Ixabepilone as monotherapy or in combination for the treatment of advanced breast cancer

Review

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Authors: Erin M Bertino, Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy

Published Date May 2010 Volume 2010:2 Pages 13 - 23

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/BCTT.S5430

Erin M Bertino, Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Abstract: Advanced breast cancer represents a therapeutic challenge for oncologists. Chemotherapy with anthracyclines and taxanes has improved survival in this setting, but resistant and refractory disease is common. Ixabepilone, an epothilone, is a recently approved chemotherapeutic agent, both as a single agent and in combination with capecitabine, with efficacy in patients with resistant advanced disease. In this review, the distinctive properties of this drug are discussed, as well as the clinical evidence of efficacy. Ongoing clinical trials are exploring the role of ixabepilone in several clinical settings: neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and novel combinations.

Keywords: chemotherapy, solid tumor, metastatic disease, neoadjuvant chemotherapy

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