Active clinical trials for "Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms"

This trial will compare the administration of 2 cycles of paclitaxel and cisplatin (DP) versus 4 cycles of CEF as adjuvant chemotherapy for the patients with locally advanced breast cancer and who were pathological partial response to DP as neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Those who had pathological complete response to DP will be randomized to have 2 cycles of DP or have no further chemotherapy.

The purpose of this study is to determine if this combination is safe and effective in this situation especially to increase the rate of pathological complete response (PCR). Women with large tumors and or lymph node involvement at the time of initial diagnosis may benefit from receiving chemotherapy prior to surgery to shrink the tumor and to decrease the amount of tumor involvement before surgery. If chemotherapy given before breast surgery is effective in decreasing the size of the tumor, breast conserving surgery (lumpectomy) may be possible. This new combination may be better tolerated than other commonly used regimens and, to date, appears to be at least as effective.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a novel neoadjuvant regimen for invasive breast carcinoma by using the MD Anderson residual cancer burden score.To prospectively evaluate the utility of the PET scan to guide the neoadjuvant treatment and the utility of the Oncotype test as a stratifier for treatment decisons in ER+/Her2- patients. To evaluate the clinical anti-tumor activity of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy in ER+/Her2 negative patients. To evaluate the prognostic factors associated associated with pathological response as measured by the residual cancer burden tool.

MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) regulate the translation of RNAs and are implicated in cell proliferation and renewal both under physiologically normal as well as in malignant conditions. Dysregulation of specific miRNAs may be associated with either gaining oncogenic or loosing tumor suppressing functions. MiRNA dysregulation has been implicated in breast cancer tumorigenic (stem cell) and non-tumorigenic development. Therefore, miRNA profiling of treatment naïve and treatment-exposed breast tumors and sequential samples of blood/serum will allow for identification of miRNA markers of prognosis and as indicators and potential targets for personalized therapies. In this proposal, specimens from patients treated in the clinical breast cancer program on already existing protocols (IRB 05091 and 05015) will be characterized by Dr. Rossi's laboratory and collaborators, and the information gained will be applied to develop specific therapies.

A PET scan drop less than 20% in SUVs or below a certain absolute SUV value after the first course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy can predict pathological response, and could in the future lead to an early surgical intervention.

One form of breast cancer, known as inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), is characterized by diffuse erythema (redness) and edema (peau d'orange) of the breast. This type of cancer is aggressive and poorly understood. It is rare in the United States (about 4 percent of cases), but more common in Egypt and Tunisia (up to 23 percent of cases). Conducting a case-control study of IBC is complicated by several factors, including the lack of standardized criteria for IBC. In addition, collecting pre-chemotherapy tissue and blood samples from IBC patients is difficult because treatment begins immediately after diagnosis. In this pilot study, the National Cancer Institute will collaborate with two major cancer centers and two hospitals (in Egypt and Tunisia) to determine the feasibility of a case-control study of IBC. The study will assess the number and characteristics of IBC cases, the feasibility of identifying cases at diagnosis, and the availability of control subjects; will collect frozen pre-treatment tumor tissue from five IBC cases to determine whether RNA isolation is possible; will obtain digital photographs of the breasts of IBC cases; and will demonstrate collaboration between the institutions and personnel involved in the study. The study will last for approximately one year. Participating hospitals will identify IBC cases. Consenting patients will undergo a breast examination in which the examining surgeon will complete an Initial Examination Form (IEF). Digital photographs of the breasts (but not face) will be taken and linked to the study ID number. Tissue examination results will be entered into the IEF. For five selected cases, additional pre-treatment tumor tissue will be collected and frozen. This pilot study will assess the availability of controls for a case-control study by investigating the number and type of admissions to the Ear, Nose, and Throat and Ophthalmology Departments at participating hospitals during 2000-2003, using computerized records.

This study, conducted by the NCI and the George Washington University Medical Center (GWUMC), will examine breast tissue from patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) for tumor markers and factors associated with angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels that is essential for tumor growth and spread. IBC is an extremely rare, aggressive form of breast cancer that disproportionately affects young women. The risk factors for IBC, its cause, and how it develops are unknown, but the disease appears to involve a high degree of angiogenesis. Tissue specimens for this study will be obtained from GWUMC's Inflammatory Breast Cancer Registry and Biospecimen Repository. The registry was established to develop a national registry of patients with IBC that includes standardized clinical, epidemiological, and pathological information, along with disease recurrence and survival data. For this study, tissue specimens from the repository will be tested for biological markers and angiogenesis parameters to help in the classification of the tumors. Biological markers (such as estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, the p53 gene, and others) and angiogenesis parameters (such as various proteins involved in vessel formation) will be examined to determine their prevalence in tissue specimens and their relationship to patient survival. When possible, the findings will be compared with non-IBC tissue samples.

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare, poorly understood and particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. Three characteristics of IBC tumors their rapid progression, their extensive formation of new blood vessels, and the fact that these characteristics are present from the inception of the tumor make it an ideal model for studying factors associated with tumor aggressiveness. This study is a collaboration among several institutions in the United States and North Africa that have extensive epidemiological experience and experience with IBC. Objectives: - To understand what causes certain types of breast conditions, including IBC. Eligibility: - Women 18 years of age and older with IBC and non-IBC and healthy women volunteers are eligible. Women who have had a previous diagnosis of any kind of breast cancer are excluded. Design: Participants complete a questionnaire providing information about their background, including medical and reproductive history, family health history and lifestyle habits and undergo the following additional procedures: Height, weight, hip and chest measurements. Saliva sample collection to measure biological factors that may be related to breast conditions. Breast examination and, if permission is given, photographs of affected breast. Analysis of biopsied tissue for genetic and biochemical factors.

Inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC) is an extremely rare, aggressive form of breast cancer that disproportionately impacts young women. IBC often affects the skin of the breast, as well as the breast itself, making it appear inflamed. The purpose of this study is to collect data and information on IBC patients so that researchers can study factors associated with IBC. The data and information collected will be used to establish the IBC Registry, a private cancer registry. Approximately 300 persons who are 18 years or older and who have been diagnosed with IBC will participate in this study. Participants will provide researchers with access to their medical and pathology records, slides, tissue, and x-rays. They also will consent to a 15-minute telephone interview concerning general information about themselves and the initial manifestation of IBC and to a 30-minute interview about their medical history.