A Randomized Phase III Tial Of Paclitaxel Versus Paclitaxel Plus Bevacizumab (rhuMAb VEGF) As First-Line Therapy For Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the time to treatment failure in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer treated with paclitaxel with or without bevacizumab.
• Compare the objective response rate, duration of response, overall survival, and time to progression in patients treated with these regimens.
• Compare the toxicity of these regimens in these patients.
• Compare the quality of life of patients treated with these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, open-label, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to disease-free interval (no more than 24 months vs more than 24 months), number of metastatic sites (less than 3 vs 3 or more), treatment with prior adjuvant chemotherapy (yes vs no), and estrogen receptor status (positive vs negative vs unknown). Patients are randomized to one of two treatment arms.

• Arm I: Patients receive paclitaxel IV over 1 hour on days 1, 8, and 15 followed by bevacizumab IV over 30-90 minutes on days 1 and 15.
• Arm II: Patients receive paclitaxel as in arm I. In both arms, courses repeat every 4 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Quality of life is assessed at baseline and on day 1 of weeks 17 and 33.