Primary systemic chemotherapy for operable breast cancer with docetaxel followed by cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorauracil (DOC-CEF)

Abstract

11085 Background: Primary systemic chemotherapy (PSC) for breast cancer has been considered to be useful controlling the micrometastasis and shown to increase the breast conserving surgery rate, result in similar survival rate as usual post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy. Recently, doxorubicin based regimen followed by taxan regimen in neoadjuvant chemotherapy has shown a high response rate and sequential administration is supposed to be important. However, taxan regimens sequentially followed by doxorubicin are not so common. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of primary systemic chemotherapy with docetaxel followed by cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and fluoraouracil (DOC-CEF) in breast cancer. Methods: Since 2003, 80 women histologically proven as the primary breast cancer, measurable lesion >= 2cm or inflammatory breast cancer, age 20–75, PS 0–1 were enrolled. The patients received 4 cycles of DOC (75mg/m2) every 3 weeks followed by CEF (500mg/m2, 75mg/m2, 500mg/m2) every 3 weeks as the primary systemic chemotherapy. After administrations, clinical responses and tumor vascularities were recorded by ultrasonography and pathological responses were examined after surgery for all patients. Results: 57 out of 80 patients (T2: 45, T3 6, T4 6) were analyzed at this time. Clinical response rate recorded by ultrasonography and pathological response rate were 82.4% (47/57) and 91.2% (52/57) respectively. Pathological CR rate was 26.3% (15/57). 8 pCR cases showed ER/PR-negative tumors of which 3 cases showed ER/PR-negative/Her2-negative (triple negative pattern). Breast conservative surgery was underwent in 51 patients (89.5%). Among the response group, the tumor vascularities were almost remarkably decreased in the early phase (mostly until 2–3 cycles) of the chemotherapy. Grade 4 neutropenia was observed in 16% (9/57) and 4% (2/57) had febrile neutropenia. Conclusion: This regimen is well tolerated and has good feasibility because most patients have experienced the early reduction of tumor by high response rate of docetaxel. No significant financial relationships to disclose.