Clinical characteristics and chemotherapy options of triple-negative breast cancer: Role of classical CMF regimen.

Abstract

1053 Background: Triple-negative breast cancer is a high risk breast cancer that lacks the benefit of specific targeted therapy. We investigated the clinicopathologic characteristics between triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) and non-TNBC. And we also analyzed the effect of chemotherapy options such as classical CMF regimen, anthracycline-based, or taxane-based chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 826 invasive breast cancer patients were evaluated from March 2003 to December 2008. We investigated them retrospectively, who had the median follow-up for 88 months. We examined the differences between TNBC compared with non-TNBC in relation to the clinicopathologic parameters, chemotherapy regimen, overall survival (OS). Results: 156 (18.9%) cases among 826 patients were triple negative breast cancers. There were significantly positive associations with younger age (below 35 years), large tumor (>2cm), high stage, poorly differentiated nuclear grade, poorly histologic grade in TNBC. Positive lymph node, lymphovascular invasion were not significantly different between TNBC and non- TNBC. A total of 677 patients were treated with chemotherapy. In TNBC patients, 142 (93.4%) patients were treated with chemotherapy more than in 535 (61.4%) of non- TNBC patients. The chemotherapy in TNBC patients was composed of classical CMF (47.9%), anthracycline-based regimen (25.4%), taxane-based regimen (26.8%). 19 cases (12%) of TNBC experienced locoregional or systemic metastases. 48 (7.2%) patients of non- TNBC did local or systemic metastases. Patients with TNBC had worse 5-year OS than with non-TNT (95.7% vs 98.6%, p=0.01). Interestingly, patients treated with CMF regimen were better 5-year OS than with anthracycline-based, or taxane-based regimen in TNBC (100% vs 96.9% vs 89.2%, p=0.001). There was no survival difference among chemotherapy regimens in non-TNBC patients. Conclusions: Patients with TNBC have poor prognosis compared with non-TNBC. Classical CMF regimen for TNBC patients may be more effective than anthracycline-based or taxane-based regimens.