Active clinical trials for "Breast Neoplasms"

The purpose of this study is to verify the effect of the intervention of a program of physical exercises and health education in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether biomarkers could be found to gain more insight in tumor characteristics in order to predict which patients will have a high chance of a long progression-free survival. Postmenopausal patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer who have progressed on anastrozole or letrozole will be eligible for this study.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of early individualized psychosocial assets versus a standard support on social inequalities in the rate of return to work

The purpose of this study is to determine in-vivo the effects the contralateral superficial inferior epigastric vascular system has on the perfusion of Zone IV of deep inferior epigastric perforator flaps.

Study Hypothesis: EW02 is a polysaccharide-enriched crude extract from black soybean (BS). BS has been used extensively by the Chinese as food or traditional Chinese medicine for hundreds of years. It has been used as monotherapy to treat Diabetes, menorrhagia and leukorrhea. In combination with others, BS has been used to treat chemotherapy-induced leukopenia on more than 300 pts. The daily doses were 15g bid to 50g tid for 21 days. Side effects were generally mild, including epigastric discomfort, numbness, insomnia, and dry mouth. Recently BS was found to promote myelopoiesis and inhibit tumor growth through immunomodulation. In vitro assays showed BS-PS can stimulate production of cytokines and increase blood progenitors. In vivo studies also demonstrated that BS-PS can reduce neutropenia in mice received 5-FU by stimulating myeloid colony formation. We hypothesize that EW02 can reduce neutropenia in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy without side effects.

Hispanic women are 20% more likely to die of breast cancer than non Hispanic white women who are diagnosed at a similar age and stage. One reason for this disparity may be differences in post diagnosis dietary behaviors. In order to reduce this disparity, and to improve overall survivorship, culturally appropriate dietary interventions that teach women how to eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat need to be developed for Hispanic breast cancer survivors. The investigators propose to conduct a randomized controlled study (n=70, 35 per arm) to test the effects of the ¡Cocinar para su salud! program on changing dietary behaviors among Hispanic breast cancer survivors who have recently completed treatment. The ¡Cocinar para su salud! program is a 12 week course that provides hands on education and instruction in nutrition education, meal preparation, and food shopping in a group setting. All participants will be followed for a total of 12 months, have clinical assessments at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, and monthly telephone contacts using motivational interview techniques. The Primary Aims are to determine the effect of the dietary intervention (¡Cocinar para su salud! program) vs. control (standard written nutrition education materials for cancer survivors) on 1) daily servings of fruit/vegetable, and 2) daily servings of fat intake from baseline to 6 months. The investigators hypothesize that the dietary intervention will result in a larger increase of fruit and vegetable intake and a larger reduction of fat intake, when compared to the control group. Secondary Aims are to determine the effect of the dietary intervention vs. control on 1) biomarkers of fruit and vegetable intake, molecular biomarkers associated with breast cancer risk, and anthropometric measures at 6 and 12 months; 2) fruit/vegetable and fat intake at 12 months; 3) mediators of dietary change, including readiness to change, outcome expectations, perceived self efficacy, food and nutrition skills, self regulation skills, and barriers to adherence; and 4) changes in quality of life and anxiety/depression at 6 and 12 months.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether calcitriol supplementation may reduce tumor cell proliferation and influence gene expression profile of breast cancer samples from post-menopausal patients.

A majority of women with breast cancer receive radiation therapy, and many of them experience the debilitating side effects of fatigue and insomnia. There is a need for an effective treatment that could ameliorate these symptoms and improve quality of life in the radiation therapy population. The primary purpose of the proposed research is to study the impact of massage therapy as a tool for the management of fatigue and insomnia experienced by women diagnosed with breast cancer and receiving radiation therapy. The secondary purpose is to explain, at the biochemical level, the effect of therapeutic massage on the level of fatigue and insomnia in radiation therapy patients. Prior studies have shown an association between fatigue and insomnia in the breast cancer patient following radiation therapy and the presence of inflammation as evidenced by increased proinflammatory cytokine production. The investigators hypothesize that therapeutic massage will ameliorate the symptoms of fatigue and insomnia associated with radiation therapy, and will be associated with a reduction in the plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6),soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R/CD126), and C-Reactive Protein (CRP). This reduction in proinflammatory biomarkers will be due to the activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway via the activation of the vagus nerve.

Physical activity programs, when offered in research settings, have been shown to improve quality of life and reduce fatigue among breast cancer survivors. The investigators are training Reach to Recovery volunteers at the American Cancer Society (New England Division) to provide a 12-week telephone-based physical activity program (RTR Plus) for breast cancer survivors. The comparison group of survivors will receive Reach to Recovery services (RTR). Physical activity, fatigue and other outcomes will be examined among 108 breast cancer survivors at the start of the program, at 12 weeks and 24 weeks. If the physical activity program is found to be effective, there is a potential for dissemination among the 13,000 Reach to Recovery volunteers across the U.S.

RATIONALE: Hormone replacement therapy may be effective in relieving symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, without causing a recurrence of breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying hormone replacement therapy to see how well it works in relieving symptoms of menopause in postmenopausal women with previous stage I or stage II breast cancer.