Pioglitazone Therapy Targeting Fatigue in Breast Cancer
The goal of this project is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of pioglitazone (PIO) to target underlying mechanisms that promote muscle fatigue in patients with breast cancer. This represents an off-label use of this compound, both in terms of the patient population and the clinical phenotype targeted. The central research hypothesis of this study is that daily pioglitazone will restore transcriptional downregulation of pathways within skeletal that promote fatigue.
• Subjects must have histologically or cytologically confirmed luminal (ER+/PR+ Her2/neu-) Breast Cancer.
• Subjects must have received no prior therapies besides chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting.
• Subject must have a planned surgical (mastectomy) date within 2 weeks of starting treatment.
• 5 Subjects must have normal organ as defined below:
‣ Hemoglobin within normal institutional limits (or \>10?)
⁃ Fasting Blood Glucose within normal institutional limits
⁃ Serum Creatinine within normal institutional limits
⁃ Liver Function (AST and ALT, Alk phosphatase, Total Bilirubin) within normal limits
• Subject does not have a prior diagnosis of diabetes or currently taking any medications to lower blood glucose levels.
• Subjects must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.