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Anatomic Stage 0 Breast Cancer AJCC v8Phase 2NCT04290897

Oxaloacetate for the Improvement of Cognitive Complaints in Stage 0-IIIA Breast Cancer Survivors

A Phase 2 study testing Anhydrous Enol-oxaloacetate and Questionnaire Administration in people with Anatomic Stage 0 Breast Cancer AJCC v8 and Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8, run by Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This phase II trial studies how well oxaloacetate works in reducing cognitive complaints in stage 0-IIIA breast cancer survivors. Oxaloacetate is a natural substance found in the body and is available as a nutritional supplement. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 74 years, women only
What is being tested?
Anhydrous Enol-oxaloacetate and Questionnaire Administration
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
18 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
29 Sep 2021to 12 Nov 2024
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 to 74 years
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Women with a diagnosis of early stage breast cancer (stage 0, I, II, IIIa) who are at least 12 months after surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, but may be on endocrine therapy or HER-2 targeted therapy, and not more than 5 years after their breast cancer diagnosis
  • No evidence of active/recurrent breast cancer or other serious chronic illness
  • Has significant cognitive complaints, defined as a score of < 12 on the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Adult version (v) 2.0 - Cognitive Function 4a
  • Is geographically accessible, and able to participate in a study of 8-10 weeks duration
  • Ability to complete evaluation surveys in English
  • The effects of oxaloacetate on the developing human fetus at the recommended therapeutic dose are unknown. For this reason, women of childbearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (barrier method of birth control; intrauterine device [IUD]; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. Women of any age who have had their ovaries and/or uterus removed will not be at risk for pregnancy and will not require contraception. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her study physician immediately. Menopausal status will be established as follows: Women who are 55 years or older and who are not menstruating will be considered postmenopausal and not at risk for pregnancy. Women who are less than 55 years old who are menstruating will be considered premenopausal and will require contraception. Women who are less than 55 years with an intact uterus and ovaries who are not menstruating and have not had a menstrual period within the past 2 years will have an follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol measured. If the values are in postmenopausal range the woman will be considered postmenopausal and she will not be considered at risk for pregnancy
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Who cannot join

  • Has another serious or chronic medical or psychiatric condition that contributes to substantial physical or emotional disability that would detract from participating in the planned study
  • Taking chronic medications that would interfere with cognitive functioning such as medications for sleep, anxiety, narcotics for pain, use of illicit drugs or cannabis
  • Participants may not be receiving any other investigational agents
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to oxaloacetate
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
  • Pregnant or breast-feeding women are excluded from this study because the safety of oxaloacetate in this setting is unknown. A pregnancy test will be performed on all women with an intact uterus and ovaries who are not determined to be postmenopausal

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • UCLA / Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Los Angeles, California, 90095

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Phase II Single Arm Trial Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Anhydrous Enol-Oxaloacetate on Improving Cognitive Complaints in Breast Cancer Survivors

This phase II trial studies how well oxaloacetate works in reducing cognitive complaints in stage 0-IIIA breast cancer survivors. Oxaloacetate is a natural substance found in the body and is available as a nutritional supplement. Giving oxaloacetate may reduce inflammation in the brain that could be contributing to cognitive complaints seen after cancer treatments.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

  1. To examine the effectiveness of anhydrous enol-oxaloacetate (oxaloacetate) in reducing cognitive complaints in breast cancer patients over the course of 8 weeks.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To assess the tolerability of oxaloacetate. II. To examine whether oxaloacetate has an effect on the neurocognitive domain of executive function.

III. To examine whether oxaloacetate has an effect on patient reported fatigue, insomnia, and depressive symptoms.

IV. To collect blood for assessment of inflammatory markers and glutamate levels.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive anhydrous enol-oxaloacetate orally (PO) twice daily (BID) for 8 weeks in the absence of worsening symptoms or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 4 weeks.

Being tested
Anhydrous Enol-oxaloacetate, Questionnaire Administration
Medical subject headings
Breast Carcinoma In Situ, Breast Neoplasms

What participants receive

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

  • Anhydrous Enol-oxaloacetateDrug

    Given PO

  • Questionnaire AdministrationOther

    Ancillary studies

Study groups in NCT04290897
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Supportive care (anhydrous enol-oxaloacetate)ExperimentalPatients receive anhydrous enol-oxaloacetate PO BID for 8 weeks in the absence of worsening symptoms or unacceptable toxicity.
Receives: Drug: Anhydrous Enol-oxaloacetate; Other: Questionnaire Administration

What is being measured

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

  1. Change in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function Perceived Cognitive Impairment (FACT-Cog PCI) score

    Patients who have an improvement in the FACT-Cog PCI of at least 4 points will be considered to have a positive response. The response proportion will be further characterized using a point estimate and 95% exact binomial confidence interval.

    Measured: Baseline up to day 57

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. Incidence of adverse events

    Will be assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.

    Measured: Up to day 57

  2. Fatigue

    Will be assessed by Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory. Scores will be summarized as means and standard deviations and confidence intervals will be calculated. Changes will also be summarized as effect sizes to support design of a future trial.

    Measured: At day 57

  3. Insomnia

    Will be assessed by the Insomnia Severity Index. Scores will be summarized as means and standard deviations and confidence intervals will be calculated. Changes will also be summarized as effect sizes to support design of a future trial.

    Measured: At day 57

  4. Depressive symptoms

    Will be assessed by Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. Scores will be summarized as means and standard deviations and confidence intervals will be calculated. Changes will also be summarized as effect sizes to support design of a future trial.

    Measured: At day 57

  5. Neurocognitive tests

    Subjects will be assessed by the California Verbal Learning Test-2nd edition, Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised, Golden Stroop, Trail Making Test, Verbal Fluency, Connor's Continuous Performance Test-II. All scales listed will have the individual scores transformed by using published normative data, therefore the unit of measure will be the same for the listed tests; higher scores indicate better performance.

    Measured: Up to day 57

Timeline

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

  1. First posted2 Mar 2020
  2. Study start29 Sep 2021
  3. Primary completion12 Nov 2024
  4. Study completion12 Nov 2024

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 2
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
18 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04290897
Sponsor's protocol ID
19-001881
Other IDs
NCI-2020-00676, 19-001881
Status last verified
Jul 2025
First submitted
25 Feb 2020
Last updated
15 Jul 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Anhydrous Enol-oxaloacetate and Questionnaire Administration in people with Anatomic Stage 0 Breast Cancer AJCC v8 and Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8, run by Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

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

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. 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 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

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

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

Change in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function Perceived Cognitive Impairment (FACT-Cog PCI) score (time frame: Baseline up to day 57). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 15 Jul 2025.

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