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Taxotere and Cyclophosphamide Appears to Improve Disease-Free Survival in Patients With Operable Breast Cancer: Presented at CFS

By Charlene Laino

NEW YORK, NY -- November 19, 2003 -- In patients with Stage I-III operable invasive breast cancer, a trend toward longer disease-free survival was observed with taxotere and cyclophosphamide, compared with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, a prospective randomised controlled trials shows.

"At 3 years, there was a 21% reduction in the risk of recurrence in patients given taxotere and cyclophosphamide," said Stephen Jones, E. MD, Chair, US Oncology Breast Cancer Research, Houston, Texas, Untied States. Dr. Jones presented the findings here on November 13^th at Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXI.

The trial included 1,016 patients who were randomised to receive either 4 courses of the standard dose of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, 60/600 mg/m², or four courses of taxotere and cyclophosphamide, 75/600 mg/m², each given every 3 weeks preceding adjuvant radiation therapy and tamoxifen if indicated.

At a median follow-up of 46 months, 9% patients in the taxotere and cyclophosphamide arm had relapsed, compared to 12% of patients given doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Also, mortality was 7.5% in patients given taxotere and cyclophosphamide, compared to 9% for those on doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, the study showed.

"There were no significant differences in disease-free survival although a trend in favour of taxotere and cyclophosphamide over doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in terms of disease-free survival was noted [P = .13]," Dr. Jones said.

"Longer follow-up is needed to determine whether taxotere and cyclophosphamide is more effective than doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in the adjuvant setting," he added.

The study is exciting, he said, because it suggests that the non-anthracycline-based regimen of taxotere and cyclophosphamide is at least equivalent and possibly superior to the standard adjuvant regimen of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, he said.

"Taxotere and cyclophosphamide should be considered as an adjuvant regimen in special circumstances, such as prior [to] anthracycline use and [in patients with] cardiac disease," he said.


[Study title: Results of a Prospective Randomized Trial of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Patients with Stage I-III Operable, Invasive Breast Cancer, Comparing 4 Courses of Adriamycin/Cyclophosphamide to 4 Courses of Taxotere/Cyclophosphamide. Abstract 26]

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