Track-ER Trial for ER/PR Positive HER2 Negative Breast Cancer

Hi, I had chemo first, starting about 12 days after diagnosis. Then I had surgery. I always wanted a mastectomy from the start, and that’s what I got. I started Anastrazole about two weeks after surgery (my choice to start that quickly - I believe some people wait until after radiotherapy). After that I had 15 rounds of radiotherapy, which was standard at that time, then I started a bisphosphonate for three years, and I’m two years into that. If Abemaciclib had been around for me, I guess that I would have started that at the end of radiotherapy, which means I would now be on my last month, if you take it for two years. 

Im about a third of the way through the blood tests. There are 14 in total. The first is used to design your personal liquid biopsy. The second is the first CtDNA tracking test which is used as the baseline. After that there are a further 12 tracking tests. I’ve had the design blood test and then 4 tracking tests. 

Just before you enrol onto the trial, there are several tests, a huge amount of questions to answer, and there is an extremely thorough full body physical examination, including skin, lymph nodes and bone joints, which scared the life out of me. I didn’t realise it was going to be that thorough (the doctor / consultant spent ages on my lungs) but I was really glad afterwards. She was kind, but didn’t say anything about her findings at the end. I wanted a teddy to hold. A few minutes later the lead oncologist came in with her, and welcomed me onto the trial. I was so relieved. 

I do feel for you. As I say, I’m probably not the best person as I had no choice. Xx

Thank you Cloudier  for sharing this info and your journey- so helpful.

Wishing you all the very best with the remainder of the trial tests and treatment  

I think for me Abemaciclib may be the more reasonable route to take since its available to me now, it has some proven beneficial results even though of course there are no guarantees, same as with the hormone therapy anyway, but I'll be hoping it does it's job in preventing recurrence .  So hard, I wish none of us were ever put in this situation in the first place Bloody C*! Sorry, rant over xx

Thank you for your kind words. It is hard, and I think you have hit the nail on the head …. that it’s horrid that we are put into this situation in the first place. 
You aren’t ranting, you are just (quite rightly) expressing your thoughts and reasoning process. Completely normal. Xx

You are right about the recurrence on abema, but it’s so much less than in the untreated group at 2 years and beyond. I guess if abema didn’t work, then palbo would not either. I can’t recall how many years MONARCHE trial has been running though. 

have you read the update paper on TRAK-ER? I haven’t seen it yet. 

Hi, no I haven’t. I requested it, but the authors haven’t made it available yet. I’ll do another search in a mo, and see if I can find anything. 

 I found the link:

https://doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.SABCS22-OT1-01-01

This has the abstract. You might be able to open it up to read the full article - it says that it is free. 

Thank you. It looks like it might be an abstract for a talk at a conference rather than any data being presented. More of an advert for the study than an update on where they are at perhaps? Usually if there is data it’s mentioned in an abstract. 

Mmm. I found the link to the research article that I sent you a bit back, but have just lost it in amongst the other searches. I tried to download it and it said that the authors are aware that I have requested it. I’m not sure if that has much data, I think that it is an introductory paper. It’s a year since participants (including me) were invited for their blood test to design the personal biopsy, so maybe there will be another paper soon, discussing the number of participants so far, their profiles, etc, etc and now many have gone into the Pac arm, if any have. We shall see ….. 

ÙPDATE - 

Hi everyone, I thought I'd provide an update on this - it turned out I'm actually not eligible for Abemaciclib, as my cancer was Grade 2 and not 3 , and size was 3.3cm so less than the 5cm needed to be eligible for Abe. So my Oncologist referred me to the Oxford hospital to hopefully join the Trak ER trial and I now have my appointment there on Friday this week.

In a way, I am glad that that decision and pondering over what's best was taken away from me, so trial it is, provided further tests allow it, etc.

Can I ask what I can expect at my first appt on Friday? I suppose they would've already seen all my previous scan results,  pathology reports, etc and so is it going to be initially just a discussion about the trial, questionnaires, consent, etc with any scans done at a later appointment, or am I likely to get given scans too at this first appt? I know I need to have been on hormone therapy for 6 months before first blood test can be taken ( have only been om hormone therapy for a month so far), so  wondered if tests, etc will be done later on closer to the 6 month mark may be, although now they can now start preparing the ctDNA sample,  etc? 

Hospital haven't sent me any information yet and wondered if I should email to ask ? 

Also, how are you ladies on this trial currently doing? 

Thank you very much in advance  

Hi, you’ll  know from my previous answer that I am on the trial. I have been on it for 15 months now. My first appointment experience was based on the fact that I had been taking Anastrazole for a year. So I was ready to join the trial there and then. Before my appointment, I had been sent the documentation about the trial. My tumour slide had already been sent to them, as well as all of my previous scans and goodness knows what else. Once there, I was weighed and my height measured. I then saw a doctor who asked me loads of questions. Honestly there were lots of them - several about my treatment, diagnosis, etc. Also lots of current health related questions and also on lifestyle too. Then, and I was not expecting this, I was given a thorough physical examination by that doctor. She spent a lot of time (loads) on my lungs and my abdomen. My joints were also examined, as well as node areas and my mastectomy site. She then left the room to discuss her findings with the lead oncologist. A few minutes later (it seemed like an eternity to me) both of them came in, and I was welcomed onto the trial. I signed the consent forms and was invited to ask any questions, which were answered respectfully. I then had my first blood test, so that they could design my personal liquid biopsy. That took about six weeks. I went for my second blood test a few weeks after that. 
As you are being considered for joining the trial at an earlier stage than me, likely there will be some differences between your appointment and mine,

I hope this helps a little x