Positron Emission Tomography Using 3'-Deoxy-3'-(18F) Fluorothymidine in Treating Women With Locally Advanced Cancer in One Breast Who Are Receiving Chemotherapy

RATIONALE: Diagnostic procedures, such as positron emission tomography (PET) using 3'-deoxy-3'-(18F) fluorothymidine, may be effective in assessing the response to chemotherapy before surgery in treating locally advanced breast cancer.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well positron emission tomography using 3'-deoxy-3'-(18F) fluorothymidine works in treating women with locally advanced cancer in one breast who are receiving chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

* Evaluate the efficacy of positron emission tomography (PET) utilizing 3'-deoxy-3'-(18F) fluorothymidine (\^18F-FLT) to correctly identify response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with locally advanced unilateral breast cancer.
* Correlate PET-\^18F-FLT results with histological response.

Secondary

* Evaluate the correlation of early changes in tumor uptake of \^18F-FLT after the first course of chemotherapy with complete response after treatment completion.
* Evaluate the correlation of early changes in tumor uptake of \^18F-FLT with histologic response in biopsies obtained after 1 course of chemotherapy.
* Determine if the initial intensity of tumor uptake is a predictive value of response to chemotherapy.
* Determine if initial intensity of tumor uptake of \^18F-FLT varies according to histologic type of tumor, indices of proliferation, and tumor cellularity before therapy.
* Determine if the tumor uptake of \^18F-FLT during therapy varies according to histologic type of tumor, indices of proliferation, and tumor cellularity before therapy.
* Evaluate the role of TK1 on the kinetics of \^18 F-FLT.
* Analyze serum.
* Research biomarkers of genomics, transcription, and proteomics.
* Evaluate the toxicity of \^18F-FLT.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

Patients receive 3'-deoxy-3'-(18F) fluorothymidine (\^18F-FLT) IV and undergo positron emission tomography (PET) before the first and second courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients receiving bisequential chemotherapy undergo \^18F-FLT-PET before the change in drugs (usually the fourth or fifth course). All patients undergo a final \^18F-FLT-PET after the last chemotherapy course but before surgery.

After completion of study therapy, patients are followed for 1 month.

Eligibility Criteria:
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Inclusion criteria:

* Histologically confirmed unilateral breast cancer

  * T2 or T3, any N, M0
  * Unifocal by mammography and ultrasound
* Negative for c-erbB2 by immunohistochemistry (IHC)
* Planning neoadjuvant chemotherapy comprising anthracyclines and/or taxanes, alone or combined
* Measurable disease by ultrasound
* Hormone receptor status not specified

Exclusion criteria:

* Bilateral disease
* Multifocal tumor
* Invasive grade I lobular cancer
* Metastatic disease
* Stage ≥ T4 disease
* Cutaneous invasion, major adherence, or inflammatory disease
* Tumor overexpressing c-erbB2 by IHC (HER 2+++)
* Suspected clinical or radiological lesion (examined or not)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Inclusion criteria:

* ECOG performance status 0-1
* Female
* Menopausal status not specified
* Hematologic, hepatic, and renal function normal
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

Exclusion criteria:

* Alcohol dependency or prior reaction to ethanol injection
* Impossible to receive study therapy due to geographical, social, or psychological reasons
* Prisoners or patients under supervision

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Inclusion criteria:

* See Disease Characteristics

Exclusion criteria:

* Participation in another concurrent therapeutic study with an experimental drug