Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0006142 (breast cancer)
 160,383 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The aim of the study was to compare efficacy and tolerability of the new aromatase inhibitor formestane (Lentaron) with megestrol acetate (Megestat) (MGA) in postmenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer. 179 patients were randomised to receive either 250 mg formestane intramuscularly biweekly or MGA 160 mg orally daily. 51% of the patients had received tamoxifen as adjuvant treatment; 73% of the patients had positive and 16% unknown oestrogen receptor values. The response rate was 17% in both treatment arms (95% confidence interval 10-26% for formestane and 10-27% for MGA). Disease stabilisation > or = 6 months was seen in 25% of the formestane and 22% of the MGA patients. Time to treatment failure was 120 days in the formestane arm and 111 days in the MGA arm. There was no significant difference between the treatments with regard to response rate and time to treatment failure. Overall toxicity was similar in both arms, but weight gain > 3 kg (P = 0.081) and severe cardiovascular toxicity (P = 0.044) were more frequently observed with MGA, e.g. deep vein thrombosis 0/90 formestane versus 5/81 MGA cases (P = 0.022). Formestane was associated with worsening of hot flushes/sleeping problems (P = 0.051) and mild leucopenia (P = 0.004). In our study, formestane and MGA showed similar antineoplastic activity as second-line hormonal treatment for advanced breast cancer. Both drugs have a specific toxicity profile. MGA was associated with significantly more severe cardiovascular toxicity and weight increase than formestane.
 ...
PMID:Formestane versus megestrol acetate in postmenopausal breast cancer patients after failure of tamoxifen: a phase III prospective randomised cross over trial of second-line hormonal treatment (SAKK 20/90). Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK) 937 2

Observations of the pharmacology of tamoxifen and related compounds have lead to the concept of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). This new class of drug displays estrogen agonist or antagonist effects in a tissue-dependent manner and appears to offer an alternative to hormone replacement therapy for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. Moreover, the estrogen antagonist actions of SERMs on breast tissue may also provide a protective effect against breast cancer. Although tamoxifen therapy reduces plasma cholesterol levels and maintains bone density, it is also associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. This has lead to the development of newer SERMs which will hopefully lack these adverse effects of tamoxifen. These compounds promise a new era of disease prevention in the aging woman and their therapeutic potential is currently being evaluated in large-scale clinical trials.
 ...
PMID:Clinical pharmacology of selective estrogen receptor modulators. 1040 33

Thromboembolic events have recently been reported following diverse regimens of chemotherapy for breast cancer. This is a report of a 39-year-old woman, a diagnosed case of locally advanced breast cancer, who received many regimens of chemotherapy. She presented with deep venous thrombosis 2 months after starting the cisplatinum-navelbine regimen. Protein C deficiency was the only abnormal coagulation test that normalized after cessation of chemotherapy.
 ...
PMID:Acquired protein C deficiency following cisplatinum-navelbine administration for locally advanced breast cancer. Case report. 1047 34

Recent studies suggest that low molecular weight heparin (LMW heparin) therapy in malignancy may improve cancer survival following surgical resection. We studied prospectively whether cancer mortality during follow-up in women with previously untreated breast, and pelvic cancer is reduced in those who randomly received LMW heparin (Certoparin) compared to patients given unfractionated heparin (UF heparin) for thrombosis prophylaxis during primary surgery. In a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 160 patients received Certoparin and 164 UF heparin until post-operatively day 7. Survival estimations are based on the outcome data from a subset of 140 LMW heparin - and 147 UF heparin recipients. Long-term survival in the Certoparin group compared to the UF heparin group was significantly improved after 650 days (P=0. 0066) but not thereafter when analysis was performed on all cancer cell types combined. In the probability estimates survival benefit within this time was restricted to patients with pelvic cancer but was not observed in breast cancer. However, in breast cancer patients who received LMW heparin the impact of classical tumor prognostic markers was statistically significant after 1,050 days but not after 650 days. Thus, breast cancer patients with unfavorable prognosis seem to benefit in terms of survival advantage from LMW heparin within the 650 days after surgery. These results suggest that improvement in cancer survival can be achieved after even a short course of treatment with LMWH (compared to UFH) given for DVT prophylaxis in the post-operative period. An effect of UFH on disease outcome is not excluded. Further definitive trials of LMWH vs. placebo for cancer outcome (rather then DVT) using doses and schedules that may be more optimal are indicated.
 ...
PMID:Effect of low molecular weight heparin (Certoparin) versus unfractionated heparin on cancer survival following breast and pelvic cancer surgery: A prospective randomized double-blind trial. 1071 52

Tamoxifen was approved for breast cancer prevention in October 1998. Thus, for the first time, we as gynecologists are being asked to prescribe this drug to healthy women. In the past each one of us has cared for women with breast cancer who have been treated with tamoxifen by oncologists or breast surgeons for the malignancy. Effects of tamoxifen on the uterus resulting in carcinomas, hyperplasia, and polyps are well known. Furthermore, tamoxifen has estrogenic properties in the venous system, increasing the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. A new SERM (selective estrogen receptor modulator), raloxifene, has been approved for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It does not have stimulatory effects on the endometrium; however, it is estrogenic in the venous system. Preclinical data, as well as the breast cancer incidence reported in studies of the skeleton, seem to indicate that its effects in the breast are similar to those of tamoxifen. This article reviews tamoxifen and the new SERM, raloxifene, in an attempt to help gynecologists better understand each compound and what data are currently known, what we hope to learn from future studies, and what currently makes sense for clinical practice.
 ...
PMID:Drugs for the gynecologist to prescribe in the prevention of breast cancer: current status and future trends. 1081 45

(1) Three large placebo-controlled trials conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy have tested tamoxifen (20 mg/day) in primary prevention of breast cancer. The British and American trials involved women at particularly high risk. (2) Only the American trial concluded that tamoxifen was effective. The results suggested that treating 130 women with tamoxifen for 5 years would avoid two cases of invasive breast cancer, but at a cost of one severe adverse event (either deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism or uterine cancer). No impact on mortality was documented. (3) No satisfactory reason has yet been forwarded for the conflicting results of the American and British trials. The negative results of the Italian trial are difficult to interpret because of inadequate statistical power. (4) As the preventive effect of tamoxifen is at best limited, and because of uncertainties on the consequences of long-term treatment, prescribing tamoxifen for primary prevention of breast cancer is not justified. (5) Tamoxifen currently has no place in the primary prevention of breast cancer, except in the clinical trial setting.
 ...
PMID:Tamoxifen unsuitable for primary prevention of breast cancer: uncertain efficacy, clear risks. 1150 91

Reports regarding the question of whether oral contraceptive (OC) use enhances the risk of cancer or one of several serious cardiovascular disorders, i.e., thromboembolic disease, stroke, and myocardial infarction are reviewed. In 1974 the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) issued an interim report of a large prospective study involving 46,000 women. The study found a 5-fold increase in the risk of deep venous thrombosis among women taking OCs. Laboratory studies have tried to establish a direct causal relationship between OC use and altered hemostatis. In review of these studies, Bingel and Benoit reported an increased incidence of thromboembolism in OC users with blood group A. Other hemostatic alterations in OC users were also noted. Other investigators have examined the effect of OCs on antithrombin 3. In 1 study, the inhibitory activity of antithrombin 3 on factor X was significantly reduced among 57 women using the combined OCs, but there was no substantial difference in the quantity of antithrombin 3 in these women as compared with 48 women in the control group. In 1 retrospective case control study of 60 surgical patients with complications of pulmonary embolism or venous thrombosis, the risk of postoperative thromboembolism was 6.7 times greater in OC users than in 97 well matched surgical controls. The RCGP study showed that the risk of cerebrovascular disease in women using OCs was 4 times greater than in nonusers. This finding was substantiated by the Boston-based Collaborative Group for the Study of Stroke in Young Women, which observed a 2-fold increase in risk for all types of stroke among OC users. Several studies have demonstrated that serum lipids are higher in women who use OCs than in those who do not, with estrogen being implicated as the cause of the elevation. Other studies have attempted to link serum lipid elevations to myocardial infarction, but the association is unclear. Both epidemiological and laboratory studies have implicated OCs in the genesis of essential hypertension. Several studies have examined mortality trends associated with OC use. In 1 analysis of data from 21 countries, women between 15 and 44 years of age were found to have a 3-fold to 5-fold increase in cardiovascular mortality that was associated with OC use. The principle evidence that suggested a possible link between OCs and breast carcinoma derived from experiments in laboratory animals. There is no conclusive evidence that OCs cause breast cancer in humans. The association between OC use and endometrial cancer is also inconclusive at this time. A marked increase in the incidence of hepatic adenomas among OC users has also been noted recently. The following other effects associated with OC use are reviewed briefly: glucose tolerance tests; birth defects; gallbladder disease; postpill amenorrhea; laboratory tests; and drug activity. Absolute and relative contraindications for OC use are listed.
 ...
PMID:Oral contraceptive risks: a realistic appraisal. 1227 76

Barrier methods of contraception and natural family planning may pose unacceptable risks of unintended pregnancy for women with medical conditions in which pregnancy could be dangerous. Although more effective at preventing pregnancy, hormonal methods may affect the course of a chronic disease. The table that comprises this article outlines contraceptive choices and contraindications for women with the following diseases: breast cancer; endometrial, ovarian, and cervical cancer; deep venous thrombosis/pulmonary embolism; hypertension (past, moderate, or severe); diabetes (with and without vascular disease); liver disease; epilepsy; headache; and sickle cell disease.
 ...
PMID:Chronic diseases and contraceptive use. 1229 56

Anastrozole, a nonsteroidal selective aromatase inhibitor, has recently been approved in the US and several other countries for the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. In the Arimidex, Tamoxifen alone or in Combination (ATAC) trial, anastrazole 1mg was significantly more effective than tamoxifen 20mg or combined treatment (17 and 19% relative risk reduction) for disease-free survival in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer. black triangle Anastrazole was also significantly more effective than tamoxifen for time to tumour recurrence and the odds of a primary contralateral tumour as a first event. During the first 2 years of treatment with anastrozole, tamoxifen or the combination, patient quality of life was similar in all treatment groups. Compared with tamoxifen, anastrozole was associated with a significantly lower incidence of vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, hot flushes, endometrial cancer, ischaemic cerebrovascular events, venous thromboembolic events and deep vein thrombosis including pulmonary embolism; tamoxifen was associated with a lower incidence of musculoskeletal disorders and fracture.
 ...
PMID:Anastrozole: in early breast cancer. 1242 Nov 8

(1) The WHI study was published in 2002: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in more than 16 000 women with an average age of 63 years at enrollment. The paper reports data on the long-term adverse effects of combined equine estrogen-progestin hormone replacement therapy, taken for 5 years. (2) On average, a yearly excess of 19 severe adverse events per 10 000 women occurred in the estrogen-progestin group. Relative to the placebo group, there were an extra 8 pulmonary embolisms, 7 coronary events, 8 strokes and 8 cases of invasive breast cancer. In contrast, there were 6 fewer colorectal cancers and 5 fewer hip fractures in the active treatment group. (3) The differences in the frequency of coronary events and venous thromboembolism emerged after the first year of treatment, while the curves for stroke and breast cancer diverged after the second and fifth years, respectively. (4) The overall mortality rate did not differ between the two groups. (5) A placebo-controlled trial of the same hormone combination (HERS trial), given for 4.1 years as secondary prophylaxis against coronary heart disease was published in 1998. The drug was ineffective during the trial, and during unblinded post-trial follow-up of 2 321 women for an average of 2.7 years (HERS II study). (6) The estrogen-progestin combination used in these trials did not reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (in primary or secondary prophylaxis) or the risk of stroke. On the contrary, both risks increased. (7) The increased incidence of deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism associated with estrogen-progestin replacement therapy was confirmed in these trials, even among women with no relevant history. (8) The WHI trial also confirmed the increased risk of breast cancer in women on hormone replacement therapy, but did not study its impact on outcome or mortality. (9) The WHI trial confirmed the beneficial impact of estrogen-progestin combination therapy on the risk of osteoporotic fracture. An average of 5 hip fractures were avoided each year per 10 000 women treated (10 versus 15 observed cases per 10 000 women per year), together with 6 symptomatic vertebral fractures (9 versus 15 cases) and 44 osteoporotic fractures (147 versus 191 cases). It is not known whether the benefit observed at the end of the trial persisted after the end of treatment. (10) In practice, the decision to prescribe hormone replacement therapy, and the optimal duration of treatment, must be weighed up according to each individual's risk factors. And the decision to treat or not to treat must be regularly re-assessed. Women must be informed of the potential risks and benefits, and must be monitored. They should also be advised not to use less well assessed treatments such as phytoestrogens, DHEA and tibolone. (11) Health authorities, especially in Europe, must organise comparative trials to assess the benefits and risks of other hormone combinations used by perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
 ...
PMID:Postmenopausal hormone therapy: cardiovascular risks. 1267 30


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next >>