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