Skip to main content
TTrialFinderData
TrialFinderData is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Always talk to your doctor.

Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 2INTERVENTIONAL

ETHAN - ET for Male BC

ETHAN: A Phase II Study Comparing Different Endocrine THerapies for mAle Breast caNcer

ETHAN - ET for Male BC (NCT05501704) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Male Breast Cancer and Hormone Receptor-positive Breast Cancer, sponsored by Jose Pablo Leone. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

This research study is looking to see how well male breast cancer responds to preoperative treatment with endocrine therapy and which endocrine therapy regimen is the most effective treatment for male breast cancer. The drugs used in this study are: * Tamoxifen * Anastrozole * Degarelix * Abemaciclib

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Male Breast Cancer and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

Target enrollment of 60 participants puts this in the typical range for a Phase 2-style efficacy study or a moderate Phase 3 trial in a focused Male Breast Cancer subpopulation. At this scale, the study has enough statistical power to detect a clear treatment effect but is not the largest cohort in the field.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - Men aged 18 years or older, with diagnosis of invasive breast cancer who have not undergone surgical resection of the primary tumor and axillary nodes. - Stage I, II, or III per American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging 8th edition (112). - Breast cancer must be hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative according to definition below assessed by local pathology. - Hormone receptor-positive is defined as: positivity for at least one of the hormone receptors (estrogen receptor \[ER\] or progesterone receptor \[PR\]) by IHC. ER and PR assays are considered positive if there are \> 1% positive tumor nuclei in the samples. - HER2-negative is defined per the current American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists Clinical Practice Guideline (113). - Patients with multifocal or multicentric disease are eligible if the treating investigator has determined the patient should be treated as ER-positive and HER2-negative. - Bilateral breast cancers are allowed if the treating investigator has determined the patient should be treated as ER-positive and HER2-negative. - Patients with a history of ipsilateral or contralateral DCIS or LCIS are eligible. - ECOG performance status ≤ 2. - Required laboratory values demonstrating your organs (liver, kidneys, etc.) are working well enough based on blood tests: - white blood cell count (ANC) at least 1000/mm3 - blood count (hemoglobin) at least 8 g/dl - platelet count at least 50,000/mm3 - Serum creatinine ≤ 3.0 x ULN (institutional) - Total bilirubin ≤ 2.0 x ULN (institutional). - AST and ALT ≤ 5.0 x ULN (institutional) - Men with partners of childbearing potential must be willing to use one highly effective form of non-hormonal contraception or two effective forms of non-hormonal contraception by the patient and/or partner and continue its use for the duration of the study treatment and for 6 months after the last dose of study treatment. ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: * Men aged 18 years or older, with diagnosis of invasive breast cancer who have not undergone surgical resection of the primary tumor and axillary nodes. * Stage I, II, or III per American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging 8th edition (112). * Breast cancer must be hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative according to definition below assessed by local pathology. * Hormone receptor-positive is defined as: positivity for at least one of the hormone receptors (estrogen receptor \[ER\] or progesterone receptor \[PR\]) by IHC. ER and PR assays are considered positive if there are \> 1% positive tumor nuclei in the samples. * HER2-negative is defined per the current American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists Clinical Practice Guideline (113). * Patients with multifocal or multicentric disease are eligible if the treating investigator has determined the patient should be treated as ER-positive and HER2-negative. * Bilateral breast cancers are allowed if the treating investigator has determined the patient should be treated as ER-positive and HER2-negative. * Patients with a history of ipsilateral or contralateral DCIS or LCIS are eligible. * ECOG performance status ≤ 2. * Required laboratory values demonstrating adequate organ function: * ANC ≥ 1000/mm3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dl * Platelets ≥ 50,000/mm3 * Serum creatinine ≤ 3.0 x ULN (institutional) * Total bilirubin ≤ 2.0 x ULN (institutional). * AST and ALT ≤ 5.0 x ULN (institutional) * Men with partners of childbearing potential must be willing to use one highly effective form of non-hormonal contraception or two effective forms of non-hormonal contraception by the patient and/or partner and continue its use for the duration of the study treatment and for 6 months after the last dose of study treatment. * Non-English-speaking patients are eligible but will be exempt from patient-completed questionnaires. * Willing and able to sign informed consent. * Willing to undergo breast biopsy after completion of window phase. * Patient is able to swallow oral medications. Exclusion Criteria: * Prior endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or investigational therapy for the current breast cancer diagnosis. * Prior endocrine therapy, systemic therapy, radiation therapy, or investigational therapy for any other malignancy within the past 12 months. * Diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer (T4d). * Other concurrent serious diseases that may interfere with planned treatment, including severe cardiac disease, congestive heart failure (CHF) of New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or higher, severe pulmonary conditions/illness, uncontrolled infections. * The patient has serious and/or uncontrolled preexisting medical condition(s) that, in the judgment of the investigator, would preclude participation in this study (for example, interstitial lung disease, severe dyspnea at rest or requiring oxygen therapy, severe renal impairment \[e.g. estimated creatinine clearance \<30ml/min\], history of major surgical resection involving the stomach or small bowel, or preexisting Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis or a preexisting chronic condition resulting in baseline Grade 2 or higher diarrhea). * The patient has active systemic bacterial infection (requiring intravenous \[IV\] antibiotics at time of initiating study treatment), fungal infection, or detectable viral infection (such as known human immunodeficiency virus positivity or with known active hepatitis B or C \[for example, hepatitis B surface antigen positive\]. Screening is not required for enrollment. * The patient has a personal history of any of the following conditions: syncope of cardiovascular etiology, ventricular arrhythmia of pathological origin (including, but not limited to, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation), or sudden cardiac arrest.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

Tamoxifen

Taken orally

DRUG

Anastrozole

Taken orally

DRUG

Degarelix

Subcutaneous (under the skin) injection

DRUG

Abemaciclib

Taken orally

Locations (8)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota, United States
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Vanderbilt Cancer Center
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center at University of Texas
Houston, Texas, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT05501704), the sponsor (Jose Pablo Leone), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT05501704 clinical trial studying?

This research study is looking to see how well male breast cancer responds to preoperative treatment with endocrine therapy and which endocrine therapy regimen is the most effective treatment for male breast cancer. The drugs used in this study are: * Tamoxifen * Anastrozole * Degarelix * Abemaciclib The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT05501704?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT05501704?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT05501704. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT05501704. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.