Dose-Reduced Docetaxel With Cyclophosphamide for the Treatment of Vulnerable Older Women With Stage I-III HER2 Negative Breast Cancer, the DOROTHY Trial

Dose Reduction of Docetaxel-Based Chemotherapy in Vulnerable Older Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer (DOROTHY)

Dose-Reduced Docetaxel With Cyclophosphamide for the Treatment of Vulnerable Older Women With Stage I-III HER2 Negative Breast Cancer, the DOROTHY Trial (NCT06042569) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8 and Anatomic Stage II Breast Cancer AJCC v8, sponsored by City of Hope Medical Center. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

About This Trial

This phase II trial tests how well dose-reduced docetaxel combined with cyclophosphamide works in treating older women with early stage (stage I-III) HER2 negative breast cancer vulnerable to toxicity. Chemotherapy drugs, such as docetaxel and cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Docetaxel and cyclophosphamide are commonly used, but is not well tolerated at the standard dose and can affect the way older patients feel physically and emotionally. Giving dose-reduced docetaxel combined with cyclophosphamide may be an effective treatment option and improve quality of life in vulnerable older women with stage I-III HER2 negative breast cancer.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8 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 174 participants puts this in the typical range for a Phase 2-style efficacy study or a moderate Phase 3 trial in a focused Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8 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: - Ability to provided willing to sign a consent form or a legally authorized representative is able to consent on behalf of the patient - Willing to answer questionnaires as part of their participation - Age: \>= 65 years by the time of study registration - diagnosed by tissue sample (biopsy-confirmed) breast cancer(s) that is human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-negative) per the most recent 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology College of American Pathologists (ASCO CAP) guidelines relapsed/ refractory disease - Estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor immunohistochemistry (IHC) status must be known; any estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR) status is eligible - Non-metastatic, invasive breast cancer (scans are not required to document non-metastatic disease- any staging work-up is up to the treating providers' discretion) - Recommended to have either standard dose neoadjuvant docetaxel, cyclophosphamide (TC) chemotherapy or adjuvant TC chemotherapy per their treating provider. Participant may be on immunotherapy concurrently with the protocol regimen at the discretion of the treating physician - Any surgery, nodal assessment, radiation, hormonal therapy is left up to the treating provider but should not occur concurrently with study therapy - Any patient who received pre-operative hormonal therapy and who is then recommended for neo/adjuvant chemotherapy is eligible, though hormonal therapy should be held during study treatment administration - For patients with bilateral or multifocal/multicentric breast cancers, the following criteria must be met to enroll: (1) both cancer are HER2 negative, AND (2) the provider feels the patient will benefit from TC for at least one of the cancers ...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: * Ability to provided informed consent or a legally authorized representative is able to consent on behalf of the patient * Willing to answer questionnaires as part of their participation * Age: \>= 65 years by the time of study registration * Histologically or cytologically confirmed breast cancer(s) that is human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-negative) per the most recent 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology College of American Pathologists (ASCO CAP) guidelines relapsed/ refractory disease * Estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor immunohistochemistry (IHC) status must be known; any estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR) status is eligible * Non-metastatic, invasive breast cancer (scans are not required to document non-metastatic disease- any staging work-up is up to the treating providers' discretion) * Recommended to have either standard dose neoadjuvant docetaxel, cyclophosphamide (TC) chemotherapy or adjuvant TC chemotherapy per their treating provider. Participant may be on immunotherapy concurrently with the protocol regimen at the discretion of the treating physician * Any surgery, nodal assessment, radiation, hormonal therapy is left up to the treating provider but should not occur concurrently with study therapy * Any patient who received pre-operative hormonal therapy and who is then recommended for neo/adjuvant chemotherapy is eligible, though hormonal therapy should be held during study treatment administration * For patients with bilateral or multifocal/multicentric breast cancers, the following criteria must be met to enroll: (1) both cancer are HER2 negative, AND (2) the provider feels the patient will benefit from TC for at least one of the cancers * Patients who do not speak or read English are eligible as long as adequate interpreter services are available or the surveys are available in the preferred language (i.e. the Geriatric Assessment \[GA\] and Patient Reported Outcomes \[PRO\] surveys are available in many languages) Exclusion Criteria: * Participants who have already received any chemotherapy for their current breast cancer * Patients with recurrent and/or metastatic disease will be excluded. Prior diagnoses of breast cancers (including ductal carcinoma in situ \[DCIS\]) are allowed, provided that the treating provider feels that the current cancer most likely represents a new primary breast cancer and not recurrent disease * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to cyclophosphamide and/or docetaxel * Past treatment with the regimen TC for prior breast cancer

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

Cyclophosphamide

Given IV

DRUG

Docetaxel

Given IV

OTHER

Medical Chart Review

Ancillary studies

OTHER

Questionnaire Administration

Ancillary studies

Locations (2)

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.

City of Hope Medical Center

Duarte, California, United States

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06042569), the sponsor (City of Hope Medical Center), 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 NCT06042569 clinical trial studying?

This phase II trial tests how well dose-reduced docetaxel combined with cyclophosphamide works in treating older women with early stage (stage I-III) HER2 negative breast cancer vulnerable to toxicity. Chemotherapy drugs, such as docetaxel and cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Docetaxel and cyclophosphamide are commonly used, but is not well tolerated at the standard dose and can affect the way older patients feel physically and emotionally. Giving dose-red… The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06042569?

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 NCT06042569?

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 NCT06042569. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06042569. 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.