Active clinical trials for "Breast Neoplasms"

This study is being done to see if lymph nodes that drain the arm also drain the breast. An axillary lymph node dissection removes lymph nodes under the arm. It is done to help prevent cancer cells from spreading to the rest of the body. Usually, about 12 to 15 nodes are removed. They are then examined to see if they have cancer cells. Removing these lymph nodes has some side effects. The most common is lymphedema. This is the build-up of fluid in the arm. This study will tell us if it may be possible in the future to identify lymph nodes that just drain the arm. Leaving those nodes may help to reduce the rate of lymphedema for future patients.

The purpose of this pilot clinical study is to test a methodology for using high-resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging to guide vacuum-assisted core biopsy of breast abnormalities identified on PET. In order to implement the PET guidance, the study uses the Stereo Navigator accessory to the high-resolution organ-specific PET scanner (PEM Flex™ PET Scanner, Naviscan PET Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA). The Stereo Navigator is an investigational device intended for guiding biopsy needles toward lesions in breasts identified by a physician on a high resolution PET image. The study will evaluate the clinical utility of the Stereo Navigator in guiding the vacuum-assisted core biopsy of breast abnormalities, following the example of prior studies of breast biopsy guided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

This study will assess the effectiveness of CP- 751,871 when given in combination with docetaxel to women with the first occurrence of advanced breast cancer disease. The effectiveness will be measured by progression-free survival duration. Patients will be followed for 2 years from the date of randomization.

Overweight or obesity is an established negative prognostic factor in both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the adverse effect of excess body fat on prognosis following the diagnosis of breast cancer, including increased circulating sex hormones, insulin, leptin, and various growth factors. Results from previous studies suggest that specific strategies can facilitate weight reduction and maintenance of weight loss in this target population. This randomized clinical trial will recruit 253 overweight or obese women who have been previously treated for early stage breast cancer and will test whether a multifaceted approach to promoting healthy weight management can achieve the goal of weight loss and maintenance. Additionally, this study tests whether weight loss is associated with changes in biological and psychosocial factors, including eating attitudes and behaviors and health-related quality of life. The intervention incorporates cognitive-behavioral therapy, increased physical activity, diet modification to facilitate a modest reduction in energy intake, and strategies to improve body image and self-acceptance. This approach and intervention have been pilot-tested with breast cancer survivors in a developmental project, which resulted in the intervention group losing significantly more weight than the wait-list control group. Study Aims include: testing whether an intervention that emphasizes increased physical activity and individualized diet modification to promote an energy imbalance is associated with a greater degree of weight loss and maintenance of that loss over an 18-month time period; describing the effect of the intervention on hormones and growth factors; describing the relationships between body weight and weight reduction and measures of selected psychosocial factors. Measurements of hormonal and psychosocial factors in this study will provide insight into the responsiveness of these factors to weight loss in overweight or obese breast cancer survivors, which will provide an indication of the degree of clinical benefit that is achieved with the intervention efforts. Results from this study may enable the development of broader efforts transferable to clinical practice and public health, and thus, may ultimately have a substantial effect on the risk for recurrence and long-term survival of the estimated 1.98 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. today.

RATIONALE: Genistein may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy in treating pain caused by bone metastases. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects of genistein and to see how well it works in treating patients undergoing external-beam radiation therapy for pain caused by bone metastases.

RATIONALE: Everolimus may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well everolimus works in treating women with breast cancer that can be removed by surgery.

RATIONALE: Screening tests may help doctors find cancer cells early and plan better treatment for breast cancer. It is not yet known whether positron emission mammography is more effective than standard mammography in finding breast tumors. PURPOSE: This phase III trial is studying positron emission mammography to see how well it works compared with standard mammography in women undergoing screening mammogram at Boston Medical Center.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tumor tissue and blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors identify biomarkers related to cancer. Riluzole may help slow the growth of tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying riluzole in women with stage I, stage II, or stage IIIA breast cancer.

Both the calcitriol and exercise interventions are aimed at reducing fracture risk by maintaining proper bone density, thereby preventing osteoporotic/osteopenic conditions and increasing muscle mass. Both calcitriol and exercise are efficacious in maintaining proper bone health and muscle mass among the general population, but little research has been done on breast cancer patients and survivors. The combination of calcitriol and exercise, which function through different but similar mechanisms, could produce interactive effects in reducing fracture risk among breast cancer survivors. Hypothesis: A combination of calcitriol along with a structured home-based walking and progressive resistance exercise program will be efficacious in preventing bone resorption and in increasing bone formation among survivors of invasive breast cancer.

The investigators hypothesize that adjuvant metformin use in breast cancer patients with overweight or pre-diabetes mellitus (DM) may improve their body condition including weight loss. In this study, the investigators aim to test the efficacy and safety of adjuvant metformin for operable breast cancer patients with overweight or pre-DM.