Abstract
BackgroundThe rates of chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea (CIA) associated with docetaxel-based regimens reported by previous studies are discordant. For navelbine-based chemotherapies, rates of CIA have seldom been reported.MethodsOf 170 premenopausal patients recruited between January 2003 and September 2008, 78 were treated with fluorouracil plus epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (FEC), 66 were treated with docetaxel plus epirubicin (TE), and 26 were treated with navelbine plus epirubicin (NE). Patient follow-up was carried up every 3-4 months during the first year, then every 9-12 months during subsequent years.ResultsIn univariate analysis, the rates of CIA were 44.87% for the FEC regimen, 30.30% for the TE regimen and 23.08% for the NE regimen (P = 0.068). Significant differences in the rates of CIA were not found between the FEC and TE treatment groups (P > 0.05), but were found between the FEC and NE treatment groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, no significant differences were found between the TE and NE regimens (P > 0.05). Tamoxifen use was a significant predictor for CIA (P = 0.001), and age was also a significant predictor (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, age (P < 0.001), the type of chemotherapy regimens (P = 0.009) and tamoxifen use (P = 0.003) were all significant predictors.ConclusionsAge and administration of tamoxifen were found to be significant predictive factors of CIA, whereas docetaxel and navelbine based regimens were not associated with higher rates of CIA than epirubicin-based regimen.
Highlights
The rates of chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea (CIA) associated with docetaxel-based regimens reported by previous studies are discordant
A total of 170 patients diagnosed with breast cancer prior to the onset of menopause were included in this analysis, 78 were treated with a fluorouracil plus epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (FEC) regimen, 66 with a docetaxel plus epirubicin (TE) regimen, and 26 with a navelbine plus epirubicin (NE) regimen
Univariate predictors of CIA The rate of CIA determined for the 170 patients was 35.88%, and most amenorrhea came up after the second or third cycle of chemotherapy
Summary
The rates of chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea (CIA) associated with docetaxel-based regimens reported by previous studies are discordant. Adjuvant chemotherapy has been shown to prolong disease-free survival and overall survival in younger breast cancer patients [4,5]. A favorable effect of CIA has been observed for disease outcome in premenopausal women [9], and a previous study showed pregnancies following the diagnosis of breast cancer did not adversely affect the prognosis of early-stage breast cancer [10]. Docetaxel is widely used in adjuvant chemotherapies prescribed, studies show discordant results in the rates of CIA associated with docetaxel-based regimens. For navelbine-based chemotherapies, rates of CIA have seldom been reported
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