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About
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving paclitaxel and radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery.
PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well giving paclitaxel together with radiation therapy works in treating patients undergoing surgery for stage II or stage III breast cancer.
Full description
OBJECTIVES:
Primary
Secondary
OUTLINE:
Patients undergo blood and tissue sample collection periodically to analyze changes in cell cycle by flow cytometry; antibody assays; kinase assays for cyclin B1/CDC2; genetic assays for p53, p21, and other molecular markers; and protein expression assays by mass spectrometry.
After completion of study therapy, patients are followed periodically.
Enrollment
Sex
Ages
Volunteers
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
Histologically or cytologically documented invasive carcinoma of the breast*
Tumor ≥ 2 cm in greatest dimension (e.g., T2-4) and any nodal status (e.g., N0-3), including locally advanced disease, as defined by the following criteria:
Measurable or evaluable tumor
Planning to undergo breast conservation surgery
Willing to undergo AND is a candidate for radiotherapy, in the judgement of the treating radiation oncologist
No evidence of distant metastatic disease (e.g., lung, liver, bone, brain)
Hormone receptor status not specified
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
Prior tamoxifen as chemoprevention allowed
No prior radiotherapy to the ipsilateral breast
No prior chemotherapy
Primary purpose
Allocation
Interventional model
Masking
38 participants in 1 patient group
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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov
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