Ixabepilone and Cyclophosphamide as Neoadjuvant Therapy in HER-2 Negative Breast Cancer

We propose to evaluate ixabepilone in combination with cyclophosphamide for the neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced breast cancer. In this regimen, ixabepilone is substituted for docetaxel, since preclinical and clinical studies suggest that ixabepilone is more active than either docetaxel or paclitaxel. The combination of ixabepilone and cyclophosphamide could further improve the efficacy of non-anthracycline neoadjuvant therapy.