Breast Cancer

SAN FRANCISCO-Early research suggests that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor Iressa (ZD1839, investigational) may have therapeutic potential in tamoxifen (Nolvadex)-resistant breast cancer, according to a presentation at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 282).

ROCKVILLE, Maryland-The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a combination of the cancer drugs Xeloda (capecitabine) and Taxotere (docetaxel) for treating patients with metastatic breast cancer whose cancer has progressed after treatment with an anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimen.

SAN FRANCISCO-Preliminary results of a randomized Intergroup trial (CALGB, RTOG, ECOG) strongly suggest that radiotherapy should not be added to tamoxifen (Nolvadex) in older women who have undergone lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer, said Kevin S. Hughes, MD, Department of Surgical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

SAN FRANCISCO-Mature survival analyses from the North American Breast Intergroup Trial (INT-0100; SWOG-8814) confirm that chemotherapy plus tamoxifen (Nolvadex) produces better overall and disease-free survival than tamoxifen alone in postmenopausal women with node-positive, receptor-positive breast cancer.

BETHESDA, Maryland-Members of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) have recommended a change in the endpoint the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses to evaluate hormonal agents as first-line therapy for metastatic breast cancer. The panel considered the issue of revising the design of hormonal therapy clinical trials at the agency’s request.

SAN FRANCISCO-Common cholesterol-lowering agents (statins) may be effective in the chemoprevention of breast cancer in older women, a new study shows. The data were presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 1647).

Results from three retrospective studies demonstrated that fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing of tumor tissue for HER2 gene amplification is an effective method of selecting women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who will

EAST LANSING, Michigan-A study of 841 patients age 65 and older newly diagnosed with breast, colon, lung, or prostate cancer found three predictors of pain and fatigue: advanced stage, more comorbid conditions, and lung cancer, compared with breast cancer (the reference), according to researchers from Michigan State University.

SAN FRANCISCO-In patients with breast cancer, sentinel lymph node mapping enables a detailed pathologic examination of nodal tissue by multilevel microsections with standard hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) and highly sensitive immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. However, the significance of IHC metastases remains unknown.

NEW YORK-This month Avon Products, Inc. launches Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer, a marketing program that includes a fundraising lipstick, grassroots outreach through a Day of Commitment (September 25), gala awards to be held October 9, and celebrity support from singer Christina Aguilera and tennis players Serena and Venus Williams, among others.

NEW ORLEANS-A considerable proportion of patients with primary breast cancer have minimal residual disease in the bone marrow that is prognostically relevant and detectable by bone marrow aspiration, according to German investigators who reported their findings at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Doxorubicin coated in tiny droplets of oil is as effective as the standard formulation but much less toxic when used to treat

WASHINGTON-Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy, which is "evolving as a possible alternative" to complete axillary node dissection in breast cancer, can be performed as successfully in patients who have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy as in patients who have not, said Eleftherios Mamounas, MD, of Aultman Cancer Center, Canton, Ohio, and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP).

CHICAGO-The decisions doctors make regarding breast cancer care vary widely, as do the guidelines that these doctors may reference when making treatment decisions. Speaking at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University’s annual Health Policy Symposium, Stephen B. Edge, MD, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the State University of New York-Buffalo, discussed several breast cancer practice guidelines and the means by which they can become most useful.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) inaugurated a new program in July that

SAN FRANCISCO-The aromatase inhibitor letrozole (Femara) may be clinically superior to tamoxifen (Nolvadex) in breast cancer because, unlike tamoxifen, it has no agonist properties, results of a phase III preoperative endocrine therapy trial suggest.

A new ultrasound technique called breast harmonic imaging can be successfully used to diagnose hard-to-see breast cysts,

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex), a selective estrogen-receptor modulator, or SERM, is currently the endocrine therapy of choice for all stages of hormone-responsive breast cancer. Only tamoxifen has been approved by the US Food and

BMS-247550 is a methyl, semi-synthetic analog of the natural product epothilone B. Provided to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by Bristol-Myers Squibb, BMS-247550 was chosen for clinical development because it demonstrated

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex), a selective estrogen-receptor modulator, or SERM, is currently the endocrine therapy of choice for all stages of hormone-responsive breast cancer. Only tamoxifen has been approved by the US Food and

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex), a selective estrogen-receptor modulator, or SERM, is currently the endocrine therapy of choice for all stages of hormone-responsive breast cancer. Only tamoxifen has been approved by the US Food and

SAN FRANCISCO-High-dose adjuvant chemotherapy with stem cell support provided no overall or disease-free survival benefit over standard chemotherapy in a randomized, multicenter Italian trial including 398 metastatic breast cancer patients.

SAN FRANCISCO-Administering a single dose of pegylated filgrastim (pegfilgrastim) each chemotherapy cycle is as effective as daily doses of filgrastim (Neupogen) in reducing neutropenia among breast cancer patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy, according to two studies presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

BALTIMORE-Women undergoing breast cancer treatment at the Johns Hopkins Breast Center receive extensive emotional support from breast cancer survivor volunteers, thanks to an ongoing program there. Lillie Shockney, RN, MAS, director of education and outreach, described the development and implementation of the program at a poster session at the Oncology Nursing Society’s 26th Annual Congress.

SAN FRANCISCO-High-dose chemotherapy plus stem cell rescue did not improve overall survival vs standard chemotherapy alone in women with chemotherapy-sensitive metastatic breast cancer, according to the results of a National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) trial reported at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands-In the first prospective study of its kind, prophylactic mastectomy prevented the development of breast cancer in women at high risk for breast cancer because of BRCA1/2 mutations, compared with controls who did not opt for surgery.

BALTIMORE-What is safe, efficacious, and cost-effective, not swallowed or taken intravenously, and improves a breast cancer patient’s quality of life? Exercise, according to a group of researchers who conducted a multi-institutional, prospective, randomized controlled trial examining the effects of a supervised walking regimen on breast cancer patients.

SAN FRANCISCO-Results are now emerging regarding the use of docetaxel (Taxotere) in the adjuvant breast cancer setting. A large study presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) evaluated the adjuvant use of docetaxel plus cyclophosphamide (TC 75/600 mg/m²) and found it to be better tolerated than standard doxorubicin (Adriamycin) plus cyclophosphamide (AC 60/600 mg/m²).

SAN FRANCISCO-Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 9082 has failed in its second analysis to show a survival benefit for intensive therapy and transplant in primary breast cancer patients with multiple positive axillary lymph nodes. Nevertheless, outcomes in the 785-patient study, which compared high-dose and intermediate-dose consolidation chemotherapy with alkylating agents, are superior to outcomes achieved in studies of standard-dose therapy alone, William P. Peters, MD, PhD, said on behalf of investigators in the study, which was started more than 10 years ago. Dr. Peters, director of the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, spoke at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

SEATTLE-Double reading mammograms increases breast cancer detection rates but not without substantial costs, according to a study done at Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vermont, and presented at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society.