Oral Drug Promising for Breast Cancer

In two large, multicenter phase II studies involving more than 230 patients, an oral drug showed a response rate of 20-25% in breast cancer patients who had failed treatment with other drugs. A paper on the drug, published in The Oncologist (2001;6:1), was authored by Dr. Joanne L. Blum, of U.S. Oncology (Dallas, TX, USA).

The drug is an oral, enzymatically activated fluoropyrimidine called capecitabine (Xeloda, Hoffman-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland; www.hoffmanlaroche.com) and mimics another drug (5-fluorouracil) requiring infusion into the vein. In addition to being more convenient for patients and nurses, the drug is activated by an enzyme that is more active in tumors than normal tissue, meaning it can generate more of the drug directly into the tumor, reducing side effects such as hair loss and bone-marrow suppression. Dr. Blum says that additional ongoing clinical trials should help further define the drug's role alone and in combination with other agents.

The Oncologist is a medical journal for doctors treating cancer. Its online edition can be found at www.TheOncologist.com.


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