Clinical study of gefitinib plus capecitabine in treatment of recurrent and metastatic triple negative breast cancer

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gefitinib plus capecitabine in treatment of recurrent and metastatic triple negative breast cancer. Methods From Jan. 2011 to Jun., 41 patients who have recurrent and metastatic triple negative breast cancer after treated by adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in this study They were divided into two groups according to their wishes. The 24 cases in the experimental group were treated with gefitinib plus capecitabine. The 17 cases in the control group were treated with capecitabine. The two groups were followed up for 12 months. They were treated until the disease progression or the toxicity could not be tolerated. Results The objective response rate (ORR) in the experimental group and the control group was 70.83% (17/24) vs 35.29% (6/17) . The disease control rate (DCR) in the two groups was 91.67% (22/24) vs 64.71% (11/17) . The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P 0.05) , and the reactions were tolerable. Conclusion Gefitinib plus capecitabine is an effective and safe treatment for recurrent and metastatic triple negative breast cancer with tolerable adverse reactions, and some patients were able to survive for more than 12 months. Key words: Gefitinib; Capecitabine; Recurrence and metastasis; Triple negative breast cancer