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Looking for participantsPhase2

PHOENIX DDR/Anti-PD-L1 Trial: A Pre-surgical Window of Opportunity and Post-surgical Adjuvant Biomarker Study of DNA Damage Response Inhibition With or Without Anti-PD-L1 Immunotherapy in Patients With Neoadjuvant Treatment Resistant Residual Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Sponsor: Institute of Cancer Research, United Kingdom

NCT ID: NCT03740893

View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

At a glance

What the study gets you
Access to the study treatment being tested
Type of study
Interventional (receives a drug or procedure)
Time in hospital
In-person visits at study sites — visit count not specified by the sponsor
Drug or intervention
AZD6738 (drug), Olaparib (drug), Durvalumab (drug)
How long the study runs
Study runs about 116 months (dates as stated)
About the drug or intervention
AZD6738 — drug: PART 1: Pre-operative exposure of 160mg AZD6738 to be administered orally twice daily on Days 5 -14 of the WOP. · Olaparib — drug: PART 1 (cohort C, and cohorts E-G): Pre-operative exposure to 300mg of olaparib to be administered orally twice daily on Days 1-14 of the WOP. · Durvalumab — drug: PART 1 (cohort D): Pre-operative exposure to 1500mg durvalumab to be administered via intravenous (IV) infusion on Day 1 only of the WOP.
Patient visit burden
Not specified by the sponsor

In plain English

This study is for people with triple negative breast cancer (a type of breast cancer that does not respond to hormone treatments or a medicine called HER2) that is still present after usual chemotherapy given before surgery. It looks at drugs that block DNA damage repair, with or without a type of immunotherapy (treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer), given both before and after breast surgery, and studies markers in the tumour to see how the treatment works.

Who can take part

  • Adults aged 18 or over with triple negative breast cancer confirmed by laboratory tests
  • Planning breast surgery after at least 6 cycles of chemotherapy before surgery; patients receiving (or who have received) pembrolizumab as standard care with chemotherapy can take part
  • A tumour that can be measured on scans, with remaining disease of at least 1 cm confirmed on a trial scan after chemotherapy finishes
  • Fit enough for surgery, for two weeks of treatment before the operation, and for tumour biopsies (tissue samples) before and after this treatment
  • Able to carry out day-to-day activities with little or no help (performance status 0–1)
  • Good enough blood, kidney and liver test results, and recovered from side effects of earlier chemotherapy (except hair loss)
  • Willing to use effective contraception or be unable to have children, during treatment and for 6 months afterwards
  • In some cases, people who had another cancer more than 5 years ago with no signs of it returning may take part

Who may not be able to

  • Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body
  • Cancer in both breasts
  • Another cancer in the last 5 years (with some exceptions, such as treated non-melanoma skin cancer)
  • Blood or bone marrow conditions such as myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukaemia
  • Certain serious heart problems, including a long QT interval on a heart trace, or long QT syndrome from birth
  • Difficulty swallowing tablets, or stomach or bowel problems that affect how medicines are absorbed
  • History of seizures or conditions that raise the risk of seizures
  • Taking blood-thinning medicines, or certain other medicines that interact with the trial drugs (a 5-week washout is needed)
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Previous treatment with PARP inhibitors or with immunotherapies (except pembrolizumab given as standard care), or allergy to pembrolizumab, durvalumab or olaparib
  • Previous bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant from a donor
  • Active infections such as tuberculosis, hepatitis B or C, or HIV
  • Serious uncontrolled illness or infection, recent major surgery, or recent live vaccines — the trial team can advise

What taking part involves

  • • A 'window of opportunity' period of about 2 weeks of treatment before surgery, including drugs that block DNA damage repair (a PARP inhibitor called olaparib) with or without immunotherapy (durvalumab)
  • • Tumour biopsies (small tissue samples) before the treatment and on day 14, plus insertion of a small marker near the tumour to help with scans and biopsies
  • • Continued trial treatment after surgery (adjuvant treatment) while doctors study markers in the tumour and tissue samples

Time commitment: Not fully stated — the trial involves at least 2 weeks of treatment before surgery, biopsies before treatment and on day 14, scans, surgery, and further treatment and check-ups afterwards; ask the trial team about the number of visits and total duration.

Plain-English summary (AI-generated) from registry data. Not eligibility advice — only the trial team can confirm whether you can take part. Use the eligibility checker to see how your health profile matches this trial.

Type of study
Testing a treatment
Ages
18 Years and over
Who
All
Number of participants
119
Started
2019-10-15
Last checked
2025-08

Plain English Summary

What is this study?

  • • Testing a new treatment for breast neoplasm
  • • Phase2 - 119 participants
  • • PHOENIX is a window of opportunity (WOP), open-label, multi-centre, phase IIa trial comprising multiple non-comparative treatment cohorts with patient allocation via minimisation (cohorts A-D) or allocation according to HRD and germline BRCA1/2 mutation status (cohorts E-G)

Who can take part?

  • • Ages 18 Years and over
  • • Diagnosed with breast neoplasm

Where?

  • • Bournemouth - Royal Bournemouth Hospital
  • • London - King's College Hospital
  • • Manchester - Christie Hospital NHS Trust
  • • Cardiff - Velindre Cancer Center at Velinde Hospital
  • • +2 more UK sites

This is a simplified summary. Always discuss with your doctor before making any decisions.

About This Trial

PHOENIX is a window of opportunity (WOP), open-label, multi-centre, phase IIa trial comprising multiple non-comparative treatment cohorts with patient allocation via minimisation (cohorts A-D) or allocation according to HRD and germline BRCA1/2 mutation status (cohorts E-G). The trial consists of two parts: a post-neoadjuvant treatment preoperative WOP component (PART 1); and a post-operative component (PART 2). Cohorts A-D: To assess whether short exposure to a DDR inhibitor or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in a preoperative WOP in patients with post-NACT high risk residual disease, generates a signal of anti-tumour biological activity within residual disease tissue. Cohort E: To assess whether short exposure to a DDR inhibitor with or without anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in a preoperative WOP in patients with non-HRD associated TNBC and post-neoadjuvant treatment high risk residual disease, generates a signal of anti-tumour biological activity within residual disease tissue. Cohorts F \& G: To assess whether short exposure to the DDR inhibitor olaparib with or without anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in a preoperative WOP in patients with HRD associated TNBC and post-neoadjuvant treatment high risk residual disease, generates a signal of anti-tumour biological activity within residual disease tissue.

More detail

Cohorts A-D have been formally closed for recruitment since 06 August 2024.

Breast NeoplasmTriple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)HRD

How this trial compares with your answers

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What we know so far

Condition· Matched your search
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Still need:

  • • Tell us your age for better matching
  • • Tell us your sex for better matching

Preliminary match based on your answers. Full eligibility requires on-site assessment including medical history, physical exam, and lab tests. This does not guarantee enrolment.

Eligibility at a Glance

Key info

  • Age: 18 Years and over
  • Who can join: All genders

Biomarkers mentioned

ERHER2triple negativeas ER negativePgR negativeHER2 negativeor negativePDL1

Treatment history

Treatments you must have had:

  • ✓ to consent to the pre- and post- WOP treatment biopsy
  • ✓ follow-up
  • ✓ adequate haematological, renal and hepatic function as defined by:
  • ✓ a confirmed menstrual period and a negative urinary or serum pregnancy test

What the study is looking for

  • ✓Inclusion Criteria for Trial Registration:
  • ✓Signed agreement to take part Form (ICF) for Trial Registration;
  • ✓Aged ≥18 years old;
  • ✓Radiographically measurable tumour mass assessable for new distinct radio-opaque marker insertion and repeated...
  • ✓Eastern Oncology Cooperative Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1;
See the full criteria
Inclusion Criteria for Trial Registration: 1. Signed Informed Consent Form (ICF) for Trial Registration; 2. Aged ≥18 years old; 3. Histologically confirmed invasive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC defined as ER negative, PgR negative (ER and PgR negative as defined by Allred score 0/8, 1/8 or 2/8 or stain in \<1% of cancer cells) or PgR unavailable, and HER2 negative (immunohistochemistry 0/1+ or negative in situ hybridization) as determined by local laboratory and recorded in the patients notes; 4. Planned definitive surgical treatment after at least 6 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) Patients currently receiving SOC pembrolizumab, or having previously received SOC pembrolizumab but subsequently discontinued treatment, in combination with NACT are eligible for Trial Registration; 5. Radiographically measurable tumour mass assessable for new distinct radio-opaque marker insertion and repeated biopsies on the NACT mid-assessment standard of care imaging modality; 6. Eastern Oncology Cooperative Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1; 7. Considered fit enough to have breast cancer surgery with curative intent; 8. Considered fit to complete at least 2 weeks of pre-operative trial treatment in the WOP; 9. Patients must be suitable for a mandatory pre-treatment baseline biopsy performed Day -1 or 1 of the window of opportunity (WOP) and a post-treatment biopsy performed on Day 14 of the WOP. Registered patients who are approached for Trial Entry will be required to consent to the pre- and post- WOP treatment biopsy. If it is deemed unsafe to proceed with biopsy upon Trial Entry the patient will not be eligible for participation in the trial. 10. Patients with clinical stage II or III disease or clinical suspicion of metastatic disease must have staging studies to exclude metastatic disease if this is standard of care, and staging methods should be used as per standard of care (axillary lymph nodes or internal mammary node involvement will not be regarded as evidence of metastatic disease); 11. Patients with previous invasive cancers (including breast cancer) are eligible if the treatment was completed \>5 years prior to Trial Registration, and there is no evidence of recurrent disease; 12. Absence of any psychological, familial, sociological or geographical condition potentially hampering compliance with the trial protocol and follow-up schedule; those conditions should be discussed with the patient before Trial Registration; 13. Patients must be a) surgically sterile (i.e. if female have undergone a hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; if male have undergone a bilateral orchidectomy); b) have a sterilised sole partner; or c) be post-menopausal; or d) must agree to practice total/true abstinence; or e) use a condom and one highly effective form of contraception in combination during the period of trial treatment and be willing to do so for a period of at least 6 months following the end of trial treatment. Please refer to Section 5.4 Lifestyle Guidance for the definition of total/true abstinence and a list of the permitted highly effective forms of contraception. Post-menopausal is defined by at least one of the following criteria: 1. Amenorrhoeic for 1 year or more following cessation of exogenous hormonal treatments 2. Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in the post-menopausal range for the institution for women \< 50 years of age not using hormonal contraception or hormonal replacement therapy. Please note: in absence of amenorrhea for 1 year, a single LH and/or FSH measurement is insufficient. 3. Radiation-induced oophorectomy with last menses \>1 year ago 4. Chemotherapy-induced menopause with \>1 year interval since last menses 5. Surgical sterilisation (hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy or bilateral oophorectomy) Exclusion Criteria for Trial Registration: 1. Definitive evidence of metastatic disease (axillary lymph nodes or internal mammary node involvement will not be regarded as evidence of metastatic disease) ; 2. Patients with bilateral tumours. 3. History of another primary malignancy within the last 5 years prior to Trial Registration, except for: 1. Adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer or lentigo maligna without evidence of disease; 2. Adequately treated carcinoma in situ without evidence of disease; 4. Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)/acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) or with features suggestive of MDS/AML; 5. Severe concurrent disease, infection or co-morbidity that, in the judgment of the local Investigator, would make the patient inappropriate for Trial Registration; 6. Resting ECG indicating uncontrolled, potentially irreversible cardiac conditions, as judged by the investigator (e.g., unstable ischemia, uncontrolled symptomatic arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, QTcF prolongation \>470 msec, electrolyte disturbances, etc.), or patients with congenital long QT syndrome; 7. Patients unable to swallow orally administered medication; 8. Patients receiving therapeutic anti-coagulation treatment (including warfarin and novel oral anti-coagulants). 9. Patients with gastrointestinal disorder affecting absorption (e.g. gastrectomy, active peptic ulcer disease within last 3 months); 10. History of seizure or any condition that may predispose to seizure. 11. Other non-malignant systemic disease that would preclude trial treatment or would prevent required follow-up; 12. Pregnant or breast-feeding; 13. Prior exposure to PARP inhibitor, including olaparib, anti-PD-1 or anti-PDL1 immunotherapy (including durvalumab) except for pembrolizumab if received as standard of care in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy; 14. Any other disease(s), psychiatric condition, metabolic dysfunction, or findings from a physical examination or clinical laboratory test result that in the investigators opinion would cause reasonable suspicion of a disease or condition, that contraindicates the use of trial treatment, that may increase the risk associated with trial participation, that may affect the interpretation of the results, or that would make this trial inappropriate for the patient; 15. Patients with a known hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab, durvalumab or olaparib or any excipients of the products; 16. Previous allogenic bone marrow transplant or double umbilical cord blood transplantation (dUCBT); 17. Active infection including tuberculosis (TB) (clinical evaluation that includes clinical history, physical examination and radiographic findings, and TB testing in line with local practice), hepatitis B (HBV; known positive HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) result), hepatitis C (HCV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; positive HIV 1/2 antibodies). Patients with a past or resolved HBV infection (defined as the presence of hepatitis B core antibody \[anti-HBc\] and absence of HBsAg) are eligible. Patients positive for HCV antibody are eligible only if polymerase chain reaction is negative for HCV RNA; Inclusion Criteria for Trial Entry: 1. Signed Informed Consent Form (ICF) for Trial Entry; 2. Residual disease is confirmed as at least one viable disease focus ≥1cm on trial-specific imaging performed at least 1 week following day 1 of the final cycle of NACT. 3. Provision of acceptable archival diagnostic tumour tissue sample prior to Trial Entry as defined in the Investigator Laboratory Manual. 4. Recovery from all acute adverse events of prior NACT or pembrolizumab to baseline or NCI CTCAE Grade ≤1, except for alopecia. Patients with irreversible toxicity not reasonably expected to be exacerbated by trial treatment may be included only after consultation with the CI or Coordinating Investigator. 5. Patients must have adequate haematological, renal and hepatic function as defined by: * Haemoglobin (Hb) ≥ 10 g/dL (≥ 100 g/L) with no blood transfusion in the past 28 days * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1500/mm3 (≥ 1.5 x 109/L) * Platelet count ≥100,000/mm3 (≥ 100 x 109/L) * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (SGOT)) / Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (Serum Glutamic Pyruvate Transaminase (SGPT)) ≤ 2.5 x institutional ULN * Calculated creatinine clearance ≥51 mL/min using the Cockcroft-Gault equation (please refer to Appendix 4) or based on a 24 hour urine test or another validated test as per local practice 6. Women of childbearing potential must have a confirmed menstrual period and a negative urinary or serum pregnancy test prior to Trial Entry. This should be repeated as applicable to ensure a negative pregnancy test is performed on the day of planned trial treatment. 7. Confirmation that all Trial Registration inclusion criteria listed in Section 5.3.1 remain satisfied. Exclusion Criteria for Trial Entry: 1. Patients considered a poor medical risk due to a serious, uncontrolled medical disorder, non-malignant systemic disease or active, uncontrolled infection. Examples include, but are not limited to, uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmia, recent (within 3 months) myocardial infarction, uncontrolled major seizure disorder, unstable spinal cord compression, superior vena cava syndrome, extensive interstitial bilateral lung disease on High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) scan or any psychiatric disorder that prohibits obtaining informed consent. 2. Major surgery (excluding minor procedures, e.g. placement of vascular access) within 2 weeks prior to Trial Entry. Patients must have recovered from any effects of any major surgery prior to commencing trial treatment. 3. Use of any investigational agent within 30 days prior to commencing trial treatment. 4. Concomitant use of known strong CYP3A inhibitors (e.g. itraconazole, telithromycin, clarithromycin, protease inhibitors boosted with ritonavir or cobicistat, indinavir, saquinavir, nelfinavir, boceprevir, telaprevir) or moderate CYP3A inhibitors (e.g. ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, diltiazem, fluconazole, verapamil). The required washout period prior to commencing trial treatment is 5 weeks; 5. Concomitant use of known strong (e.g. phenobarbital, enzalutamide, phenytoin, rifampicin, rifabutin, rifapentine, carbamazepine, nevirapine and St John's Wort) or moderate (e.g. bosentan, efavirenz, modafinil) CYP3A inducers. The required washout period prior to commencing trial treatment is 5 weeks; 6. Whole blood infusion within 28 days prior to trial entry (packed red blood cells and platelet transfusions are acceptable). 7. Receipt of live attenuated vaccine within 30 days prior to commencing trial treatment. 8. Confirmation that none of the Trial Registration exclusion criteria listed in Section 5.3.2 are met.

Where Is This Study? (6 UK sites)

Royal Bournemouth Hospital

Bournemouth BH7 7DW, United Kingdom

NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Hospital R&D contact (matched)

Research Development & Support

clinicalresearch@bournemouth.ac.uk01202 961200

King's College Hospital

London SE5 9RS, United Kingdom

Recruiting
Site contact (verified)
Dr CastellPrincipal Investigator

Christie Hospital NHS Trust

Manchester M20 4BX, United Kingdom

NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Hospital R&D contact (matched)

Research and Innovation Office

the-christie.ri@nhs.net---

Velindre Cancer Center at Velinde Hospital

Cardiff CF14 2TL, United Kingdom

Recruiting
Site contact (verified)
Dr BorleyPrincipal Investigator

Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom

Recruiting
Site contact (verified)
Dr IrshadPrincipal Investigator

Weston Park Hospital

Sheffield, United Kingdom

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

How to Get in Touch

Christophe Verstegen

Sponsor contact

CONTACT

0203 437 6886 phoenix-icrctsu@icr.ac.uk

Michelle Frost

Sponsor contact

CONTACT

phoenix-icrctsu@icr.ac.uk
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov · Last verified: 2025-08