Fulvestrant and/or Trastuzumab as First-Line Therapy in Treating Postmenopausal Women With Stage IV Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

Female patient, postmenopausal, defined as a woman fulfilling any one of the following criteria:

Age 60 years or older
Age 45 years or older with amenorrhea for > 12 months with an intact uterus
Follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol levels within post-menopausal range
Having undergone a bilateral oophorectomy
Histologically or cytologically proven adenocarcinoma of the breast
Subjects must have archived rumor tissue available to compare the clinical response with tumor expression of biomarkers, such as HER-2, ER and PR; archived tissue will be used to confirm HER-2, ER and PR status, but results will not be used to determine subject eligibility for the study
HER2-positive disease
ER-positive and/or PR-positive disease
ECOG performance status 0-2
Life expectancy > 24 weeks
Left ventricular ejection fraction > lower limit of normal
No prior chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, Herceptin, or other biologic or investigational therapy for metastatic breast cancer
No more than two prior endocrine agents in the adjuvant setting as single- or sequential-therapy is permitted, but no prior Faslodex therapy is permitted. A 1-month treatment-free period is required prior to receiving the first dose of trial treatments
Prior adjuvant chemotherapy is permitted
Prior adjuvant Herceptin permitted
At least 1 month since prior surgery, radiotherapy, or endocrine therapy, with complete recovery from the effects of these interventions
Patients must have ended any hormone replacement therapy at least 1 month prior to receiving the first dose of trial therapy
Patients treated with bisphosphonates may enroll, with heir bone lesions only assessable for disease progression
Patient is accessible and willing to comply with treatment and follow-up
Patient is willing to provide written informed consent prior to the performance of any study-related procedures

Required laboratory values:

Absolute neutrophil count > 1.5 x 10^9/L
Hemoglobin > 10g/dL
Platelet count > 100 x 10^9/L
Creatinine < 2.0 mg/dL
Total bilirubin < 1.5 x upper limit of normal
AST and ALT < 2.5 x ULN

Exclusion Criteria:

Prior chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, Herceptin or other investigational therapy for metastatic breast cancer
Prior treatment with Faslodex
Concurrent therapy with any other non-protocol anti-cancer therapy
Current or prior history of brain metastases
History of any other malignancy within the past 5 years, with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer or carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix
Clinically significant cardiovascular disease, New York Heart Association Class II or greater congestive heart failure, or serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication
Prior exposure of > 360 mg/m2 doxorubicin or liposomal doxorubicin, > 120 mg/m2 mitoxantrone, > 90 mg/m2 idarubicin, or > 720 mg/m2 epirubicin
Active, uncontrolled infection requiring parenteral antimicrobials
The presence of any other medical or psychiatric disorder that, in the opinion of the treating physician, would contraindicate the use of the drugs in this protocol or place the subject at undue risk for treatment complications
Inability to comply with the study protocol or follow-up procedures
Known hypersensitivity to any of the drugs used in this protocol or to active or inactive excipients of Faslodex
History of bleeding diasthesis
Long-term anticoagulant therapy other than anti-platelet therapy, such as with warfarin