Suppression of Ovarian Function With Either Tamoxifen or Exemestane Compared With Tamoxifen Alone in Treating Premenopausal Women With Hormone-Responsive Breast Cancer

Summary

RATIONALE: Estrogen can stimulate the growth of breast tumor cells. Ovarian function suppression combined with hormone therapy using tamoxifen or exemestane may fight breast cancer by reducing the production of estrogen. It is not yet known whether suppression of ovarian function plus either tamoxifen or exemestane is more effective than tamoxifen alone in preventing the recurrence of hormone-responsive breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial studies ovarian suppression with either tamoxifen or exemestane to see how well they work compared to tamoxifen alone in treating premenopausal women who have undergone surgery for hormone-responsive breast cancer.

Timeline

Start

2003-12-17

Primary completion

2014-05

Completion

2024-11-06

Publications

• Results Francis PA, Regan MM, Fleming GF, Lang I, Ciruelos E, Bellet M, Bonnefoi HR, Climent MA, Da Prada GA, Burstein HJ, Martino S, Davidson NE, Geyer CE Jr, Walley BA, Coleman R, Kerbrat P, Buchholz S, Ingle JN, Winer EP, Rabaglio-Poretti M, Maibach R, Ruepp B, Giobbie-Hurder A, Price KN, Colleoni M, Viale G, Coates AS, Goldhirsch A, Gelber RD; SOFT Investigators; International Breast Cancer Study Group. Adjuvant ovarian suppression in premenopausal breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jan 29;372(5):436-46. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1412379. Epub 2014 Dec 11.
• Results Francis PA, Fleming GF, Lang I, Ciruelos EM, Bonnefoi HR, Bellet M, Bernardo A, Climent MA, Martino S, Bermejo B, Burstein HJ, Davidson NE, Geyer CE Jr, Walley BA, Ingle JN, Coleman RE, Muller B, Le Du F, Loibl S, Winer EP, Ruepp B, Loi S, Colleoni M, Coates AS, Gelber RD, Goldhirsch A, Regan MM; SOFT Investigators and the International Breast Cancer Study Group (a division of ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation). Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Premenopausal Breast Cancer: 12-Year Results From SOFT. J Clin Oncol. 2023 Mar 1;41(7):1370-1375. doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.01065. Epub 2022 Dec 9.
• O'Regan RM, Ren Y, Zhang Y, Fleming GF, Francis PA, Pagani O, Walley BA, Kammler R, Dell'Orto P, Viale G, Loi S, Colleoni M, Treuner K, Regan MM. Identifying premenopausal patients with early-stage hormone receptor-positive breast cancer at minimal risk of distant recurrence by breast cancer index. Breast. 2026 Apr;86:104714. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2026.104714. Epub 2026 Jan 29.
• Ribi K, Cole BF, Fleming GF, Walley BA, Francis PA, Abdi E, Burstein HJ, Cheng KL, Chia SKL, Dakhil SR, Davidson NE, Della-Fiorentina SA, Frith AE, Levine E, Lupichuk S, Pritchard K, Salim M, Stearns V, Stewart J, Valero V, van der Westhuizen A, Pagani O, Loi S, Colleoni M, Gelber RD, Goldhirsch A, Coates AS, Regan MM, Bernhard J. Prognostic value of patient-reported depression in women with hormone-responsive early breast cancer in TEXT and SOFT. Cancer. 2025 Oct 1;131(19):e70094. doi: 10.1002/cncr.70094.
• Pagani O, Walley BA, Fleming GF, Colleoni M, Lang I, Gomez HL, Tondini C, Burstein HJ, Goetz MP, Ciruelos EM, Stearns V, Bonnefoi HR, Martino S, Geyer CE Jr, Chini C, Puglisi F, Spazzapan S, Ruhstaller T, Winer EP, Ruepp B, Loi S, Coates AS, Gelber RD, Goldhirsch A, Regan MM, Francis PA; SOFT and TEXT Investigators and the International Breast Cancer Study Group (a division of ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation). Adjuvant Exemestane With Ovarian Suppression in Premenopausal Breast Cancer: Long-Term Follow-Up of the Combined TEXT and SOFT Trials. J Clin Oncol. 2023 Mar 1;41(7):1376-1382. doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.01064. Epub 2022 Dec 15.
• Pagani O, Francis PA, Fleming GF, Walley BA, Viale G, Colleoni M, Lang I, Gomez HL, Tondini C, Pinotti G, Di Leo A, Coates AS, Goldhirsch A, Gelber RD, Regan MM; SOFT and TEXT Investigators and International Breast Cancer Study Group. Absolute Improvements in Freedom From Distant Recurrence to Tailor Adjuvant Endocrine Therapies for Premenopausal Women: Results From TEXT and SOFT. J Clin Oncol. 2020 Apr 20;38(12):1293-1303. doi: 10.1200/JCO.18.01967. Epub 2019 Oct 16.
• Francis PA, Pagani O, Fleming GF, Walley BA, Colleoni M, Lang I, Gomez HL, Tondini C, Ciruelos E, Burstein HJ, Bonnefoi HR, Bellet M, Martino S, Geyer CE Jr, Goetz MP, Stearns V, Pinotti G, Puglisi F, Spazzapan S, Climent MA, Pavesi L, Ruhstaller T, Davidson NE, Coleman R, Debled M, Buchholz S, Ingle JN, Winer EP, Maibach R, Rabaglio-Poretti M, Ruepp B, Di Leo A, Coates AS, Gelber RD, Goldhirsch A, Regan MM; SOFT and TEXT Investigators and the International Breast Cancer Study Group. Tailoring Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Premenopausal Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2018 Jul 12;379(2):122-137. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1803164. Epub 2018 Jun 4.
• Regan MM, Walley BA, Francis PA, Fleming GF, Lang I, Gomez HL, Colleoni M, Tondini C, Pinotti G, Salim M, Spazzapan S, Parmar V, Ruhstaller T, Abdi EA, Gelber RD, Coates AS, Goldhirsch A, Pagani O. Concurrent and sequential initiation of ovarian function suppression with chemotherapy in premenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast cancer: an exploratory analysis of TEXT and SOFT. Ann Oncol. 2017 Sep 1;28(9):2225-2232. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdx285.
• Regan MM, Francis PA, Pagani O, Fleming GF, Walley BA, Viale G, Colleoni M, Lang I, Gomez HL, Tondini C, Pinotti G, Price KN, Coates AS, Goldhirsch A, Gelber RD. Absolute Benefit of Adjuvant Endocrine Therapies for Premenopausal Women With Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Early Breast Cancer: TEXT and SOFT Trials. J Clin Oncol. 2016 Jul 1;34(19):2221-31. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.64.3171. Epub 2016 Apr 4.
• Ribi K, Luo W, Bernhard J, Francis PA, Burstein HJ, Ciruelos E, Bellet M, Pavesi L, Lluch A, Visini M, Parmar V, Tondini C, Kerbrat P, Perello A, Neven P, Torres R, Lombardi D, Puglisi F, Karlsson P, Ruhstaller T, Colleoni M, Coates AS, Goldhirsch A, Price KN, Gelber RD, Regan MM, Fleming GF. Adjuvant Tamoxifen Plus Ovarian Function Suppression Versus Tamoxifen Alone in Premenopausal Women With Early Breast Cancer: Patient-Reported Outcomes in the Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2016 May 10;34(14):1601-10. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.64.8675. Epub 2016 Mar 28.
• Bernhard J, Luo W, Ribi K, Colleoni M, Burstein HJ, Tondini C, Pinotti G, Spazzapan S, Ruhstaller T, Puglisi F, Pavesi L, Parmar V, Regan MM, Pagani O, Fleming GF, Francis PA, Price KN, Coates AS, Gelber RD, Goldhirsch A, Walley BA. Patient-reported outcomes with adjuvant exemestane versus tamoxifen in premenopausal women with early breast cancer undergoing ovarian suppression (TEXT and SOFT): a combined analysis of two phase 3 randomised trials. Lancet Oncol. 2015 Jul;16(7):848-58. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00049-2. Epub 2015 Jun 16.
• Pagani O, Regan MM, Walley BA, Fleming GF, Colleoni M, Lang I, Gomez HL, Tondini C, Burstein HJ, Perez EA, Ciruelos E, Stearns V, Bonnefoi HR, Martino S, Geyer CE Jr, Pinotti G, Puglisi F, Crivellari D, Ruhstaller T, Winer EP, Rabaglio-Poretti M, Maibach R, Ruepp B, Giobbie-Hurder A, Price KN, Bernhard J, Luo W, Ribi K, Viale G, Coates AS, Gelber RD, Goldhirsch A, Francis PA; TEXT and SOFT Investigators; International Breast Cancer Study Group. Adjuvant exemestane with ovarian suppression in premenopausal breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2014 Jul 10;371(2):107-18. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1404037. Epub 2014 Jun 1.
• Regan MM, Pagani O, Fleming GF, Walley BA, Price KN, Rabaglio M, Maibach R, Ruepp B, Coates AS, Goldhirsch A, Colleoni M, Gelber RD, Francis PA; International Breast Cancer Study; GroupSOFT and TEXT Investigators. Adjuvant treatment of premenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast cancer: design of the TEXT and SOFT trials. Breast. 2013 Dec;22(6):1094-100. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2013.08.009. Epub 2013 Oct 2.

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