Metastatic breast cancer

Curr Opin Oncol. 1996 Nov;8(6):485-90. doi: 10.1097/00001622-199611000-00007.

Abstract

The management of metastatic breast cancer continues to provide enormous challenges. The taxanes have significant activity in patients with resistant disease, and combination regimens are being evaluated as first-line therapy. The combination of paclitaxel and doxorubicin appears to have substantial activity, but troublesome cardiac toxicity has been noted in a recently reported study. Docetaxel has been shown to be very active in initial phase II evaluation, notably in women with anthracycline-resistant disease. The controversy over high-dose therapy continues, and its role in the management of metastatic breast cancer outside the confines of clinical trials remains unclear. The HER-2 protein appears to be a predictive factor for patients with metastatic disease. Antibody therapy directed at this target can produce responses in a proportion of patients. Bisphosphonates appear to be beneficial to patients with lytic bony metastases when administered in conjunction with cytotoxic or hormonal therapy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adenine
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Neoplasm / therapeutic use
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Aromatase Inhibitors
  • Bone Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Bone Neoplasms / secondary
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic
  • Deoxycytidine / analogs & derivatives
  • Deoxycytidine / therapeutic use
  • Diphosphonates / therapeutic use
  • Docetaxel
  • Doxorubicin / administration & dosage
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Gemcitabine
  • Humans
  • Imides / therapeutic use
  • Intercalating Agents / therapeutic use
  • Isoquinolines / therapeutic use
  • Naphthalimides
  • Neoplasm Metastasis*
  • Neoplasm Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Neoplasm Proteins / immunology
  • Organophosphonates
  • Paclitaxel / administration & dosage
  • Paclitaxel / analogs & derivatives*
  • Paclitaxel / therapeutic use*
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Salvage Therapy
  • Taxoids*
  • Topoisomerase II Inhibitors
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Neoplasm
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Aromatase Inhibitors
  • Diphosphonates
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Imides
  • Intercalating Agents
  • Isoquinolines
  • Naphthalimides
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Organophosphonates
  • Taxoids
  • Topoisomerase II Inhibitors
  • Deoxycytidine
  • Docetaxel
  • amonafide
  • Doxorubicin
  • Adenine
  • Paclitaxel
  • Gemcitabine