title: Pemetrexed: a promising new treatment for breast cancer.
abstract: Metastatic breast cancer is a chemotherapy-responsive disease, and significant palliation of cancer-related symptoms can be achieved with effective treatment. New treatments are needed because patients with metastatic breast cancer commonly out-live the effectiveness of currently available cytotoxic and hormonal treatments. Pemetrexed is a novel antimetabolite that inhibits three enzymes critical in purine and pyrimidine biosynthetic pathways: thymidylate synthase, dihydrofolate reductase, and glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase. Several phase II studies of pemetrexed have showed objective response rates of more than 30% in minimally pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients and approximately 20% in more heavily pretreated patients. Pemetrexed is associated with limited toxicity when administered with folic acid and vitamin B(12) supplementation and is therefore a promising agent both for palliative treatment of metastatic disease and for incorporation into combination regimens for treating newly diagnosed metastatic and early-stage breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Baylor-Sammons Cancer Center, US Oncology, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Joyce A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: O'Shaughnessy
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gennari
authors.forename: PierFranco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Conte
mesh_terms: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005493:Folic Acid Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005544:Forecasting; D005971:Glutamates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006147:Guanine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D000068437:Pemetrexed
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D005493:Folic Acid Antagonists; D005971:Glutamates; D000068437:Pemetrexed; D006147:Guanine