Breast Cancer

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?

SEATTLE--"Is it possible that at some point in human evolution, there was some selective advantage of BRCA1 and BRCA2?" Mary-Claire King, PhD, asked during her presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Response to liarozole fumarate has been observed in patients with receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, as well as those with receptor-unknown disease, confirming the biologic efficacy of this agent. The first clinical study of the role of liarozole in

PALM SPRINGS, Calif--Data from preclinical studies of the antiestro-gen agent toremifene (Fareston), and their correlation with data from clinical studies, may provide information useful in designing trials comparing toremifene with tamoxifen (Nolvadex) as adjuvant breast cancer therapy, Michael DeGregorio, PharmD, said at the symposium.

The controversies regarding the association between hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) and cancers, the questions about HRT use in women with a high risk of breast cancer, and the increasing number of women with breast cancer and menopausal symptoms make HRT a significant cancer issue.