Breast Cancer

ASCO--Women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer who have no evidence of lymph node involvement should be added to the list of breast cancer patients who can benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy, Bernard Fisher, MD, said at the plenary session of the 33rd Annual ASCO Meeting.

The Society of Surgical Oncology surgical practice guidelines focus on the signs and symptoms of primary cancer, timely evaluation of the symptomatic patient, appropriate preoperative evaluation for extent of disease, and role of the surgeon in

A pilot phase II study examined the feasibility of 75 mg/m² of docetaxel (Taxotere) in combination with 50 mg/m²of doxorubicin and 500 mg/m² of cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) in the first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the docetaxel/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide combination both alone and as induction before high-dose chemotherapy, supplemented by autologous peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation.

Protocol B-27, conducted by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), is a phase III, randomized trial designed to evaluate whether sequencing docetaxel (Taxotere) to neoadjuvant doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) prolongs disease-free and overall survival in patients with operable breast cancer.

This was a phase I dose-finding and pharmacokinetic study of vinorelbine (Navelbine) and docetaxel (Taxotere) as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. Vinorelbine dose, 20 or 22.5 mg/m², on days 1 and 5, was followed on day 1 by docetaxel every 21 days, in doses increasing from 60 to 100 mg/m².

Development of the taxoids has progressedrapidly in the 1990s. In vitro studies have demonstrated that docetaxel(Taxotere) has a longer residence time and higher accumulation within tumorcells than paclitaxel (Taxol), possibly accounting for its greater cytotoxicity.

This trial was designed to determine the recommended maximum tolerated dose (MTD), toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of docetaxel (Taxotere) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) for phase II studies. Both drugs were administered to 39 patients with advanced solid tumors, 26 of whom had breast cancer.

This phase I dose-finding study examined the effects of the combination of doxorubicin and docetaxel (Taxotere) in 42 women with metastatic breast cancer. The combination was studied at six different dosing levels. The maximum tolerated doses were defined as doxorubicin, 50 mg/m², and docetaxel, 85 mg/m², with sepsis as the dose-limiting toxicity.

With the proper nursing care, do women recovering from breast cancer surgery do better at home than in the hospital? To answer this question, researchers at Michigan State University's colleges of Nursing and Human Medicine are undertaking

CHICAGO--When a breast cancer patient is to receive both adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy after surgery, the question remains as to which should be given first.

DENVER--The AMC Cancer Research Center, through its Center of Excellence in Health Communications, has developed The Personal Guide to Breast Cancer, a multimedia CD-ROM guide to breast cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and resources, designed to be understood by the average layperson.

SAN DIEGO--A retinoid with specificity for the RXR receptor has shown potential as a virtually nontoxic chemo-preventive agent for breast cancer.

Carcinoma of the cervix is one of the most common malignancies in women, accounting for 15,700 new cases and 4,900 deaths in the United States each year. Worldwide, cervical cancer is second only to breast cancer as the most common

NASHVILLE, Tenn--Inhibition of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) may enhance the activity of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) in breast cancer and restore tamoxifen sensitivity to resistant cells, according to results of laboratory experiments at the Vanderbilt Cancer Center and Georgetown's Lombardi Cancer Center.

SAN DIEGO--In a groundbreaking study, researchers at the Mayo Clinic have documented that prophylactic mastecto-mies may dramatically reduce the risk of breast cancer in high-risk women. The risk reduction was measured as high as 91%, lead investigator Lynn Hartmann, MD, said at the 88th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

At a symposium sponsored by Schering-Oncology/Biotech, 16 researchers involved in studies of the investigational antiestrogen agent toremifene (Fareston) discussed its potential role in the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer and as adjuvant therapy, as well as other breast cancer issues. Previous articles in this series appeared in January 1997 , February 1997 , and March 1997

BERN, Switzerland--A study of 1,619 breast cancer patients has identified a population subset with a very low incidence of lymph node metastases in whom axillary lymph node dissection might be omitted, Andreas Barth, MD, told Oncology News International.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla--Radiation therapy may not be necessary after the removal of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), Gordon F. Schwartz, MD, said at the 14th International Breast Cancer Conference. In his experience, only 3% of DCIS patients who received breast-conserving surgery alone later experienced invasive breast cancer.

PARIS--The treatment of breast cancer in pregnant women remains controversial, not least because pregnant and lactating women are traditionally excluded from clinical trials. Now a prospective long-term study from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center suggests that multimo-dality treatment does not pose any untoward threat to either mother or child.

HOUSTON--A new tumor-selective agent may permit delivery of higher levels of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with lower toxicity, said Richard Pazdur, MD, of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. A phase III trial of capecitabine is ongoing in colorectal cancer, and it is also under study for the treatment of breast cancer.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla--There still is insufficient evidence about the use of high-dose chemotherapy plus bone marrow or peripheral stem cells to support its inclusion as a path on the updated National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) practice guidelines on breast cancer, said panel chair Robert W. Carlson, MD, at the NCCN's second annual conference

PARIS--A newly identified segment of an RNA retrovirus may be implicated in as many as one third of breast tumors, James Holland, MD, of Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY, said at the Seventh International Congress on Anti-Cancer Treatment (ICACT). The segment of the putative virus, thought to be a human mammary tumor virus (HMTV), was discovered in the laboratory of Dr. Beatriz Pogo at Mount Sinai.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla--In view of the absence of data from large randomized studies of high-dose chemotherapy in breast cancer, the NCCN breast cancer guidelines' relegation of such therapy to a footnote is appropriate, M. John Kennedy, MD, said in his review of the important issues on this question.

The recognition of paclitaxel's (Taxol's) activity and non-cross-resistance with doxorubicin (Adriamycin) in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer has motivated study of the agent in the adjuvant setting. However, the ideal

Based on preclinical data, we designed a phase I/II clinical trial to determine the efficacy and toxicity of doxorubicin followed by paclitaxel in the treatment of advanced breast cancer (either untreated or relapsed after

When administered as a single agent in pretreated patients with advanced breast cancer, paclitaxel (Taxol) exhibits remarkable antitumor activity. This trial was undertaken to compare paclitaxel with standard

An expert panel of 10 international cancer researchers and practicing oncologists met in Boston to discuss the past, present, and future uses of antiestrogens in the treatment of breast cancer. The first five articles in this series, based

Paclitaxel (Taxol) has aroused considerable interest for its high single-agent activity in breast cancer and novel mechanism of action. Epirubicin (Farmorubicin), the 4'epimer of doxorubicin (Adriamycin), also has high activity in

This phase II trial was conducted to evaluate the percentage of objective responses and the toxicity profile of combination doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and paclitaxel (Taxol) with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor as first-line

WASHINGTON--The steering committee of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer (NAPBC) finds itself confronting its future--whether it should have one. Should the group set a time to end the innovative program, or should it continue?