Adjuvant Treatment

Tamoxifen side effects and treatment – pro

  Tamoxifen is a venerable drug that revolutionized breast cancer care when it was first introduced. More recently, it has been largely supplanted by aromatase inhibitors(AI), but tamoxifen is still useful in pre-menopausal women, in whom AIs do not work. Tamoxifen has a variety of bothersome side effects, related mostly to forced early menopause. In the trials reviewed by Kennecke al, hot flushes were commonly reported (40% to 60%).In the MA

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Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer – pro

  Neoadjuvant chemotherapy came into vogue in the seventies and eighties, spurred on by the success of organ preservation strategies in cancers such as laryngeal and rectal cancer. It used to be thought there are two potential benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy: downstaging a breast tumor so lesser surgery can be performed - lumpectomy instead of mastectomy, and to potentially treat early occult metastatic disease and to improve survival. The

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Zoledronic acid for adjuvant therapy of breast cancer – pro

Until very recently. zoledronic acid in the adjuvant setting was only thought to be med. appropiate biannually in women on aromatase inhibitors. Recent data is beginning to change this standard. Zoledronic Acid (Zometa) study presented at the ASCO 2008 Annual Meeting, demonstrated improved outcomes for pre-menopausal breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy (some on tamoxifen), increasing disease-free survival by 36% and relapse-free

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Adjuvant herceptin alone for breast cancer – pro

Herceptin is approved for the adjuvant treatment of HER2-overexpressing, node-positive or node-negative (ER/PR-negative or with one high-risk feature) breast cancer. Herceptin can be used several different ways: As part of a treatment regimen including doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and either paclitaxel or docetaxel With docetaxel and carboplatin As a single agent following multi-modality anthracycline-based adjuvant therapy Herceptin in combination

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Adjuvant Avastin for breast cancer – pro

There is a great deal of interest in the adjuvant use of Avastin for breast cancer. Avastin is FDA approved with paclitaxel for metastatic breast cancer. FDA approved Avastin on 2/27/08 for first line treatment of metastatic cancer only. It is in several adjuvant studies; a phase II study ECOG 5103 has recently been suspended. This randomized phase III trial was studying doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel to see how well they work with

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Generic Versus Brand Name Aromasin – pro

Brand-name Aromasin is manufactured by Pfizer, Inc. However, the patent for this medicine has expired in early 2012, and it is now available in generic form. Aromasin is available in generic form in one strength: exemestane 25 mg tablets. Generic Aromasin is made by Roxane Laboratories, Inc., and Greenstone LLC. The version made by Greenstone is an "authorized generic," which means that it is actually made by Pfizer and is actually the real, brand-name

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Adjuvant Biphosphonates for Breast Cancer – pro

The bisphosphonate Zometa is approved for the treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy, as well as the treatment of documented bone metastases from solid tumors or multiple myeloma, in conjunction with antineoplastic therapy. Research has indicated that Zometa may have properties that lend to direct antineoplastic effects, an issue that is being explored in studies at present. Researchers also continue to evaluate Zometa in early stages of various

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Dose dense adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer – pro

Since 1998, the standard of adjuvant care for patients with node-positive breast cancer in the United States and other parts of the world has been treatment with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by the taxane paclitaxel.  This regimen was first administered on a schedule of once every three weeks and then, more recently, once every two weeks, after a comparative trial demonstrated improved efficacy (a 7 percent absolute improvement in disease-free

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Gemcitabine for Adjuvant Therapy of Breast Cancer – pro

Unlike for pancreatic cancer, there is not much literature regarding the use of gemcitabine for adjuvant therapy of breast cancer. One exception is the tANGo trial. The tAnGo trial was a randomized, open-label, multicenter phase III trial examining adjuvant treatment with epirubicin (Ellence)/cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) for four cycles followed by paclitaxel alone or combined with gemcitabine (Gemzar) for four cycles in patients with early-stage

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