Active clinical trials for "Breast Neoplasms"

The purpose of this study is to test the acceptability, feasibility and explore the possible effects of an early physical therapy education intervention for breast cancer survivors.

This study will test the feasibility and acceptability of increasing PA in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients using a smartphone app, fitbit and coaching.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of sukshma vyayama joint loosening yoga in improving aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia in post-menopausal breast cancer survivors and secondarily, to evaluate the feasibility of delivering the intervention on Facebook.

A 16 weeks 3-weekly supervised and adapted physical exercise program will be applied to breast cancer survivors in surveillance and, in estrogen receptor positive cases, under hormonotherapy. The program will be applied in group classes of 20 participants, in the facilities of one local gymnasium, by fitness instructors included in the investigation team. Investigators will evaluate the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), physical activity, cardiopulmonary fitness, upper limb strength and lower limb functionality. The investigators also aim to evaluate the safety of the program and oncological outcomes such as symptoms related to disease and its treatment and, also, overall survival and disease free survival.

Metformin, a drug that has been used since the 1950's in the treatment of diabetes, has recently generated great interest in its anticancer effects based on in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies. This study assesses the pharmacodynamic effects of metformin on breast cancer metabolism. The trial design is based on a 2 centre study 'Early Antiangiogenic Response to Bevacizumab in Primary Breast Cancer' that is about to successfully complete recruitment in Oxford and Mount Vernon hospitals. The study takes advantage of the 2 week window between the first clinic visit and commencement of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Metformin will be given to patients for at least 2 weeks prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with a set of 3 breast core biopsies, a PET-CT scan and blood tests carried out before and after this 2 week period of treatment. Patients will also receive a drink of heavy (deuterated) water, a safe and stable isotope commonly used in clinical lipid metabolism studies, the evening prior to both sets of core biopsies. Having completed the first 2 weeks of metformin patients will have the option of continuing metformin until completion of chemotherapy, at the discretion of the trial physician. The core biopsies will then be used to assess for changes in: immunohistochemical staining; gene profiles; uptake of heavy water into tumour fatty acids using mass spectrometry techniques. The aim is to identify potential biomarkers of response to metformin (and other future cancer metabolism drugs).

Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women. Black women are less likely than white women to develop breast cancer but, they are more likely to die of the disease. Some of this survival discrepancy is likely due to underuse of adjuvant therapies proven to increase survival. Breast cancer treatment often requires coordination among surgeons, pathologists, primary care physicians, medical and radiation oncologists. In NYC, black and Hispanic women who accessed care and underwent surgical treatment of their breast cancer were twice as likely as whites to experience underuse of adjuvant treatment. Disturbingly, 1/3 of these underuse cases were episodes in which the surgeon recommended treatment, the patient did not refuse and yet, care did not ensue. Underuse in such circumstances is attributable to system failures than to specific provider or patient factors. In this proposed randomized controlled trial, the investigators aim to test the effectiveness of a Tracking and Feedback (T&F) registry innovation to increase rates of completed oncology consultation and reduce both underuse of needed adjuvant therapy and racial disparities in receipt of these treatments. The investigators also aim to assess the feasibility of implementing a T&F Registry in these high-risk hospitals by evaluating implementation effectiveness for that innovation. The investigators have recruited 10 hospitals that serve large proportions of minority women with breast cancer. The investigators will randomize hospitals and aim to recruit 354 women with a new breast cancer, 177 per intervention arm. The investigators choose these "high risk" hospitals because they serve predominantly minority populations, and such hospitals have higher rates of the system failure cause of underuse, and particularly, the type of underuse targeted by our Tracking and Feedback Registry.

Younger women with breast cancer experience substantially greater distress and depressive symptoms than older women. These symptoms can hamper recovery and healthy behaviors that can reduce the risk of recurrence and/or other chronic diseases. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a mindfulness meditation-based intervention for this at-risk group of women. The investigators hypothesize that a structured program of mindfulness meditation will lead to significant improvements in psychological well-being (i.e., depression, stress), with corresponding improvements in health behaviors and biomarkers of cancer risk, in women diagnosed with breast cancer, prior to age 50. The investigators will also examine mechanisms for intervention effects, including increased mindfulness and ability to relax.

Research into treatments for breast cancer relies more and more on an understanding of how the cells of tumor tissue act when they are exposed to a new or different drug. To find these new or different drugs to treat cancer, researchers are looking at proteins that help cancer cells grow, such as a group of proteins called Kinases. In this study the investigators want to look at the activity of kinases when a particular experimental drug called GSK1120212 is administered. GSK1120212 blocks a kinase called MEK. GSK1120212 is not yet approved by the FDA for use in breast cancer patients. The investigators want to give subjects GSK1120212 for a short period of time (one week) to see how MEK and the other kinases function in cancer cells both before and after the study drug is given. This study is not intended to treat cancer, it is looking at ways that the investigators may treat cancer in the future.

As studies continue to debate the effects of quality of life on survival, increased attention is being focused on investigating complementary alternative therapies to boost overall total health in cancer patients . Art therapy is an interesting growing field, which has shown promise to positively influence quality of life in the pediatric and adult oncology population alike. As there is a paucity of well controlled complete studies in this field, the investigators propose to study the impact of art therapy sessions in women with breast cancer with quantitative and qualitative analysis of emotional health and physical symptoms. The results of the investigators study will have widespread applicability to oncology programs that wish to offer/implement such sessions to their palliative and non-palliative outpatients in an effort to address the important concept of whole person care.

RATIONALE: Zoledronic acid may prevent bone loss and help prevent or lessen musculoskeletal symptoms in women receiving hormone therapy for breast cancer. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well zoledronic acid works in preventing musculoskeletal symptoms in post-menopausal women with stage I, stage II, or stage III breast cancer receiving letrozole.