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Breast Cancer FemalePhase 3POETIC-ANCT04584853

PreOperative Endocrine Therapy for Individualised Care With Abemaciclib

A Phase 3 study testing Abemaciclib and Endocrine therapy (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane or tamoxifen) in people with Breast Cancer Female, run by Institute of Cancer Research, United Kingdom at 62 sites in United Kingdom.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

POETIC-A is a phase 3 trial which targets post-menopausal primary breast cancer patients with a high 5-year risk of relapse as determined by a high Ki67 after 2 weeks aromatase inhibitor therapy pre-surgery. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women only
Conditions the study is for
Breast Cancer Female
What is being tested?
Abemaciclib and Endocrine therapy (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane or tamoxifen)
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
123 participants
Where
62 sitesUnited Kingdom
Study dates
23 Dec 2020to Oct 2030
Phase
Phase 3
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Registration Stage Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Women determined to be postmenopausal according to established local criteria.
  2. Diagnosed operable invasive breast cancer with a clinical/radiological tumour size ≥1.0cm*
  3. Grade 2 or 3 tumours
  4. Preoperative full assessment completed (including bilateral breast examination and imaging with mammogram +/- ultrasound/MRI as performed locally).
  5. Tumour ER positive. ER positivity is defined as >/=1% cells staining positive (or equivalent Allred Score of ER >/=3 out of 8).
  6. Tumour HER2 negative or HER2 status unknown. HER2 negativity will be defined as per the 2018 ASCO/CAP updated guidelines. Patients whose HER2 status is pending/unknown at the time of registration will be allowed to register to the trial. However, please note that only patients who are confirmed to be HER2 negative will be eligible to join the randomised part.
  7. Received or planned to receive 10 days to 6 months of anastrozole or letrozole prior to surgery.
  8. Written informed consent to enter the registration stage of the trial and to donation of fresh tissue.
  9. The patient has given written informed consent prior to any study-specific procedures and is willing and able to make herself available for the duration of the study and amenable and able to follow study schedule during treatment and follow-up and for the use of routinely collected electronic health and related records.

Registration Stage Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Men and pre/perimenopausal women.
  2. Intended or actual use of HRT or any other oestrogen-containing medication (including vaginal oestrogens) within 4 weeks prior to planned surgery). Note: patient with a Mirena coil in situ at the time of registration are not excluded.
  3. Patients who commenced pre-surgical AI therapy >6 months prior to surgery.
  4. Prior endocrine therapy for breast cancer or breast cancer prevention.
  5. Prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.
  6. Evidence of metastatic disease.
  7. Locally advanced breast cancer not amenable to surgery.
  8. Bilateral invasive breast cancer (excluding contralateral DCIS/LCIS).
  9. Multiple unilateral tumours with different ER and/or HER2 status. Synchronous DCIS/LCIS, as well as multifocal disease with homogenous ER/HER2 status is allowed if at least one lesion is at least 1.0cm; the largest lesion should be used for sample collection and CRF completion. If ER/HER2 status of smaller foci is unknown at time of registration, patients can be registered; however, note that congruity of receptor status will need to be confirmed by the time of randomisation, unless smaller foci are <10mm and receptor status is unknown.
  10. Previous invasive breast cancer except for ipsilateral DCIS or LCIS treated >5 years previously by locoregional therapy alone or contralateral DCIS/LCIS treated by locoregional therapy at any time.
  11. Any invasive malignancy diagnosed within previous 5 years (other than non-melanoma skin cancer or cervical carcinoma in situ).
  12. Any other medical condition likely to exclude the patient from subsequent randomisation stage. (See exclusion criteria: Eligibility for Randomisation).

Randomisation Stage Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patient previously consented and registered for screening component of POETIC-A.
  2. Tumour HER2 negative. HER2 negativity will be defined as per the 2018 ASCO/CAP updated guidelines
  3. Centrally confirmed Ki67 >/=8% following 2 weeks of AI.
  4. Patient is expected by the time of treatment initiation to have undergone definitive surgery for the primary breast tumour with clear radial margins as judged by the multidisciplinary team, and will have completed any adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy (if prescribed).
  5. Surgical staging of the axilla must have been undertaken by sentinel node biopsy, axillary sampling or dissection.
  6. The patient is randomised in time for treatment to start no later than three months after completion of non-endocrine therapy (defined as the final fraction of radiotherapy, Day 1 of the final cycle of chemotherapy or the date of the final surgical procedure).
  7. The patient is able to swallow oral medications (excluding transient side effects from adjuvant non-endocrine treatment, if randomised before the end of this treatment).
  8. The patient intends to take adjuvant endocrine therapy for at least 5 years.
  9. The patient has given written informed consent prior to any study-specific procedures (for the randomised intervention part), is willing to donate tissue from diagnostic biopsy, and is willing and able to make herself available for the duration of the study and to follow study schedule during treatment and follow-up and for the use of routinely collected electronic health and related records.

Randomisation Stage Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patient has received prior CDK4/6 inhibitor.
  2. Patient is planned to receive adjuvant abemaciclib as standard of care.
  3. Any patient with a history of VTE (for example, DVT of the leg or arm and/or PE) will be excluded. Patients with a history of venous catheter occlusion by thrombus that did NOT surround the catheter, and the lumen could be made patent by appropriate measures (for example, saline or thrombolytic agent), are not excluded.
  4. The patient has a serious/or uncontrolled pre-existing medical condition(s) that, in the judgment of the investigator, is likely to preclude study treatment (such as severe renal impairment, [for example, estimated creatinine clearance <30 mL/min], interstitial lung disease, severe dyspnoea at rest or requiring oxygen therapy, history of major surgical resection involving the stomach or small bowel, or pre-existing Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis or a pre-existing chronic condition resulting in baseline Grade 2 diarrhoea).
  5. The patient has a personal history of any of the following conditions: syncope of cardiovascular aetiology, ventricular arrhythmia of pathological origin (including, but not limited to, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation), or sudden cardiac arrest. Exception: patients with controlled atrial fibrillation diagnosed more than 30 days prior to randomisation are not excluded.
  6. The patient has received an experimental treatment in a clinical trial within the last 30 days or 5 half-lives, whichever is longer, prior to randomisation, or is currently enrolled in any other type of medical research (for example: medical device) judged by the Chief Investigator not to be scientifically or medically compatible with this study.
  7. The patient has any known active systemic bacterial infections (that would be expected to require IV antibiotics at time of initiating study treatment), systemic fungal infection or detectable viral infection (such as known HIV positivity or with known active hepatitis B or C, e.g. hepatitis B surface antigen positive) which would be expected to preclude study treatment. Screening is not required for enrolment.
  8. Evidence of metastatic disease or local recurrence.
  9. Multiple unilateral tumours with different ER and/or HER2 status (DCIS/LCIS are permitted, and confirmation of congruent ER/HER2 status is not necessary for lesions less than 10mm).

Week 1 Day 1 Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patient must have undergone definitive surgery for the primary breast tumour with clear radial margins as judged by the multidisciplinary team.
  2. Adjuvant chemotherapy, if prescribed, must have been completed prior to Week 1 Day 1, and patients must have recovered (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 5 [CTCAE v5] Grade ≤1) from the acute effects of chemotherapy except for residual alopecia or Grade 2 peripheral neuropathy prior to Week 1 Day 1. A washout period of a minimum of 28 days from day 1 of the last cycle of treatment is required.
  3. Adjuvant radiotherapy, if prescribed, must have been completed prior to Week 1 Day 1, and patients must have recovered (Grade </=1) from the acute effects of radiotherapy. A washout period of at least 14 days is required between end of radiotherapy and Week 1 Day 1.
  4. Week 1 Day 1 is scheduled to take place no later than three months after completion of non-endocrine therapy (defined as the final fraction of radiotherapy, Day 1 of the final cycle of chemotherapy or the date of the final surgical procedure, whichever is latest).
  5. The patient is able to swallow oral medications.
  6. The patient has adequate organ function for all of the following criteria defined as: ANC >/= 1.5 × 10e9/L (G-CSF cannot be administered to meet this ANC eligibility criterion); Platelets >/= 100 × 10e9/L; Haemoglobin >/= 8g/dL; Total bilirubin </= 1.5 × ULN (Patients with Gilbert's syndrome with a total bilirubin ≤2.0 times ULN and direct bilirubin within normal limits are permitted); ALT and AST </= 3 × ULN

Week 1 Day 1 Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patient has received any CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy since randomisation.
  2. Any newly occurring or diagnosed VTE since randomisation (for example, DVT of the leg or arm and/or PE). Note: patients with a history of venous catheter occlusion by thrombus that did NOT surround the catheter, and the lumen could be made patent by appropriate measures (for example, saline or thrombolytic agent), are not excluded.
  3. Any newly occurring or diagnosed medical conditions since randomisation that, in the judgment of the investigator, would preclude participation in this study (such as severe renal impairment, [for example, estimated creatinine clearance <30 mL/min], interstitial lung disease, severe dyspnoea at rest or requiring oxygen therapy, major surgical resection involving the stomach or small bowel, or condition resulting in baseline Grade 2 diarrhoea).
  4. Any newly occurring or diagnosed cardiovascular conditions since randomisation such as: syncope of cardiovascular aetiology, ventricular arrhythmia of pathological origin (including, but not limited to, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation), or sudden cardiac arrest.
  5. Major surgery within 14 days prior to Week 1 Day 1.
  6. The patient has received an experimental treatment in a clinical trial within the last 30 days or 5 half-lives, whichever is longer, prior to Week 1 Day 1, or is currently enrolled in any other type of medical research (for example: medical device) judged by the Chief Investigator not to be scientifically or medically compatible with this study.
  7. Any active systemic bacterial infections (requiring IV antibiotics at time of Week 1 Day 1), systemic fungal infection or detectable viral infection (such as known HIV positivity or active hepatitis B or C, e.g. hepatitis B surface antigen positive). Screening is not required for initiation of treatment.
  8. Evidence of metastatic disease or local recurrence

Trial locations and contacts

62 sites in 1 country.

62 sites in 1 country

United Kingdom62 sites
  • Aberdeen Royal Infirmary

    Aberdeen

  • Wansbeck General Hospital

    Ashington

  • Ysbyty Gwynedd

    Bangor

  • Royal United Hospital Bath

    Bath

  • Belfast City Hospital

    Belfast, Northern Ireland

  • Royal Blackburn Hospital

    Blackburn, BB2 3HH

  • Blackpool Victoria Hospital

    Blackpool

  • Pilgrim Hospital

    Boston

  • Royal Bournemouth Hospital

    Bournemouth

  • Royal Sussex County Hospital

    Brighton

  • Burnley General Hospital

    Burnley, BB10 2PQ

  • Doncaster Royal Infirmary

    Doncaster

  • Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary

    Dumfries

  • Ninewells Hospital

    Dundee

  • Western General Hospital

    Edinburgh

  • Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital

    Exeter, Devon

  • The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre

    Glasgow

  • Royal Surrey County Hospital

    Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XX

  • Calderdale Royal Hospital

    Halifax

  • Harrogate District Hospital

    Harrogate

  • Huddersfield Royal Infirmary

    Huddersfield

  • Ipswich Hospital

    Ipswich, IP4 5PD

  • Kettering General Hospital

    Kettering

  • Queen Elizabeth Hospital

    Kings Lynn, England, PE30 4ET

  • Kingston Hospital

    Kingston upon Thames

  • University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay

    Lancaster

  • Forth Valley Royal Hospital

    Larbert, Scotland, FK5 4WR

  • St James's University Hospital

    Leeds

  • Lincoln County Hospital

    Lincoln

  • St John's Hospital

    Livingston

  • Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals

    London

  • Charing Cross Hospital

    London

  • Royal Free Hospital

    London

  • Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

    London

  • St George's Hospital

    London

  • University College London

    London

  • Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

    Maidstone

  • North Manchester General Hospital

    Manchester

  • The Christie Hospital

    Manchester

  • Wythenshawe Hospital

    Manchester

  • Borders General Hospital

    Melrose

  • Milton Keynes University Hospital

    Milton Keynes

  • North Tyneside General Hospital

    North Shields

  • Northampton General Hospital

    Northampton, Northants

  • George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust

    Nuneaton

  • University Hospital Llandough

    Penarth

  • Poole General Hospital

    Poole

  • Royal Berkshire Hospital

    Reading

  • East Surrey Hospital

    Redhill

  • Glan Clwyd

    Rhyl

  • Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

    Shrewsbury

  • Southampton General Hospital

    Southampton, SO166YD

  • University Hospitals of North Tees and Hartlepool

    Stockton-on-Tees

  • Royal Stoke University Hospital

    Stoke-on-Trent

  • Royal Marsden Hospital

    Sutton

  • Great Western Hospital

    Swindon, England, SN3 6BB

  • Musgrove Park Hospital

    Taunton

  • Royal Cornwall Hospital

    Truro, Cornwall

  • Mid Yorkshire -Pinderfields Hospital

    Wakefield, WF1 4DG

  • Warwick Hospital

    Warwick

  • Royal Albert Edward Infirmary

    Wigan

  • Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

    Worcester

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

POETIC-A is a phase 3 trial which targets post-menopausal primary breast cancer patients with a high 5-year risk of relapse as determined by a high Ki67 after 2 weeks aromatase inhibitor therapy pre-surgery. Eligible patients will be randomised to standard adjuvant endocrine therapy alone or standard adjuvant endocrine therapy with a CDK4/6 inhibitor called abemaciclib.

Read the detailed description

In women with hormone sensitive early breast cancer, taking a hormone therapy (also known as endocrine therapy) for at least five years after surgery is very effective at reducing the risk of the cancer returning. However, for some women their cancer may eventually become resistant to these drugs. POETIC-A Registration part will identify those who have a higher risk of developing resistance to standard endocrine therapy (ET). At least 8000 women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer will enter the Registration stage from 80 centres. Study doctors will use aromatase inhibitors (AIs), a type of ET, to treat the cancer for between 2 weeks and 6 months before surgery. A sample will be taken from the cancer during surgery and the study laboratory will measure a biological marker called Ki67. If the level of Ki67 does not drop after 2 weeks of AI treatment, the patient is likely to be less sensitive to endocrine therapy, and the study doctor will explore additional treatments after surgery in the POETIC-A Treatment part. Everyone who agrees to join the Treatment stage (2032 patients) will be randomly put into one of the 2 treatment groups; Group1: ET only; or Group2: ET plus a new drug called abemaciclib. The first aim of the Treatment stage is to confirm whether abemaciclib given in combination with ET is more effective than giving ET alone in preventing the cancer coming back. The study laboratory will perform a second test on the cancer sample, called an AIR-CIS test. This test aims to find out if particular groups of patients based on their tumour biology are more suitable for treatment with abemaciclib. Patients in Group 2 will receive ET plus abemaciclib for 2 years. Patients in both groups will have regular study visits during this period.

Being tested
Abemaciclib, Endocrine therapy (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane or tamoxifen)
Keywords
CDK4/6 inhibitor, ER+, HER2-

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • AbemaciclibDrug

    Also called Verzenios

    Abemaciclib used in combination with standard Endocrine Therapy for 2 years from randomisation

  • Endocrine therapy (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane or tamoxifen)Drug

    Also called Arimidex, Aromasin, Femara, or Tamoxifen

    Standard of care endocrine therapy for a minimum of 5 years from randomisation

Study groups in NCT04584853
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Endocrine Therapy onlyActive comparatorEndocrine therapy prescribed as per standard of care, for an expected duration of at least 5 years, or until evidence of disease recurrence or other discontinuation criteria are met. Choice of endocrine therapy may include non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor (letrozole or anastrozole), steroidal aromatase inhibitor (exemestane), or tamoxifen
Receives: Drug: Endocrine therapy (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane or tamoxifen)
Endocrine Therapy with abemaciclibExperimentalAbemaciclib administered at dose of 150mg twice daily (provided as 50mg tablets), for 2 years or until evidence of disease recurrence or other discontinuation criteria are met. Endocrine therapy prescribed as per standard of care, for an expected duration of at least 5 years, or until evidence of disease recurrence or other discontinuation criteria are met. Choice of endocrine therapy may include non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor (letrozole or anastrozole), steroidal aromatase inhibitor (exemestane), or tamoxifen
Receives: Drug: Abemaciclib; Drug: Endocrine therapy (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane or tamoxifen)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Time to tumour (local or distant disease) recurrence

    the time from randomisation to local, regional or distant tumour recurrence or death from breast cancer without prior notification of relapse. Second primary cancers and intercurrent deaths will be treated as censoring events.

    Measured: from randomisation until tumour recurrence or patient death, assessed up to 5 years

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Relapse-free-survival

    the time from randomisation to local, regional or distant tumour recurrence or death from any cause.

    Measured: from randomisation until relapse or patient death, assessed up to 5 years

  2. Time to distant recurrence

    the time from randomisation to distant tumour recurrence. Second primary cancers and intercurrent deaths will be treated as censoring events

    Measured: from randomisation until distant recurrence or patient death, assessed up to 5 years

  3. Breast cancer specific survival

    time from randomisation to death from breast cancer (with or without prior notification of relapse). Intercurrent deaths will be treated as censoring events.

    Measured: from randomisation until patient death from breast cancer, assessed up to 5 years

  4. Overall survival

    time from randomisation to death from any cause.

    Measured: from randomisation until patient death, assessed up to 5 years

  5. Patient reported quality of life

    measured using validated questionnaires which will be defined before the commencement of the relevant sub-study.

    Measured: 5 years from randomisation

  6. Grade 3/4 Adverse Events, SAEs and hospitalisations

    assessed by NCI CTCAE v5

    Measured: from treatment start up to 28 days after treatment discontinuation

  7. Treatment related deaths

    defined as death occurring at any time point after randomisation and assessed to be possibly, probably or definitely related to the intervention

    Measured: 5 years from randomisation

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 Oct 2020
  2. Study start23 Dec 2020
  3. Primary completionOct 2030 (estimated)
  4. Study completionOct 2030 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
123 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04584853
Sponsor's protocol ID
ICRCTSU/2019/10068
Acronym
POETIC-A
Status last verified
Jan 2026
First submitted
6 Jul 2020
Last updated
14 Jan 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The datasets generated and/or analysed during the study will be available on request from the POETIC-A trial team via poetic-a-icrctsu@icr.ac.uk via completion of a data access request form after such time that the primary analysis publication and any other key analyses have been completed. Optional advanced consent/authorisation for the possible future sharing of information collected about patients will be obtained at study entry.

Publications

  • Harder H, Jenkins V, Fallowfield L. Perceptions and lived experiences with abemaciclib and endocrine therapy for early breast cancer: a rapid communication. Future Oncol. 2026 Jun;22(13):1533-1539. doi: 10.1080/14796694.2026.2672132. Epub 2026 May 22.

    PubMed 42169666

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing Abemaciclib and Endocrine therapy (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane or tamoxifen) in people with Breast Cancer Female, run by Institute of Cancer Research, United Kingdom at 62 sites in United Kingdom.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 62 sites in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Time to tumour (local or distant disease) recurrence (time frame: from randomisation until tumour recurrence or patient death, assessed up to 5 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04584853, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Jan 2026.

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