Active clinical trials for "Breast Neoplasms"

The study uses a molecule or particle that is found only on cancer cells and is unique to cancer cells, as it is not detected on normal tissue. The molecule is known as "oncofetal antigen" or OFA. Because OFA is unique to cancer, the investigators feel OFA could be used to educate the patients' own defenses to more effectively fight the cancer on his or her own, that he or she is harboring. Although investigators found OFA to be present in large concentrations on all cancers, it was found to be especially abundant in breast cancers. Therefore, the investigators feel that this molecule would be a good target for stimulating patient defenses especially against breast cancer cells. To accomplish this, certain defense cells (immune cells)will be washed out from the patients' blood using a machine to which the patient is connected through two small cannula placed into veins located in the patients' arms those cells will be manipulated in the laboratory with artificially engineered OFA. These "reeducated" cells will be injected into the skin of patients. There will be a series of three skin injections in 4 week intervals. It is hoped that this treatment will convert the patients' defenses to a point that effective anti-cancer responses will be induced. Effectiveness of the treatment will be monitored with blood tests and assessment of the size of the cancers.

The purpose of this study is to determine how well this combination of chemotherapy drugs works with bevacizumab in eliminating primary tumor in the breast prior to surgery(pathological complete response or pCR in the breast). Bevacizumab is a drug that works by blocking new blood vessel formation by the tumor cells. Giving chemotherapy and bevacizumab before surgery may allow for lesser amount of breast tissue to be removed. To be able to predict in the future which patients are more likely to get pCR to this drug combination, specialized tests on tumor tissue will be performed.

This research study will look at the effect of an anti-angiogenesis medication called Bevacizumab on blood vessels. Anti-angiogenesis medicines fight cancer by cutting off a tumor's blood supply, starving the tumor of nutrients and oxygen. Previous studies have shown these types of drugs can cause hypertension. The purpose of this study is to help researchers better understand why these drugs cause hypertension. This information will assist researchers in learning how to control this side effect.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. It is not yet known which regimen of trastuzumab is more effective in treating early breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is comparing two trastuzumab regimens to see how well they work in treating women with HER2-positive early breast cancer.

RATIONALE: Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy using fulvestrant and exemestane, anastrozole, or letrozole may fight breast cancer by blocking the use of estrogen by the tumor cells and by lowering the amount of estrogen the body makes. Lapatinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether fulvestrant is more effective with or without lapatinib and/or aromatase inhibitor therapy in treating breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying fulvestrant with or without lapatinib and/or aromatase inhibitor therapy to compare how well they work in treating postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer that progressed after previous aromatase inhibitor therapy.

Consecutive patients with a first diagnosis of breast cancer will be identified at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC) and included into the study, if they are going to receive chemotherapy with anthracyclines and / or Trastuzumab and do not have contra-indications for the CMR study. Besides the usual clinical care for these patients (e.g. blood samples before each cycle of chemotherapy; MUGA scans to follow cardiac size and function), the patients will undergo serial contrast-enhanced CMR studies (before, during and 9-12 months after completion of the chemotherapy); patients will be seen at an outpatient clinic in the Dept. of Cardiac Sciences / Heart Function Clinic for a clinical assessment (including ECG, additional blood test like Troponin-T, BNP, 6-minute-walk-test) and recommendations will be made to medical treatment in patients with evidence for heart failure. Time points for the CMR and clinic assessments will be co-coordinated with regularly scheduled test by the TBCC to avoid unnecessary burden for the patients. The oncologists at the TBCC will be blinded to the results of the CMR studies and to laboratory results, unless the participating cardiologists identify a clinical need for communication. Standardized CMR protocols will be employed and all interpretations will be blinded to the time course of the chemotherapy and cardiotoxic side effects. We will test the hypothesis, whether CMR can be useful in patients with potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy to: Identify patients at risk for the development of grade 2-4 cardiotoxic side effects as classified by the NCI guidelines (common toxicity criteria, 2001, 1-12) Identify imaging parameters to predict early or late Cardiotoxicity Provide additional clinical information to optimize medical treatment for heart failure

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of a dietary supplement, the traditional Asian mushroom Yunzhi, as adjuvant in the treatment of patients with breast cancer.

RATIONALE: Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy using tamoxifen may fight breast cancer by blocking use of estrogen by the tumor cells. Anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane may fight breast cancer by lowering the amount of estrogen the body makes. It is not yet known whether giving tamoxifen followed by anastrozole, letrozole, or exemestane is more effective than giving anastrozole, letrozole, or exemestane alone in treating breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying giving tamoxifen followed by either anastrozole, letrozole, or exemestane to see how well it works compared to anastrozole, letrozole, or exemestane alone in treating postmenopausal women with hormone-responsive invasive breast cancer that has been completely removed by surgery.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of breast cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Giving chemotherapy and bevacizumab before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving bevacizumab after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. It is not yet known which chemotherapy regimen is more effective with or without bevacizumab in treating breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying six different chemotherapy regimens to compare how well they work with or without bevacizumab in treating women with stage I, stage II, or stage IIIA breast cancer that can be removed by surgery.

To assess the role of interstitial brachytherapy alone compared to whole breast irradiation in a defined low-risk group of invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ concerning local failure (all ipsilateral local recurrences) to affirm the hypothesis that local control rates in each arm are equivalent.