Background:
- Ixabepilone is a member of the class of drugs called epothilones. These drugs interfere
with the ability of cancer cells to replicate.
- Epothilones are similar to taxanes, another class of drugs, which includes the drug
Taxol. Taxol is widely used to treat a variety of cancers.
- Ixabepilone can work in cells that are resistant to Taxol.
Objectives:
- To determine whether ixabepilone is effective for treating cervical cancer.
Eligibility:
- Women 18 years of age or older with cervical cancer.
Design:
- Patients receive ixabepilone intravenously (through a vein) over 60 minutes on the first
5 days of each 21-day treatment cycle. Their dosage may be adjusted according to how
their bodies respond to the drug.
- The number of cycles each woman receives depends on her response to the treatment.
- Patients have CT (computed tomography) scans and other tests before starting treatment
and then every other treatment cycle to determine the response of the tumor to
ixabepilone.
- Patients who can undergo a tumor biopsy (surgical removal of a sample of tumor tissue)
are asked to have a biopsy done before starting treatment with ixabepilone and again on
the fourth or fifth day of treatment. This procedure is optional.