Abstract
ObjectiveTo evaluate changes in chest X-rays, pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and quality of life in female breast cancer patients who had been treated with four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of a regimen of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and 5-fluorouracil (CEF regimen), and to determine the correlation between pulmonary function parameters and declined quality of life.MethodsTwenty-nine eligible female patients diagnosed with breast cancer at the first visit who were 20−60 years old, were classified as the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I−II and patients whose body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m2 were recruited and subjected to chest X-ray examinations, PFTs and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaire before and after receiving 4 cycles of the CEF regimen. ResultsIn this study, chest X-rays showed no abnormal changes after chemotherapy, but significant decreases in carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) and percentage of the DLCO predicted value (DLCO%) (P<0.001). A significant increase in maximal ventilatory volume (MVV) (P=0.004) was observed, and most patients experienced dyspnea (P=0.031) and fatigue (P<0.001). However, there was no significant correlation between the changes in these PFTs parameters and the results of the EORTC QLQ-C30 (P>0.05).ConclusionsNeoadjuvant chemotherapy can reduce lung diffusion function and quality of life in females with breast cancer.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Chinese women, and the number of new cases and deaths accounted for 12.2% of global cases and 9.6% of related deaths [1]
The results revealed no correlation between maximal ventilatory volume (MVV), DLCO, DLCO% and physical functioning, dyspnea, fatigue, or global health status (P>0.05), which suggested that early interstitial lung injury resulting in a decline in diffusion function after chemotherapy was not the main reason for dyspnea and decreased quality of life
The results of this study indicate that breast cancer patients developed a significant reduction in pulmonary function after receiving 4 cycles of CEF regimen neoadjuvant chemotherapy, especially in terms of their diffusion function
Summary
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Chinese women, and the number of new cases and deaths accounted for 12.2% of global cases and 9.6% of related deaths [1]. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been widely used for the treatment of breast cancer because of its efficacy rate of 70%−90% in early breast cancer and improvements in the success rate of breast conservative surgery as well as in the long-term prognosis in patients with complete pathological remission [2,3]. It has obvious side effects in various organs in patients, including the heart, lung, liver, kidney, muscles and nerves. The main objective of this study was to observe the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy [4 cycles of a cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and 5-fluorouracil (CEF) regimen] on pulmonary function, www.cjcrcn.org
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