherapy with or without Tocilizumab for certain types of breast cancer

Official title: A Pragmatic Phase II Trial of Chemotherapy +/- Tocilizumab for Metastatic Triple Negative and ER-positive, HER2-negative Breast Cancers

Run by Indiana University · NCT05846789 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study is testing if adding a drug called tocilizumab to standard chemotherapy helps people with certain types of advanced breast cancer feel better compared to just chemotherapy alone.

More Triple Negative Breast Cancer trials

Quick facts

PhasePhase 2
Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
Enrollment168 (estimated)
SponsorIndiana University
Academic / other
Drugs / interventionstocilizumab, chemotherapy, radiation, methotrexate
Locations7 sites (Atlanta, Georgia and 6 other locations)
StatusRecruiting
StartedJuly 2, 2024
Main results expectedDecember 2027
Study endsDecember 2027
Registry record updatedSeptember 3, 2026
Trial IDNCT05846789 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Ideal candidates are adults aged 18 and older with locally recurrent or metastatic triple negative or ER-low breast cancer who have had minimal prior chemotherapy.

Probably not a fit

Patients with tumors that are PD-L1 positive and have not previously been treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor may not benefit from this study.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This randomized Phase II study compares standard of care chemotherapy alone to chemotherapy combined with tocilizumab in patients with metastatic triple negative or estrogen-receptor-low breast cancer. The trial employs a two-stage Bayesian optimal design, initially enrolling 42 patients (21 per treatment arm) to assess treatment efficacy. If the combination therapy does not show sufficient benefit, the trial may be stopped early. The study aims to include both Black and non-Black patients to evaluate potential racial differences in treatment response.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could provide a new treatment option that enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy for patients with aggressive breast cancer types.

How similar studies have gone: Other studies have shown promise in combining targeted therapies with standard chemotherapy, suggesting potential for success in this approach.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. ≥ 18 years old at the time of informed consent
2. Ability to provide written informed consent and HIPAA authorization
3. Locally recurrent (not amenable to local therapy with curative intent) or metastatic breast cancer that is triple negative or ER-positive (ER and PR ≤ 1% weak staining)
4. For patients with TNBC

   1. Received up to 2 prior therapies for metastatic disease
   2. Prior (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy will be considered one line of therapy for metastatic disease in patients who recur while on or within 12 months of completion of (neo)adjuvant therapy.
   3. Patients with TNBC whose tumors are PD-L1+ (CPS \> 10) must have had prior exposure to an immune checkpoint inhibitor in the metastatic setting.
   4. Patients who received (neo)adjuvant IO therapy and progress while on or within 12 months of completion of (neo)adjuvant IO therapy may participate without additional IO treatment.
   5. Patients with major contraindications to immune therapy, may participate without IO exposure regardless of PD-L1 status in the first line setting.
   6. PD-L1 status is not required for patients beyond the first line setting.
   7. Participation in this protocol as either first, second and third-line therapy is allowed
5. For patients with ER- positive, HER2-negative breast cancer

   1. Must have received prior hormone therapy + CDKi in the adjuvant or metastatic setting. There is no limit on the number of prior hormone therapy regimens.
   2. May have received up to 3 prior chemotherapies for metastatic disease.
   3. Prior (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy will be considered one line of therapy for metastatic disease in patients who recur while on or within 12 months of completion of (neo)adjuvant therapy.
   4. Participation in this protocol as either first, second, third, or fourth-line therapy is allowed
6. Planned standard of care chemotherapy based on NCCN guidelines.

   1. Single agent therapy is preferred but use of combination regimens considered SOC by NCCN is allowed.
   2. Chemotherapy delivered via a SOC antibody-drug conjugate is allowed but ADCs may not be used in combination with other chemotherapy agents.
7. Measurable disease based on RECIST 1.1 criteria.
8. ECOG PS 0 or 1
9. Patients with treated, asymptomatic CNS disease may participate if the patient is \> 4 weeks from completion of CNS therapy (radiation and/or surgery), is clinically stable at the time of study entry, and is receiving stable or decreasing dose of corticosteroids. Brain MRI or head CT is required at screening for patients with known brain metastases.
10. Adequate organ function as indicated by:

    1. Total bilirubin \< ULN (except in patients with documented Gilbert's disease, who must have a total bilirubin \< 3.0 mg/dL)
    2. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) \< 5.0 x ULN
    3. Creatinine clearance of \> 50 mL/min using the Cockcroft-Gault formula
    4. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \> 1.2 K/mm3
    5. Platelets \> 75 K/ mm3
    6. Hgb \> 9.0 g/dL
11. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test within 14 days of protocol registration. Women are considered to have childbearing potential (regardless of sexual orientation, having undergone a tubal ligation, or remaining celibate by choice) unless they meet one of the following criteria:

    1. Has undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or
    2. Has been naturally amenorrheic for at least 24 consecutive months.
12. Women of childbearing potential and men must agree to use effective contraception throughout the study and for 6 months after the last study treatment.

NOTE: Acceptable methods of birth control include abstinence, partner with previous vasectomy, placement of an intrauterine device (IUD), condom with spermicidal foam/gel/film/cream/suppository, diaphragm or cervical vault cap, or hormonal birth control (pills or injections).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Prior treatment with or known contraindication to treatment with tocilizumab biosimilar or other IL-6/IL-6R targeted agent
2. Active infection requiring parenteral antibiotics
3. Concurrent use of methotrexate or systemic corticosteroids other than stable or decreasing doses for management of CNS involvement
4. Active or symptomatic CNS disease
5. Patients with HER2+ disease Note: HER2 will be considered positive if scored 3+ by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or 2+ by IHC associated with a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) ratio of \> 2.0 or \> 6 total HER2 gene copies per cell.
6. Patients with active malignancy other than breast cancer. Patients with prior malignancies without recurrence after standard treatment will not be excluded
7. Radiation therapy within 2 weeks of registration
8. Hormone therapy within 2 weeks of registration
9. Planned treatment with Olaparib or other PARP inhibitor.

Where it's running

  • Emory University
    Atlanta, Georgia, United States
    Recruiting
  • IU Health Joe and Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center
    Carmel, Indiana, United States
    Recruiting
  • Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
    Recruiting
  • Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital
    Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Kentucky-Lexington
    Lexington, Kentucky, United States
    Recruiting
  • Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Buffalo, New York, United States
    Recruiting
Show 1 more location
  • Duke University
    Durham, North Carolina, United States
    Recruiting

Study contacts

  • Principal investigator: Kathy Miller, MD — Indiana University
  • Study coordinator: Xin Bryan, RN
  • Email: zhongx@iupui.edu
  • Phone: 317-274-5495

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

  • Adaptive biomarker-driven therapies for metastatic breast cancer

    This trial tests whether matching targeted drug combinations to tumor biomarkers helps people with ER+/HER2- or triple-negative metastatic breast cancer who are starting second-line treatment.

    Recruiting at 4 sites Phase 2 UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center · New Haven, Connecticut and 5 other locations · NCT07340541

  • Serial multisite image-guided biopsies to track breast cancer evolution

    The team will try taking repeated image-guided biopsies and blood samples from adults with metastatic or advanced breast cancer to see how their tumors change during treatment.

    Recruiting Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust · London · NCT07084571

  • Treatment for advanced breast cancer using RYZ101

    This study is testing a new treatment called RYZ101 for people with advanced breast cancer that can't be removed by surgery to see if it helps manage their condition.

    Recruiting Phase 1/2 RayzeBio, Inc. · Phoenix, Arizona and 30 other locations · NCT06590857

  • Combining pembrolizumab with cryoablation for metastatic breast cancer

    This study is testing if combining a drug called pembrolizumab with a freezing treatment can help people with advanced triple negative breast cancer feel better compared to just using the drug alone.

    Recruiting at 7 sites Phase 1 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Basking Ridge, New Jersey and 6 other locations · NCT06246968

  • Platform program for evaluating treatments in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer

    This study is testing different new treatments for people with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer to see which ones work best before moving them to larger trials.

    Recruiting at 5 sites Phase 1/2 QuantumLeap Healthcare Collaborative · Birmingham, Alabama and 9 other locations · NCT05868226

  • Combining radiation therapy with pembrolizumab and olaparib for certain breast cancers

    This study tests if adding pembrolizumab, with or without olaparib, to standard radiation therapy can help women with advanced breast cancer feel better compared to just radiation therapy alone.

    Recruiting at 7 sites Phase 2 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Basking Ridge, New Jersey and 6 other locations · NCT04683679

How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.