Abstract

Forty-eight patients with advanced breast carcinoma who had not received prior chemotherapy (minimum follow up 21 months) were randomised to receive either adriamycin 70 mg m-2 i.v. 3-weekly for 8 cycles (Regimen A) or adriamycin 35 mg m-2 i.v. 3-weekly for 16 courses (Regimen B). Objective responses were seen in 14/24 (58%) patients with regimen A (4 complete) and 6/24 (25%) with regimen B (1 complete) (P less than 0.02). The median duration of response was 14 months with regimen A and 6.5 months with regimen B. The median duration of survival was 20 months and 8 months respectively (P less than 0.01). The toxicity was similar with each regimen. There was no evidence of deterioration in left ventricular ejection fraction nor congestive heart failure in any patient. It is concluded that when given at 3-weekly intervals adriamycin is a more effective treatment for advanced breast cancer at higher rather than lower dosage.

Highlights

  • ResultsTwenty-four patients were randomised to receive regimen A and 24 to regimen B

  • Prospective, randomised, controlled clinical trials using different doses of cytotoxic agents are required to determine if clinically important dose response effects exist

  • The groups are comparable for median age at diagnosis, median time from diagnosis to start chemotherapy, previous treatments, initial axillary involvement, median performance status, postoperative disease free-interval, menopausal status and predominant sites involved

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Summary

Results

Twenty-four patients were randomised to receive regimen A and 24 to regimen B. Two patients in the high dose groups and three in the low dose received the treatment schedule for patients .60 years old. The groups are comparable for median age at diagnosis, median time from diagnosis to start chemotherapy, previous treatments, initial axillary involvement, median performance status, postoperative disease free-interval, menopausal status and predominant sites involved

Antitumour effects
Haematological toxicity
Discussion

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