Home → Symptoms & Diagnosis → Types of Breast Cancer → Ask-the-Expert Conferences: Types of Breast Cancer → October 2006: Inflammatory Breast Cancer → Clinical trials for IBC with brain metastases?

Clinical trials for IBC with brain metastases?

Page last modified on: October 13, 2008

Question from AllanJeffry: Are there any clinical trials available at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center that would benefit an IBC patient who has received treatment as you've outlined yet now has evidence of recurrence in the chest and brain metastases? Now evidently a stage IV patient.: Answers —Gabriel Hortobagyi, M.D., F.A.C.P.: In general terms, most clinical trials unfortunately do not include patients with brain metastases, mostly because of safety concerns. So at this point, and without looking at my priority list, I can't think of a specific clinical trial for patients with inflammatory breast cancer and brain metastases. We might have a clinical trial of new drugs for patients with metastatic brain cancer and brain metastases, and whether a particular patient could be a candidate would require a more in-depth assessment for all the relevant information. The right person to call for this would be Dr. Stacy Moulder at 713-792-2817, or Dr. Massimo Cristofanilli at the same number.; Thomas Buchholz, M.D.: If the patient has brain metastases and has yet to receive treatment for them, it might be best to have their oncologist assess their overall performance status and the safety of traveling to a different institution, or whether they should receive radiation treatment to the brain.

On Wednesday, October 18, 2006, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Gabriel Hortobagyi, M.D., Thomas Buchholz, M.D., and moderator Jennifer Sabol, M.D. answered your questions about inflammatory breast cancer, a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, M.D., F.A.C.P. chairs the department of breast medical oncology and directs the Breast Cancer Research Program at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he also serves as professor of medicine and holds the Nellie B. Connally Chair in Breast Cancer.

Thomas A. Buchholz, M.D. is professor of radiation oncology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Buchholz' research includes the role of radiation treatment in preventing breast cancer recurrence and whether certain genes may be able to predict how breast cancer responds to treatment.

Jennifer Sabol, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a breast surgeon who directs the newly developed Breast Care Center at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pa. Among her many interests, Dr. Sabol spearheads several research initiatives to advance the care for women with breast cancer and improve methods of breast cancer detection and treatment.