Extended Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Cycles Appear to Prolong Patient Survival.

2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Extended cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy appears to prolong survival in patients with locally-advanced breast cancer.

The preliminary results of a five-year follow-up of 42 stage III patients with locally-advanced breast cancer who were treated with six cycles of therapy before mastectomy and radiation has been encouraging, according to a report in a supplemental issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

Patients were treated with doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and one other substance, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, also called GM-CSF, for four, five, or six cycles.

"The clinical response rate was 98% and the complete response rate 50%," H.M. Pinedo said, adding, "Although the response rate was independent of the number of cycles, the disease-free and overall survival appeared to improve with increasing numbers of cycles, to 66% (P=0.000) and 79% (p=O.OOl6), respectively, at five years for six cycles."

According to the study authors, none of the patients' cancers worsened while taking the neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Study authors noted that certain cells within the lymph nodes increased after therapy. Increased numbers of those cells, called dendritic cells, were associated with longer disease-free survival; investigators hope to establish the mechanism by which ...