EGb761 in Maintaining Mental Clarity in Women Receiving Chemotherapy for Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Newly diagnosed breast cancer
• Planned standard doses of adjuvant chemotherapy with or without a taxane
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Sex
• Female
• Menopausal status
• Any status
• Performance status
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-1
• Life expectancy
• At least 6 months
• Hematopoietic
• No bleeding diathesis
• Hepatic
• serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 1.5 times ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN
• Cardiovascular
• No arterial vascular disease
• Other
• Able to complete questionnaires alone or with assistance
• No diabetes
• No dementia
• No diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder within the past 5 years that would preclude study compliance
• No other significant comorbidity
• No known allergy to ginkgo biloba
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No concurrent stem cell transplantation
• Chemotherapy
• No concurrent high-dose chemotherapy
• Other
• More than 6 months since prior EGb761
• No concurrent antithrombotic therapy (e.g., daily aspirin or anticoagulants)
• * Anticoagulants used for central or peripheral line maintenance (i.e., warfarin 1 mg/day or heparin flushes) allowed
• No concurrent dose-intensive regimens
• No concurrent aspirin or aspirin-like medicines (e.g., indomethacin, ibuprofen, or some antihistamines or heparin or warfarin \[except as used above\])
• No concurrent regimen expected to cause thrombocytopenia
• No concurrent trazodone, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or thiazide diuretics (e.g., chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide, or metolazone)