Active clinical trials for "Breast Neoplasms"

Aromatase Inhibitors (AI) are effective for secondary prevention of breast cancer and may soon replace tamoxifen as first-line therapy in the treatment of hormone-sensitive breast cancer. However, because these medications produce a marked reduction in serum estrogen levels, this is likely to result in an increased rate of bone loss and risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures in postmenopausal women treated with these agents. Indeed, substantial bone loss has been reported in several large clinical trials of AIs. Osteoporosis drugs are available that could prevent this loss, but they have frequent side effects and are expensive. Thus, treating all women receiving AIs might not be the most appropriate and cost-effective approach. A better approach might be to select women at highest risk of bone loss and only treat them with antiresorptive agents. The proposed pilot study will evaluate women who receive anastrozole or letrozole therapy, are receiving adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D and have baseline normal or moderately low bone mass in order to determine if early changes in bone turnover markers correlate with bone loss at one year. If data from this pilot protocol support our hypothesis, then we would propose a larger trial to confirm it. The ultimate aim is to predict which women are at higher risk of bone loss and therefore treat them earlier with bone-sparing agents, while those with lower risk could be monitored on conservative therapy.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether hCG will result in a decrease in breast density. High breast density has been associated with an increased risk in breast cancer. It has also been shown that decreasing density with a drug called tamoxifen has resulted in a decreased risk in breast cancer. The investigators are looking at the effect of hCG on breast density in people who are at increased risk of developing breast cancer and our theory postulates that through the hormonal actions of hCG and tamoxifen there would be a greater reduction in breast density in patients who are treated with hCG and tamoxifen versus patients treated with tamoxifen alone. Using this data the investigators will be able to hypothesize that the treatment of hCG will result in a reduction in breast cancer rates in the population and thus make available another drug which can be used to decrease the rates of breast cancer in the population

Young women with breast cancer have an increased breast tissue density and conventional imaging tests such as mammography and breast ultrasound are less sensitive and specific for detecting breast cancer than in older breast cancer patients. Breast MRI is an emerging tool that has been proven to improve the ability to identify breast cancers by determining the extent of disease and also detect multifocal, multicentric and bilateral breast cancers. To date, the role of pre-operative breast MRI is not clearly defined. The investigators are proposing a study to evaluate the impact of preoperative breast MRI on surgical decision-making in breast cancer patients <= 50 years. This may lead to improved characterization of breast cancers in these younger patients that may ultimately result in lower local recurrence rates in the future. The additional information attained through the breast MRI may also guide the use of radiation, chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy in these patients.

RATIONALE: Gathering information about psychological and social adjustment after radiation therapy in patients with cancer may help doctors plan the best treatment. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying psychosocial adjustment after radiation therapy in patients with breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, or prostate cancer.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tumor tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer. It may also help doctors predict how patients will respond to treatment. PURPOSE: This laboratory study is looking at biomarkers in predicting outcome in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, node-positive breast cancer treated with tamoxifen with or without cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and fluorouracil.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of nipple fluid, urine, and blood in the laboratory from patients with cancer and from patients at risk of developing cancer may help doctors identify and learn more about biomarkers related to cancer. It may also help doctors learn more about breast cancer and identify patients at risk of developing breast cancer. PURPOSE: This laboratory study is looking at biomarkers in nipple fluid, urine, and blood samples from women with newly diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ or stage I or stage II breast cancer and in women at risk of developing breast cancer.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tumor tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer. It may also help doctors predict whether cancer will come back after treatment. PURPOSE: This laboratory study is identifying genes that may help predict recurrence in women with breast cancer treated with chemotherapy.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood and pleural or peritoneal fluid from patients with metastatic breast cancer in the laboratory may help doctors identify biomarkers related to breast cancer and learn more about how breast cancer begins and spreads in the body. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at a new way of identifying circulating breast cancer cells in blood and in pleural or peritoneal fluid in women with metastatic breast cancer.

RATIONALE: Changing the genes in laboratory mice to create a living model of human breast cancer may help doctors learn more about breast cancer. PURPOSE: This research study is developing mouse models of breast cancer using tissue samples that were previously collected from women with breast cancer.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood in the laboratory from patients with current or previous cancer may help doctors learn more about biomarkers related to cancer. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at blood samples in women with breast cancer or a history of breast cancer.