Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Intratumoral Injection of Cisplatin for the Treatment of Isolated Mediastinal Recurrence of Lung Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2017
Ixabepilone: clinical role in metastatic breast cancer
Neelima Denduluri1, Sandra Swain
1US Oncology, Arlington, VA, USA.
Abstract:
Ixabepilone has shown promising clinical data in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and may be particularly valuable in patients showing progression after treatment with standard chemotherapy. This article reviews the developing clinical profile of ixabepilone in MBC. Unlike taxanes and anthracyclines, ixabepilone has low susceptibility to multiple mechanisms of tumor cell resistance and has activity against tumors resistant to taxanes and/or anthracyclines. In phase II studies, single-agent ixabepilone resulted in objective response rates ranging from 11.5% to 57% in patients who had locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, including patients who were treated as first-line therapy or in resistant patients who had received multiple lines of previous treatment. In two large phase III studies in women who had locally advanced or MBC pretreated with or resistant to taxanes and/or anthracyclines, a combination of ixabepilone plus capecitabine was superior to capecitabine alone in terms of progression-free survival and response rates. The efficacy of ixabepilone has also been shown in subsets, including patients with poor prognosis, the first-line metastatic setting, and in triple-negative disease. Studies are underway to investigate this agent in combination with biologics. A recent three-arm study has shown the activity and tolerability of ixabepilone plus bevacizumab; however, comparative data are not yet available. The toxicity profile of ixabepilone is generally manageable and predictable. The most common adverse events associated with ixabepilone include peripheral neuropathy and neutropenia. Ixabepilone appears to offer a promising alternative chemotherapeutic agent for patients with MBC who progress on various taxanes, anthracyclines, and capecitabine.
Insights
Ixabepilone shows efficacy in metastatic breast cancer (MBC), even in patients resistant to standard chemotherapy. This agent offers a promising alternative for MBC treatment, demonstrating manageable toxicity.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) poses significant treatment challenges, particularly in patients resistant to standard therapies like taxanes and anthracyclines.
- Ixabepilone, a novel chemotherapeutic agent, exhibits a distinct mechanism of action with reduced susceptibility to common resistance pathways.
- Understanding the clinical profile of ixabepilone is crucial for expanding treatment options in advanced breast cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the clinical development and efficacy of ixabepilone in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).
- To evaluate ixabepilone's activity in patients with disease progression after standard chemotherapy, including taxane- and anthracycline-resistant tumors.
- To assess the safety and tolerability profile of ixabepilone in the context of MBC treatment.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical data from Phase II and Phase III studies of ixabepilone in locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
- Analysis of objective response rates, progression-free survival, and overall survival in various patient populations.
- Assessment of adverse events and toxicity profiles associated with ixabepilone monotherapy and combination regimens.
Main Results:
- Phase II studies demonstrated objective response rates from 11.5% to 57% for single-agent ixabepilone in MBC patients, including those with resistant disease.
- Phase III studies showed ixabepilone combined with capecitabine was superior to capecitabine alone in progression-free survival and response rates for pretreated or resistant MBC.
- Ixabepilone demonstrated efficacy in specific subsets, including poor-prognosis patients, first-line metastatic settings, and triple-negative breast cancer.
Conclusions:
- Ixabepilone is an effective chemotherapeutic agent for metastatic breast cancer (MBC), particularly for patients progressing on or resistant to taxanes, anthracyclines, and capecitabine.
- The agent exhibits a favorable efficacy profile across various treatment settings and patient subgroups.
- Ixabepilone presents a manageable and predictable toxicity profile, with peripheral neuropathy and neutropenia being the most common adverse events.
Related Concept Videos
02:57Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
01:20Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators
Ezogabine has gained approval as an adjunctive treatment...
01:15Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules
02:38Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
01:28Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists
02:56Treatment Resistant Cancers