Interactive Case Study: Treatment Options for Therapy of Metastatic Breast Cancer Pretreated With Anthracyclines and Taxanes

CASE AUTHOR

Hope S. Rugo, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Director, Breast Oncology
  Clinical Trials Program
University of California, San
  Francisco Comprehensive
  Cancer Center
San Francisco, CA

December 2007
1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™

Release date: December 18, 2007
Expiration date: December 18, 2008

Instructions for Participation

Read the following information before beginning the educational activity.
Study the educational activity.
Complete the CME test.
Answer the evaluation questions.
After successful completion of the CME test and evaluation, you will receive your certificate of credit online.

The CME test and evaluation must be completed by December 18, 2008, in order for you to receive your certificate of credit.
You will be permitted to take the online test only once.

Overview and Purpose

Although advances in chemotherapy regimens for patients with early-stage breast cancer have improved outcomes significantly, many women will still experience disease recurrence. Optimizing treatment for patients with metastatic breast cancer can be challenging because of the number of active agents and regimens and the lack of consensus regarding a single best strategy. The decision-making process is complex, involving considerations of tumor characteristics, sites of metastases, and overall performance status, as well as disease-free interval and agents to which the patient has previously been exposed. For patients resistant to anthracyclines and taxanes, current options include antimetabolites alone or in combination regimens. In an effort to expand the armamentarium of active chemotherapies, novel agents have been developed that also target the microtubules but utilize a different mechanism of action than do the taxanes for potential use in patients with taxane-resistant disease. One such class of agents, epothilones, has recently been evaluated in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

The purpose of this activity is to update physicians on treatment options for patients with metastatic breast cancer that has previously been exposed to anthracyclines and taxanes, including treatment regimens involving epothilones.

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for medical oncologists involved in the care of patients with breast cancer. No specific skills or knowledge other than a basic training in oncology are required for successful participation in this activity.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational activity, you should be able to:

Discuss diagnostic procedures for patients with recurrent breast cancer
Compare the efficacy of single-agent to combination chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer
Discuss the efficacy and safety of combination regimens including epothilones for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer that has previously been treated with anthracyclines and taxanes

Accreditation and Credit Designation

Physicians’ Education Resource is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physicians’ Education Resource designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Policy

It is the policy of Physicians’ Education Resource to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. As an organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Physicians’ Education Resource requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of an educational activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. The ACCME defines “relevant financial relationships” as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest. Physicians’ Education Resource has implemented a mechanism to identify and resolve all conflicts of interest prior to the activity.

Hope S. Rugo, MD
Paid Consultant – AstraZeneca; Genomic Health, Inc.

PER Editorial Staff
No relevant relationships to disclose

This CME activity might include discussion of investigational and/or unlabeled uses of drugs. If the activity includes discussion of investigational and/or unlabeled uses of a drug, specific information is located on the title page. Please refer to the full prescribing information for each drug discussed in this newsletter for FDA-approved dosing, indications, and warnings.

Commercial Support

An educational grant for this activity was provided by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

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Editor, Interactive Case Study: Treatment Options for Therapy of Metastatic Breast Cancer Pretreated With Anthracyclines and Taxanes
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