title: Evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of ixabepilone for the treatment of breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chemotherapeutic agents, such as anthracyclines, taxanes and fluoropyrimidines, have significantly improved the outcome of breast cancer patients. However, mechanisms of resistance limit the effectiveness of these drugs. The microtubule-stabilizing agent ixabepilone has been approved for treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients resistant or refractory to taxanes, anthracycline and capecitabine.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this review, we summarized data on pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, preclinical and clinical studies of ixabepilone in breast cancer. This article was compiled through searches on ixabepilone up to March 2015 in the PubMed and the clinicaltrials.gov databases; the FDA and European Medicine Agency (EMA) websites; and the ASCO and AACR proceedings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ixabepilone is a well-tolerated and effective drug in MBC at the approved dose. The most important challenges that ongoing clinical trials are still addressing are: the optimal dosing schedule that might improve the risk/benefit ratio, the clinical efficacy of ixabepilone in early breast cancer, the efficacy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients and the identification of biomarkers predictive of response.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale"-IRCCS, Cell Biology and Biotherapy Unit , Naples , Italy +39 081 5903826 ; +39 081 5903826 ; antoneldel@hotmail.com ; a.deluca@istitutotumori.na.it.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Alessio
authors.forename: Monica Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Maiello
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chicchinelli
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pergameno
authors.forename: Maria Sofia
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Piccirilli
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Normanno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D034261:Epothilones / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D050257:Tubulin Modulators / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D034261:Epothilones; D050257:Tubulin Modulators; C430592:ixabepilone
keywords: breast cancer; chemotherapy; ixabepilone; microtubule-stabilizing agents; pharmacokinetics