New Drug Option for Late-Stage Breast Cancer Patients (American Cancer Society)

New Drug Option for Late-Stage Breast Cancer Patients (American Cancer Society)
There's good news for advanced breast cancer patients whohaven'tresponded to current chemotherapy drugs.
RESOURCES:
Detailed Guide: BreastCancer
UnderstandingChemotherapy: A Guide For Patients And Families
BreastCancer Treatment Decision Tools
After a swift 6-month priority review, the Food and DrugAdministration put its stamp of approval on ixabepilone(IxempraTM), a new chemotherapy drug shown to reduce tumor sizeand slow tumorgrowth in some patients with metastatic or locally advanced breastcancer.
The new drug, developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is approved for use incombination with another chemotherapy drug capecitabine, in patientswho haven't had success with an anthracycline (like doxorubicin orepirubicin) and a taxane (like paclitaxel or docetaxel), and as astandalone option for patients who have exhausted all 3 options (ananthracycline, a taxane, and capecitabine).
The FDA review was based on studies of ixabepilone alone andin combination with capecitabine. In a study of 126 breast cancerpatients who received ixabepilone alone, 12% saw a significant decreasein the size of their tumors. In a randomized trial of 752 patients whotook both ixabepilone and capecitabine, tumor growth slowedsignificantly compared to patients who were taking capecitabine alone.
Ixabepilone belongs to a class of drugs known as epothiloneanalogs, which work by binding to and interfering with microtubules,structures that play a key role in cell division. The net effect is aslowing of the growth of cancer cells in the body.
Ixabepilone is given by intravenous infusion over 3 hoursevery 3 weeks. One of the possible side effects of taking ixabepiloneis bone marrow suppression, so it is not recommended for patients whohave low white blood cell or platelet counts. Other possible sideeffects include numbness or tingling in the hands or feet,constipation, nausea, vomiting, and muscle and joint pain.