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Florida Hospital Cancer Institute Offers Clinical Trial Targeting Aggressive Form of Breast Cancer
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ORLANDO, Fla. February 2011- Florida Hospital Cancer Institute (FHCI) is the only site in Florida to offer a clinical trial for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer that utilizes a combination of chemotherapy drugs with two drugs that specifically target the HER2 protein in the body, a growth factor receptor which promotes the growth of cancer cells. Approximately 40,000 women are diagnosed with this aggressive form of breast cancer every year. Early results show the use of this therapy prior to surgical removal of the tumor potentially destroys microscopic cancerous tumor cells that might otherwise spread if chemotherapy is only used after surgery.
Due to a gene mutation, the cancer cells make an excess amount of HER2 protein, causing the cancer to be more aggressive and less receptive to hormone treatment. Studies have shown the use of drugs that specifically target the HER2 protein, like herceptin or tykerb, are effective. By combining the two, a sandwich effect may be achieved to interfere the HER2 receptor. However, the FDA has only approved the use of one of the protein-inhibiting drugs, herceptin, with traditional chemotherapy drugs like docetaxel and carboplatin.
"Nearly 25 percent of breast cancer patients are diagnosed with this form of cancer, so this trial is important in testing the safety, tolerability and effectivness of a chemotherpy drug combination for HER2 positive breast cancer," said Dr. Rebecca Moroose, principal investigator for this trial at FHCI.
This clinical trial from the University of California Los Angeles, affliated with Translational Research in Oncology and Translational Oncology Research International, is currently being conducted in 13 sites nationally.
A preliminary report detailing results of this trial was recently presented at the national breast cancer meetings in San Antonio, Texas in December of 2010. Dr. Lee Zehngebot, one of Florida Hospital's oncology physicians, was one author of the abstract. Dr. Robert Reynolds, Dr. David Molthrop and Dr. Linda Lukman are amongst the other Florida Hospital physicians that have enrolled patients in this clinical trial.
For more information on this clinical trial, please contact (407) 303-2859 or visit www.floridahospitalcancer.com/clinical-trials.
For media inquiries only, please contact Florida Hospital Media Relations at (407) 303-8217.
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