Abraxane Breast Cancer Treatment

Four years ago Maryann Dillon was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. “You’re just numb, any time you receive a diagnosis like that, you’re just numb,” says Maryann. Maryann says she felt like she was given a death sentence. Because her cancer spread, surgery was not an option so she began intense rounds of chemo and drug therapy. “They said that I had a year, maybe a year and a half to live. And it was diagnosed as a terminal cancer,” says

Breast cancer treatment with Abraxane could be a good option for those suffering from the disease. Four years ago Maryann Dillon was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. "You’re just numb, any time you receive a diagnosis like that, you’re just numb", she says. Maryann says "she felt like she was given a death sentence". Because her cancer spread, surgery was not an option so she began intense rounds of chemo and drug therapy.

"They said that I had a year, maybe a year and a half to live. And it was diagnosed as a terminal cancer", says Maryann who refused to give up. She tried several drugs which made her violently ill. Desperate to fight, she decided to enter a clinical trial for the investigational breast cancer treatment drug Abraxane. Oncologist, Dr. Jerald Edelman with Texas Oncology in Dallas, is Maryann’s doctor. "It’s been studied now in refractory breast cancer patients, patients who have already failed Taxol and Taxotere, which are two of the common Taxanes that are used for breast cancer. And in the clinical trials, it has shown activity even in patients who have failed initial therapy with the more common Taxol", explains Dr. Edelman.

Abraxane is given intravenously on a weekly basis. Unlike other cancer drugs, namely Taxol and Taxotere, Abraxane does not contain toxic substances. Instead, using a special technology, Abraxane contains the drug taxane paclitaxel with the body’s natural transport protein called albumin. These are made into very tiny particles, a nanoparticle, which are 1/100th the size of a red blood cell. These nanoparticles get into the vessels rapidly carrying more drug to the tumor more quickly, and less drug indiscriminately to normal, healthy cells.

"It’s almost a Trojan horse theory, where you’re delivering the toxin to the cancer cell and it’s eating and engulfing the particles. So it’s really the nanoparticle of the drug that’s exciting", says Dr. Edelman, according to whom patients, be they in New York, Newark or elsewhere, do not need to pre-medicate before or after an Abraxane treatment. Patients also usually experience less nausea post treatment thus making it a good alternative breast cancer treatment.

Maryann, who has been on Abraxane for 2 years, says it’s renewed her spirit to continue fighting. 'I’m not even supposed to be here. Every day, every day is a new day and it’s a gift". Abraxane is currently under review with the FDA for treatment of advanced breast cancer.