RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: This phase II study investigated whether a lower-than-approved dose of capecitabine, plus docetaxel (XT), would improve tolerability versus standard-dose XT without compromising efficacy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women aged ≥18 years with locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer resistant to anthracycline-based chemotherapy in the (neo)adjuvant, first- or second-line metastatic setting were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned to receive standard-dose XT (capecitabine 1250 mg/m(2) twice daily, days 1-14; docetaxel 75 mg/m(2), day 1 every 3 weeks) or low-dose XT (capecitabine 825 mg/m(2) twice daily, days 1-14; docetaxel as above). The primary objective was to demonstrate non-inferiority of low-dose to standard-dose XT in terms of progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: 470 patients were randomly allocated in a 1 : 1 ratio to standard-dose or low-dose XT. Median PFS was 7.9 versus 5.8 months [hazard ratio 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95-1.43] in the standard-dose and low-dose arms, respectively. The upper limit of the 95% CI was above the predefined non-inferiority margin (1.35, P = 0.078). Secondary efficacy end points were consistent with PFS. The frequency and severity of adverse events was similar in both treatment arms. CONCLUSIONS: Non-inferiority of low-dose to standard-dose XT in terms of PFS was not demonstrated; this may be due to regional subgroup effects.
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/administración & dosificación , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Adulto , Anciano , Neoplasias de la Mama/mortalidad , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Capecitabina , Desoxicitidina/administración & dosificación , Desoxicitidina/efectos adversos , Desoxicitidina/análogos & derivados , Supervivencia sin Enfermedad , Docetaxel , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Fluorouracilo/efectos adversos , Fluorouracilo/análogos & derivados , Humanos , Estimación de Kaplan-Meier , Persona de Mediana Edad , Taxoides/administración & dosificación , Taxoides/efectos adversos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: To review the efficacy of chemotherapy and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapy when used in addition to hormonal therapy for the optimal management of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer. DESIGN: Literature published from January 2003 to March 2008 was reviewed to assess the use of chemotherapy and biologic therapy in addition to hormonal agents. RESULTS: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) demonstrated greater effectiveness in the adjuvant setting than tamoxifen for the management of ER+ and HER2+ breast cancer. Evidence of cross talk between HER2- and ER-signaling pathways suggests that combined treatment with HER2 blockade and hormonal therapy may offer clinical advantages beyond those provided by hormonal therapy alone in ER+/HER2+ disease. Combined therapy with trastuzumab plus an aromatase AI significantly improves progression-free survival, response rates, and clinical benefits when compared with AI monotherapy in postmenopausal women. Several large studies demonstrated that trastuzumab significantly improves disease-free and overall survival when given in combination with, or following, chemotherapy, regardless of hormone receptor status. CONCLUSIONS: HER2-targeted therapy maybe combined with AIs for the treatment of ER+/HER2+ metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women. HER2-targeted therapy in combination with AIs for treatment of ER+/HER2+ early breast cancer needs to be prospectively evaluated.
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Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Terapia Biológica , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias de la Mama/metabolismo , Resistencia a Antineoplásicos , Femenino , Humanos , Receptor ErbB-2/biosíntesis , Receptores de Estrógenos/biosíntesis , Receptores de Progesterona/biosíntesis , Transducción de SeñalRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the extent of pathologic response in patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer treated with standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with or without trastuzumab (H), according to hormone receptor (HR) status. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 199 patients with HER2+ breast cancer from three successive cohorts of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy on the basis of paclitaxel (Taxol) (P) administered weekly (w) or three weekly (3-w), followed by 5-fluorouracil (F), doxorubicin (A) or epirubicin (E), and cyclophosphamide (C). Residual cancer burden (RCB) was determined from pathologic review of the primary tumor and lymph nodes and was classified as pathologic complete response (pCR) or minimal (RCB-I), moderate (RCB-II), or extensive (RCB-III) residual disease. RESULTS: In HR-positive (HR+) cancers, a higher rate of pathologic response (pCR/RCB-I) was observed with concurrent H + 3-wP/FEC (73%) than with 3-wP/FEC (34%, P = 0.002) or wP/FAC (47%; P = 0.02) chemotherapy alone. In HR-negative (HR-) cancers, there were no significant differences in the rate of pathologic response (pCR/RCB-I) from 3-wP/FAC (50%), wP/FAC (68%), or concurrent H + 3-wP/FEC (72%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HR+/HER2+ breast cancer obtained significant benefit from addition of trastuzumab to P/FEC chemotherapy; pathologic response rate was similar to that seen in HR-/HER2+ breast cancers.
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Anticuerpos Monoclonales/administración & dosificación , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasia Residual/prevención & control , Receptor ErbB-2/genética , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Anticuerpos Monoclonales Humanizados , Neoplasias de la Mama/genética , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Ensayos Clínicos como Asunto , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Doxorrubicina , Epirrubicina/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Terapia Neoadyuvante , Neoplasias Hormono-Dependientes/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hormono-Dependientes/genética , Neoplasias Hormono-Dependientes/patología , Paclitaxel/administración & dosificación , Ensayos Clínicos Controlados Aleatorios como Asunto , Receptor ErbB-2/biosíntesis , Receptores de Estrógenos/metabolismo , Receptores de Progesterona/metabolismo , TrastuzumabRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: We examined if inclusion of a taxane and more prolonged preoperative chemotherapy improves pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer compared with three to four courses of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide (FAC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pooled analysis of results from seven consecutive neo-adjuvant chemotherapy trials including 1079 patients was carried out. These studies were conducted at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 1974 to 2001. Four hundred and twenty-six (39.5%) patients received taxane-based neo-adjuvant therapy. pCR rates and survival times were analyzed as a function of chemotherapy regimen and ER status. Multivariate logistic and Cox regression analysis were carried out to identify variables associated with pCR and survival. RESULTS: Patients with ER-negative cancer had higher overall pCR rate than patients with ER-positive tumors (20.1% versus 4.9%, P < 0.001). In ER-negative patients, the pCR rates were 29% and 15% with and without a taxane (P < 0.001). In ER-positive patients, the pCR rates were 8.8% and 2.0% with and without a taxane (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, clinical tumor size (P < 0.001), ER-negative status (P < 0.001) and inclusion of a taxane (P = 0.01) were independently associated with pCR. For patients with pCR, survival was similar regardless of ER status or the type of regimen that induced pCR. CONCLUSION: pCR rates increased for patients with both ER-positive and ER-negative tumors as regimens started to include a taxane and became longer. This indicates that a subset of patients with ER-positive breast cancer benefits from more aggressive chemotherapy, similarly to patients with ER-negative tumors.
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias de la Mama/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hormono-Dependientes/tratamiento farmacológico , Paclitaxel/análogos & derivados , Paclitaxel/administración & dosificación , Receptores de Estrógenos/metabolismo , Adulto , Anciano , Neoplasias de la Mama/clasificación , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Hidrocarburos Aromáticos con Puentes , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Ciclofosfamida/uso terapéutico , Doxorrubicina/uso terapéutico , Esquema de Medicación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/uso terapéutico , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neoplasias Hormono-Dependientes/cirugía , Pronóstico , Análisis de Supervivencia , Taxoides , Carga Tumoral/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC) is a rare but aggressive form of breast carcinoma. Anthracycline-based regimens represent the standard of treatment for IBC. Reports of significant clinical activity of paclitaxel in metastatic breast carcinoma led the authors to investigate the role of this drug in the management of IBC. METHODS: Forty-four patients with IBC were enrolled between February 1994 and January 1998. The treatment plan consisted of induction chemotherapy (IC), mastectomy, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Forty-two patients received IC with four cycles of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. If the clinical response was less than partial, patients were "crossed over" to paclitaxel before mastectomy. All patients received adjuvant paclitaxel. Patients unresectable after paclitaxel were offered high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell support. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients (81%) achieved an objective clinical remission; 3 patients (7%) achieved a clinical complete remission, 31 (74%) a partial remission. Six patients (14%) achieved pathologic complete remission. Sixteen patients were treated with paclitaxel, 7 of them (44%) were able to undergo mastectomy. Median time to progression (TTP) was 22 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 46 months. Concordance between clinical and pathologic response was documented in only 8 patients (24%). No differences in TTP and OS compared with a historical group of 178 IBC patients treated with anthracycline-based regimens. CONCLUSIONS: Paclitaxel improves tumor resectability in anthracycline-refractory IBC. The impact of paclitaxel on the prognosis of IBC needs to be better evaluated in future trials using more dose-intensive schedules of administration. New imaging modalities may contribute to improve assessment of response to IC.
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Adenocarcinoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Paclitaxel/uso terapéutico , Adenocarcinoma/radioterapia , Adenocarcinoma/cirugía , Adulto , Anciano , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/administración & dosificación , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/radioterapia , Neoplasias de la Mama/cirugía , Terapia Combinada , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Humanos , Mastectomía , Persona de Mediana Edad , Inducción de Remisión , Análisis de SupervivenciaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: This study was performed to investigate the extent of tumor downstaging achieved in women with operable breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and breast-conservation surgery, develop recommendations for effective surgical planning, and report local-regional recurrence rates with this approach. METHODS: One hundred nine patients with stage II or III (T3N1) breast cancer were treated in three prospective trials utilizing four cycles of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC, n = 72) or paclitaxel (n = 37) followed by segmental resection (n = 109) and axillary node dissection (n = 94). Postoperatively, patients received 4 additional cycles of FAC followed by irradiation of the breast. The median follow-up was 53 months. RESULTS: The median tumor size was 4 cm (range 1.1 to 9 cm) at presentation and only 1 cm (range 0 to 4.5 cm) after four cycles of chemotherapy. The primary tumor could not be palpated after chemotherapy in 55% of 104 patients presenting with a palpable mass and therefore required needle localization or ultrasound guidance for surgical resection. Of the 34 patients clinically deemed to have no residual carcinoma in the breast after chemotherapy and before surgery, only 50% of these patients were found to have no residual carcinoma on pathologic examination after surgery. Patients with primary tumors < or =2 cm were significantly more likely than patients with larger tumors to have complete eradication of the primary tumor prior to surgery (P <0.001). The 5-year local-regional recurrence rate was 5%. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor downstaging is marked in patients with operable breast cancer and requires close monitoring during chemotherapy. We recommend placement of metallic tumor markers when the primary tumor is < or =2 cm to facilitate adequate resection and pathologic processing. Resection of the tumor bed remains necessary in women deemed to have a complete clinical response to ensure low rates of recurrence.
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Neoplasias de la Mama/terapia , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/administración & dosificación , Neoplasias de la Mama/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias de la Mama/cirugía , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia , Estadificación de Neoplasias , Paclitaxel/administración & dosificación , Planificación de Atención al Paciente , Estudios Prospectivos , UltrasonografíaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of radiation dose escalation on locoregional control, overall survival, and long-term complication in patients with inflammatory breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From September 1977 to December 1993, 115 patients with nonmetastatic inflammatory breast cancer were treated with curative intent at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The usual sequence of multimodal treatment consisted of induction FAC or FACVP chemotherapy, mastectomy (if the tumor was operable), further chemotherapy, and radiation therapy to the chest wall and draining lymphatics. Sixty-one patients treated from September 1977 to September 1985 received a maximal radiation dose of 60 Gy to the chest wall and 45-50 Gy to the regional lymph nodes, 22 treated once a day at 2 Gy per fraction, and 35 were treated b.i.d. (32 after mastectomy and all chemotherapy was completed, and 2 immediately after mastectomy; one patient had distant metastases discovered during b.i.d. irradiation, and treatment was stopped). Four additional patients received preoperative radiation with standard fractionation. Based on the analysis of the failure patterns of the patients, the dose was increased for the b.i.d. patients in the new series, with 51 Gy delivered to the chest wall and regional nodes, followed by a 15-Gy boost to the chest wall with electrons. From January 1986 to December 1993, 39 patients were treated b.i.d. to this higher dose after mastectomy and all the chemotherapy was completed; and 8 additional patients received preoperative irradiation with b.i.d. fractionation to 51 Gy. During this period, another 7 patients were treated using standard daily doses of 2 Gy per fraction to a total of 60 Gy, either because they had a complete response or minimal residual disease at mastectomy or because their work schedule did not permit the b.i.d. regimen. Comparison was made between the groups for locoregional control, disease-free and overall survival, and complication rates. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 5.7 years (range, 1.8-17.6 years). For the entire patient group, the 5- and 10-year local control rates were 73.2% and 67.1%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year disease-free survival rates were 32.0% and 28.8%, respectively, and the overall survival rates for the entire group were 40.5% and 31.3%, respectively. To evaluate the effectiveness of dose escalation, a specific comparison of patients who received b.i.d. radiation after mastectomy and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy was performed. There were 32 patients treated b.i.d. to 60 Gy in the old series versus 39 patients treated b.i.d. to 66 Gy in the new series. There was an significant improvement in the rate of locoregional control for the b.i.d. patients for the old vs. new series, from 57.8% to 84.3% and from 57.8% to 77.0% (p = 0.028) at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Chemotherapy regimens did not change significantly during this time period.Long-term complications of radiation, such as arm edema more than 3 cm (7 patients), rib fracture (10 patients), severe chest wall fibrosis (4 patients), and symptomatic pneumonitis (5 patients), were comparable in the two groups, indicating that the dose escalation did not result in increased morbidity. Significant differences in the rates of locoregional control (p = 0.03) and overall survival (p = 0.03), and a trend of better disease-free survival (p = 0.06) were also observed that favored the recently treated patients receiving the higher doses of irradiation. CONCLUSION: Twice-daily postmastectomy radiation to a total of 66 Gy for patients with inflammatory breast cancer resulted in improved locoregional control, disease free survival, and overall survival, and was well tolerated.
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica , Neoplasias de la Mama/radioterapia , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia/prevención & control , Adulto , Anciano , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Fraccionamiento de la Dosis de Radiación , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Escisión del Ganglio Linfático , Mastectomía , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neoplasia Residual , Prednisona/administración & dosificación , Traumatismos por Radiación/etiología , Dosificación Radioterapéutica , Estudios Retrospectivos , Insuficiencia del Tratamiento , Vincristina/administración & dosificaciónRESUMEN
Complete estrogen blockade has long been sought as a more effective means of controlling breast cancer compared with single agent endocrine therapy. This approach may be accomplished through the use of agents which reduce estrogen production combined with agents that prevent the activity of estrogen at the cellular level. For prostate cancer, another hormonally responsive malignancy, this approach has not been successful at improving survival compared with that achieved with single agent therapy. Preclinical information is contradictory for many promising combinations and may not reflect the true nature of in vivo interaction between agents. For premenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer, the combination of a luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist and tamoxifen is clearly effective, but whether the combination is more effective than either single agent is still controversial. Similar response rates and overall survival were reported with goserelin or goserelin plus tamoxifen by Jonat et al. in 1 randomised, prospective study, but the addition of tamoxifen improved time to progression. A second trial comparing buserelin plus tamoxifen with either single agent reported superior efficacy in terms of response rates, disease-free survival and overall survival with combination therapy. A meta-analysis of 4 randomised trials making similar comparisons, demonstrated significant improvement in median overall survival, progression-free survival, response rate, and duration of response with the combination of a LHRH agonist (goserelin or buserelin) and tamoxifen in premenopausal breast cancer patients with metastatic disease. For postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer, the addition of an aromatase inhibitor to tamoxifen has yet to be prospectively compared to single agent therapy. Use of endocrine combinations in the treatment of early stage breast cancer is under investigation. Preliminary results of some of the ongoing adjuvant therapy trials indicate that the combination of a LHRH agonist and tamoxifen may have similar efficacy to cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil chemotherapy in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive tumour. Addition of LHRH agonist therapy in premenopausal patients with estrogen receptor-positive tumour who had maintained the ovarian function following chemotherapy [cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (adriamycin), fluorouracil, and tamoxifen], also led to a reduction in the risk of recurrence. These studies have identified a sub-population of patients who may benefit from the addition of combination endocrine therapy. Overall, the issue is quite complex and the data from many ongoing trials are still awaited with anticipation to further delineate the role of complete estrogen deprivation in this disease.
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Antineoplásicos Hormonales/uso terapéutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Moduladores de los Receptores de Estrógeno/uso terapéutico , Aromatasa/uso terapéutico , Inhibidores de la Aromatasa , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Femenino , Hormona Liberadora de Gonadotropina/agonistas , Hormona Liberadora de Gonadotropina/uso terapéutico , Goserelina/uso terapéutico , Humanos , Estadificación de Neoplasias , Posmenopausia/efectos de los fármacos , Premenopausia/efectos de los fármacos , Tamoxifeno/uso terapéutico , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Induction chemotherapy (IC) has become the standard of care for locally advanced breast carcinoma, frequently downstaging both the primary tumor and the axilla, and making patients eligible for less invasive surgical procedures. The usefulness of IC in earlier stage operable breast carcinoma is now being considered. METHODS: This study involved a subset of 129 patients from a series of 174 with T2-3, N0-1, M0 or T1, N1, M0 breast carcinoma (Stage IIA, IIB, or IIIA ) who were registered in a prospective IC trial using paclitaxel or a combination of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC). The subset included patients who had received no preoperative radiation therapy but had completed 3-5 cycles of induction chemotherapy and had undergone a Level I-II axillary lymph node dissection. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of induction chemotherapy with paclitaxel or FAC in downstaging the primary tumor and axillary metastases in these early stage breast carcinoma patients. RESULTS: The median initial tumor size was 4 cm (range, 0.6-10.0); after IC, tumor size was downstaged to 1.6 cm (range, 0.0-7.0) (P < 0.0001). Clinical response to IC was complete in 24% of patients and partial in 36%. Primary tumor shrinkage was similar with paclitaxel and FAC. Among patients clinically classified as N1, 34% became histologically negative and 38% had only 1-3 positive lymph nodes after induction chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: IC with paclitaxel or FAC resulted in effective downstaging of primary tumors and axillary metastases in patients with Stage IIA, IIB, and IIIA breast carcinoma. However, a significant proportion of patients still had residual but low volume microscopic disease; such disease status may allow minimally invasive surgical approaches to locoregional therapy.
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Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/cirugía , Carcinoma/cirugía , Terapia Neoadyuvante , Adulto , Anciano , Antibióticos Antineoplásicos/administración & dosificación , Antimetabolitos Antineoplásicos/administración & dosificación , Antineoplásicos Alquilantes/administración & dosificación , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/uso terapéutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Carcinoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Distribución de Chi-Cuadrado , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Estudios de Factibilidad , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Humanos , Escisión del Ganglio Linfático , Metástasis Linfática , Persona de Mediana Edad , Procedimientos Quirúrgicos Mínimamente Invasivos , Estadificación de Neoplasias , Neoplasia Residual , Paclitaxel/uso terapéutico , Estudios Prospectivos , Radioterapia Adyuvante , Inducción de RemisiónRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled studies have reported encouraging outcomes for patients with high-risk primary breast cancer treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell support. We conducted a prospective randomized trial to compare standard-dose chemotherapy with the same therapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with 10 or more positive axillary lymph nodes after primary breast surgery or patients with four or more positive lymph nodes after four cycles of primary (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy were eligible. All patients were to receive eight cycles of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and cyclophosphamide (FAC). Patients were stratified by stage and randomly assigned to receive two cycles of high-dose cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and cisplatin with autologous hematopoietic stem cell support or no additional chemotherapy. Tamoxifen was planned for postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor-positive tumors and chest wall radiotherapy was planned for all. All P values are from two-sided tests. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients (48 after primary surgery and 30 after primary chemotherapy) were registered. Thirty-nine patients were randomly assigned to FAC and 39 to FAC followed by high-dose chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of 6.5 years, there have been 41 relapses. In intention-to-treat analyses, estimated 3-year relapse-free survival rates were 62% and 48% for FAC and FAC/high-dose chemotherapy, respectively (P =.35), and 3-year survival rates were 77% and 58%, respectively (P =.23). Overall, there was greater and more frequent morbidity associated with high-dose chemotherapy than with FAC; there was one septic death associated with high-dose chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: No relapse-free or overall survival advantage was associated with the use of high-dose chemotherapy, and morbidity was increased with its use. Thus, high-dose chemotherapy is not indicated outside a clinical trial.
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias de la Mama/cirugía , Trasplante de Células Madre Hematopoyéticas , Adulto , Anciano , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Supervivencia sin Enfermedad , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Esquema de Medicación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Metástasis Linfática , Persona de Mediana Edad , Terapia Neoadyuvante , Estudios Prospectivos , Radioterapia Adyuvante , Análisis de Supervivencia , Trasplante Autólogo , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To compare prospectively the antitumor activity of single-agent paclitaxel to the three-drug combination of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC) as neoadjuvant therapy in patients with operable breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with T1-3N0-1M0 disease were randomized to receive either paclitaxel (250 mg/m(2)) as 24-hour infusion or FAC in standard doses at every-3-week intervals. Each patient was treated with four cycles of preoperative chemotherapy. Clinical response and extent of residual disease in the breast and lymph nodes was assessed after four cycles of induction chemotherapy. RESULTS: A total of 174 patients were registered, and 87 were randomized to each arm of the study. Clinical response, ie, complete and partial responses, was similar in both arms of the study. Three patients in the FAC arm and one patient in the paclitaxel subgroup had progressive disease. The extent of residual disease by intent-to-treat analysis at the time of surgery was similar between the two arms of the study. CONCLUSION: The results of this prospective study demonstrated that single-agent paclitaxel as neoadjuvant therapy has significant antitumor activity, and this was clinically comparable to FAC. Similar fractions of patients had clinical complete and partial responses, and very few patients had no response to either therapy. The value of alternate non-cross-resistant therapies as used in this protocol on the clinical course of this disease would require longer follow-up.
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Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/uso terapéutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Paclitaxel/uso terapéutico , Adulto , Anciano , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/administración & dosificación , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/efectos adversos , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neutropenia/inducido químicamente , Paclitaxel/administración & dosificación , Paclitaxel/efectos adversos , Estudios ProspectivosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and prognostic significance of documented eradication of breast cancer axillary lymph node (ALN) metastases after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is the standard of care for patients with locally advanced breast cancer and is being evaluated in patients with earlier-stage operable disease. METHODS: One hundred ninety-one patients with locally advanced breast cancer and cytologically documented ALN metastases were treated in two prospective trials of doxorubicin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients had breast surgery with level I and II axillary dissection followed by additional chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Nodal sections from 43 patients who were originally identified as having negative ALNs at surgery were reevaluated and histologically confirmed to be without metastases. An additional 1112 sections from these lymph node blocks were obtained; half were stained with an anticytokeratin antibody cocktail and analyzed. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Of 191 patients with positive ALNs at diagnosis, 23% (43 patients) were converted to a negative axillary nodal status on histologic examination (median number of nodes removed = 16). Of the 43 patients with complete axillary conversion, 26% (n = 11) had N1 disease and 74% (n = 32) had N2 disease. On univariate analysis, patients with complete versus incomplete histologic axillary conversion were more likely to have initial estrogen-receptor-negative tumors, smaller primary tumors, and a complete pathologic response in the primary tumor. The 5-year disease-free survival rates were 87% in patients with preoperative eradication of axillary metastases and 51% for patients with residual nodal disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Of the 39 patients with complete histologic conversion for whom nodal blocks were available, occult nodal metastases were found in additional nodal sections in 4 patients (10%). At a median follow-up of 61 months, the 5-year disease-free survival rates were 87% in patients without occult nodal metastases and 75% in patients with occult nodal metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can completely clear the axilla of microscopic disease before surgery, and occult metastases are found in only 10% of patients with a histologically negative axilla. The results of this study have implications for the potential use of sentinel lymph node biopsy as an alternative to axillary dissection in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Antimetabolitos Antineoplásicos/administración & dosificación , Antineoplásicos/administración & dosificación , Antineoplásicos Alquilantes/administración & dosificación , Axila , Neoplasias de la Mama/mortalidad , Neoplasias de la Mama/cirugía , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Humanos , Incidencia , Metástasis Linfática , Persona de Mediana Edad , Terapia Neoadyuvante , Cuidados Preoperatorios , Pronóstico , Estudios Prospectivos , Tasa de SupervivenciaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Correlation between aging and doxorubicin-induced congestive heart failure in patients with metastatic breast cancer was studied to determine whether doxorubicin-induced congestive heart failure in elderly patients with metastatic breast cancer is a clinically significant issue. METHODS: This was a retrospective study with a median follow-up of 16.8 years. The setting was a comprehensive cancer center in a large city. A group of 682 consecutive patients with metastatic breast cancer presented to The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center between 1973 and 1980. All patients received doxorubicin by bolus infusion. Patients in group 1 (n = 538) were aged 50 to 64 years; patients in group 2 (n = 144) were aged 65 years and older. Medical records of all patients were reviewed. Patients who had congestive heart failure were identified and analyzed. The diagnosis of doxorubicin-induced congestive heart failure was made and confirmed by a cardiologist at the time of its development. The main outcome measure was the cumulative probability of developing doxorubicin-induced congestive heart failure in elderly patients with metastatic breast cancer compared to a younger age group. RESULTS: In group 1, 33 patients, and in group 2, 13 patients developed doxorubicin-related congestive heart failure. The cumulative doses of doxorubicin administered to patients with congestive heart failure were 410 mg/m2 (range 150-550 mg/m2) and 400 (range 100-570 mg/m2), respectively. The time interval from the last date of doxorubicin treatment to the development of congestive heart failure was, respectively, 5 months (range < 1-65 months) and 9 months (range < 1-28 months). There was no statistically significant difference between the two congestive heart failure subgroups, nor were we able to identify risk factors that could have increased the risk of congestive heart failure among these patients. CONCLUSION: Older patients with metastatic breast cancer and no significant comorbidity can be treated with doxorubicin-based chemotherapy with no added risk of developing congestive heart failure beyond that in the younger age group.
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Antibióticos Antineoplásicos/efectos adversos , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Doxorrubicina/efectos adversos , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/inducido químicamente , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Metástasis de la Neoplasia , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Tamoxifen is currently the standard hormonal treatment of breast cancer, both for metastatic disease and in the adjuvant setting. A new antiestrogen, toremifene, was approved recently for use in managing metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Toremifene is structurally similar to tamoxifen, differing only by a single chlorine atom, and has a similar pharmacologic profile. The major difference between the two compounds is in the preclinical activity; chronic, high-dose tamoxifen is hepatocarcinogenic in the rat, whereas toremifene is not. Neither agent is hepatocarcinogenic in mice, hamsters, or humans; therefore, clinical relevance of the rat data may not be significant. RESULTS: In a worldwide phase III trial, the two agents demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety against metastatic breast cancer. Both agents have shown a significant hypocholesterolemic effect after long-term administration. CONCLUSION: Due to the paucity of long-term clinical data on toremifene, important unresolved questions remain, which include its effects on bone mineral density, the frequency of cardiac events, and the risk for endometrial cancer. Tamoxifen has been associated with maintenance of bone mineral density, a reduction in cardiac events, and a slightly increased risk of endometrial cancer. Toremifene is not likely to be used as second-line therapy after tamoxifen failure due to cross-resistance, and its ultimate place in therapy of advanced breast cancer remains to be determined.
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Antineoplásicos Hormonales/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Tamoxifeno/uso terapéutico , Animales , Antineoplásicos Hormonales/efectos adversos , Antineoplásicos Hormonales/metabolismo , Cricetinae , Aductos de ADN/metabolismo , Resistencia a Antineoplásicos , Femenino , Humanos , Lípidos/sangre , Neoplasias Mamarias Experimentales/inducido químicamente , Ratones , Ratas , Tamoxifeno/efectos adversos , Tamoxifeno/metabolismo , Toremifeno/efectos adversos , Toremifeno/metabolismo , Toremifeno/uso terapéuticoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Sialyl-Tn (STn) represents an aberrantly glycosylated mucin epitope that is expressed in breast carcinoma and other adenocarcinomas and is an important factor in the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of STn expression on the prognoses of patients with breast carcinoma. METHODS: A cohort of 207 women diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma who were treated with anthracycline-containing adjuvant chemotherapy and were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial were studied. Expression of STn was determined by an immunohistochemical procedure in which the B72.3 monoclonal antibody was used. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional regression survival analyses were used to compare low STn and high STn patients. RESULTS: Forty-eight (23%) of the 207 specimens demonstrated high STn staining (>25% cells were immunoreactive). During a median follow-up of 5 years, high STn patients had worse disease free survival than low STn patients (55% vs. 74%, respectively; P = 0.03). High STn expression was significantly associated with age (P = 0.04) but not with other conventional prognostic markers. In multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model, high STn emerged as an independent prognostic indicator for disease free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-3.73) and for overall survival (HR, 2.16; 95% CI, 0.95-4.92). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that STn may be a valuable marker for identifying women at high risk of developing recurrent breast carcinoma who may be candidates for trials investigating new therapies in combination with standard adjuvant therapy.
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Antígenos de Carbohidratos Asociados a Tumores/biosíntesis , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/administración & dosificación , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Carcinoma Ductal de Mama/patología , Carcinoma Lobular/patología , Adulto , Anciano , Anticuerpos Monoclonales/análisis , Anticuerpos Antineoplásicos/análisis , Biomarcadores de Tumor , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias de la Mama/metabolismo , Carcinoma Ductal de Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Carcinoma Ductal de Mama/metabolismo , Carcinoma Lobular/tratamiento farmacológico , Carcinoma Lobular/metabolismo , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Estudios de Cohortes , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Supervivencia sin Enfermedad , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Humanos , Técnicas para Inmunoenzimas , Leucovorina/administración & dosificación , Metotrexato/administración & dosificación , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pronóstico , Vinblastina/administración & dosificaciónRESUMEN
The objective of this study was to compare the antitumor activity of single-agent paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) with that of the 5-fluorouracil/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (FAC) combination by evaluating the extent of residual disease in the breast and regional lymph nodes of patients with breast cancer following four cycles of induction chemotherapy. Patients with histologically confirmed invasive but noninflammatory carcinoma of the breast stages T2-3, N0-1, M0 were eligible to enter the study. Patients were treated with four cycles of either FAC or single-agent paclitaxel before local therapy. Following local therapy, treatment of the two arms was identical. Of 104 operable breast cancer patients who were treated with either regimen, 78 were evaluable for response to preoperative chemotherapy and had undergone local therapy. Age, TNM classification, and estrogen receptor status of the patients were similar in the two groups. Following induction chemotherapy, the extent of disease in the breast and the distribution and number of positive nodes were similar between the two treatment arms. Disease progressed in two patients in the FAC arm and in none in the paclitaxel arm during the induction phase of therapy. A higher fraction of patients had neutropenic fever during the paclitaxel treatment. Initial data from this ongoing randomized study show that paclitaxel alone has comparable anticancer activity with FAC in patients with early breast cancer. The degree of cytoreduction was similar with both induction therapies.
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Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/uso terapéutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Paclitaxel/uso terapéutico , Adulto , Anciano , Neoplasias de la Mama/cirugía , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Humanos , Metástasis Linfática , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios ProspectivosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Most of the data about high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) for metastatic breast cancer are derived from phase II studies. The interpretation of these data depends on comparisons with data from properly selected historical control patients treated with standard therapy under similar circumstances. We report the long-term results of patients with metastatic breast cancer who were eligible for HDCT but were treated with doxorubicin-containing standard-dose chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospectively collected data from 18 successive doxorubicin-containing protocols for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer were evaluated. Using common eligibility criteria for HDCT, we identified patients who would have been candidates for HDCT. We analyzed response rates, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) for all patients, potential HDCT candidates, and noncandidates. RESULTS: A total of 1,581 patients was enrolled onto the 18 studies. Six hundred forty-five were HDCT candidates, and 936 were noncandidates. The complete response rate was 27% for HDCT candidates and 7% for noncandidates; median PFS was 16 and 8 months and median OS was 30 and 17 months, respectively. Survival rates for HDCT candidates and noncandidates, respectively, were 21% and 6% at 5 years and 7% and 2% at 10 years. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that encouraging results of single-arm trials of HDCT could partially be due to selection of patients with better prognoses and further stresses the importance of completing ongoing randomized trials of HDCT to assess the relative efficacy of HDCT in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Selección de Paciente , Neoplasias de la Mama/mortalidad , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Progresión de la Enfermedad , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pronóstico , Sesgo de Selección , Tasa de SupervivenciaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer has been the routine practice in the past decade. A number of studies have observed an increased incidence of treatment-related leukemias following chemotherapy with alkylating agents and/or topoisomerase II inhibitors. We evaluated the incidence of treatment-related leukemias in breast cancer patients treated in four adjuvant and two neoadjuvant chemotherapy trials at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1974 and 1989, 1,474 patients with stage II or III breast cancer were treated in six prospective trials of adjuvant (n = 4) or neoadjuvant (n = 2) chemotherapy with fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (CTX) (FAC) with or without other drugs. The median observation time was 97 months. In 1,107 patients, FAC chemotherapy was given postoperatively; 367 patients received induction chemotherapy, as well as postoperative chemotherapy. Eight hundred ten patients had surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy; 664 patients had surgery and chemotherapy only. Patients in two adjuvant and one neoadjuvant study received higher cumulative doses of CTX compared with those in the other studies. RESULTS: Fourteen cases of leukemia were observed. Twelve of these patients had received radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and two had received chemotherapy only. Six of the reported patients with leukemia were treated with a cumulative CTX dose of greater than 6 g/ m2. Five of these patients had received both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The median latency period in the 14 patients was 66 months (range, 22 to 113). Six of 10 patients with adequate cytogenetic analyses had abnormalities that involved chromosomes 5 and/or 7. The rest of the patients had nonspecific cytogenetic abnormalities or lacked cytogenetic information. The 10-year estimated leukemia rate was 1.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7% to 2.9%) for all patients treated, 2.5% (95% CI, 1.0% to 5.1%) for the radiotherapy-plus-chemotherapy group, and 0.5% (95% CI, 0.1% to 2.4%) for the chemotherapy-only group; this difference was statistically significant (P = .01). The 10-year estimated leukemia risk for the higher-dose (> 6 g/m2) CTX group was 2% (95% CI, 0.5% to 5.0%) compared with 1.3% (95% CI, 0.4% to 3.0%) for the lower-dose group, a difference that was not statistically significant (P = .53). CONCLUSION: These data illustrate that patients treated with adjuvant FAC chemotherapy plus radiotherapy have a slightly increased risk of leukemia. This information needs to be considered in the treatment plans for patients with breast cancer. However, for most patients, the benefits of adjuvant therapy exceed the risk of treatment-related leukemia.
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/efectos adversos , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Leucemia/inducido químicamente , Neoplasias Primarias Secundarias/inducido químicamente , Adulto , Anciano , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias de la Mama/radioterapia , Ciclofosfamida/administración & dosificación , Ciclofosfamida/efectos adversos , Doxorrubicina/administración & dosificación , Doxorrubicina/efectos adversos , Femenino , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Fluorouracilo/efectos adversos , Humanos , Incidencia , Leucemia/epidemiología , Leucemia Inducida por Radiación/epidemiología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neoplasias Primarias Secundarias/epidemiología , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether obesity is an independent prognostic factor among women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for lymph node-positive breast cancer and to determine how obesity relates to other commonly used prognostic indicators. DESIGN: Retrospective review of the clinical characteristics and clinical course of 735 patients with stages II and III primary breast cancer who were treated using three consecutive postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy protocols. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the prognostic implications of obesity defined by weight and height tables and body mass index. In addition, we analyzed the relation between obesity and other known prognostic indicators for patients with primary breast cancer. SETTING: A comprehensive cancer center. PATIENTS: 735 patients with lymph node-positive primary breast cancer who were treated using three consecutive fluorouracil-doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide-containing adjuvant chemotherapy protocols and for whom complete data on weight, height, standard prognostic factors, and outcome were available. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Disease-free and overall survival for the entire group and obese and nonobese subgroups. RESULTS: 24 percent of patients were more than 20% overweight. With a median follow-up of 10.7 years, the estimated 10-year, disease-free rate for patients not more than 20% overweight was 54% (95% CI, 50% to 58%) compared with 40% (CI, 33% to 47%) for remaining patients classified as obese. Although obese patients tended to have somewhat less favorable prognoses based on standard prognostic criteria, a proportional-hazards regression model adjusting for other factors indicated that risk for disease recurrence among obese patients was 1.33 times that of the nonobese population (CI, 1.05 to 1.68). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is an indicator of poor prognosis for patients with primary breast cancer even after the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy. The effect of dietary interventions to reduce body weight on the outcome of breast cancer therapy must be investigated.