| Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women. Although treatments for breast cancer have improved significantly, for approximately 3 in 10 patients the breast cancer cells will return at some point after treatment. For these patients, treatment options include hormone therapy (a drug which stops the body’s natural hormones from feeding the cancer), radiation therapy, chemotherapy and in some cases additional surgery. Despite these options, once the breast cancer cells have returned, the cancer becomes an incurable disease and more treatment options are needed.
A new experimental drug (known as IMC-1121B) has been shown to prevent the growth of new blood vessels, which feed the cancer cells, and thereby shrink tumours. Similar drugs have also been used in treating other cancers with notable success.
This study aims to investigate how effective and safe this new experimental drug is at treating the breast cancer cells that have returned. One half of patients will receive a standard chemotherapy drug called docetaxel. The other half of patients will receive docetaxel plus this new drug.
The ANZ 0802 / TRIO-CIRG 012 study is being conducted in approximately 30 counties world wide including Australia and New Zealand and will involve 1113 participants. The ANZ BCTG will launch this trial in Australia and New Zealand during the second half of 2009.
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