Valproic Acid in Combination With FEC100 for Primary Therapy in Patients With Breast Cancer

Summary

The drugs FEC 100 (5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide) are one of the approved options to treat Locally Advanced or Primary Metastatic Breast Cancer. In this study, the investigators will add another drug called Valproic Acid (VPA) to see whether this makes the treatment better. The addition of Valproic Acid to chemotherapy has been studied in about 65 subjects with cancer and was found to be safe and tolerable. Valproic Acid is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of seizures, mood swings, and migraine headaches. It is not currently approved for cancer, which is why the investigators are conducting this study. The results of a Phase I study of Valproic Acid and FEC100 in subjects with cancer that has spread has led the investigators to believe that this combination is better than just the standard treatment alone. The investigators are now testing the combination in a study with subjects who have either a large tumor, many lymph nodes involved or patients whose tumor has spread. In addition to the treatment, a main goal of the study is to find out which subjects will benefit from this combination. In the Phase I trial the investigators noticed that while this combination appears to make the chemotherapy more effective, it did not appear to cause more side effects induced by the chemotherapy.

Timeline

Start

2008-12-10

Primary completion

2010-12-12

Completion

2011-07-29

Drugs

Indications