Docetaxel in Treating Older Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the breast
• * Metastatic disease
• Measurable disease by CT scan or MRI
• Requires first-line chemotherapy for metastatic disease
• Hormone receptor status:
• * Not specified
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 70 and over
• Sex
• Female
• Menopausal status
• Not specified
• Performance status
• Meets both of the following criteria:
• * Lawton's Instrumental Activities of Daily Living score ≥ 4
• * Katz's Activities of Daily Living score ≥ 4
• Life expectancy
• More than 3 months
• Hematopoietic
• Hemoglobin \> 10 g/dL
• Neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• ALT and AST \< 1.5 times normal
• Bilirubin normal
• Alkaline phosphatase \< 2.5 times normal
• Renal
• Creatinine clearance \> 30 mL/min
• Cardiovascular
• No congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No myocardial infarction within the past year
• No uncontrolled hypertension
• No high-risk uncontrolled arrhythmias
• Other
• Geriatric Depression Score \< 12
• No active uncontrolled infection
• No active peptic ulcer
• No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
• No inflammatory bowel disease
• No history of hypersensitivity to docetaxel or drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
• No history of significant neurologic or psychiatric disorders, including psychotic disorders, dementia, or seizures, that would preclude giving informed consent
• No familial, social, geographical, or psychological condition that would preclude study follow-up
• No definite contraindication to corticosteroids
• No other serious illness or medical condition
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No prior or concurrent trastuzumab (Herceptin\^®)
• Chemotherapy
• Prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer allowed
• More than 2 years since prior docetaxel or paclitaxel
• No other concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• No more than 1 prior hormonal therapy regimen for metastatic disease
• At least 10 days since prior hormonal therapy
• No concurrent hormonal therapy
• No concurrent chronic corticosteroids
• * Concurrent low-dose corticosteroids (≤ 20 mg/day of methylprednisolone or equivalent) allowed provided treatment was initiated \> 6 months before study entry
• Radiotherapy
• Not specified
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• More than 30 days since prior active treatment on another clinical trial
• Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed for bone metastases, osteoporosis, or osteopenia
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy
• No other concurrent investigational drugs