Weekly Docetaxel Is Promising For Older Patients.(Brief Article)

2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Weekly dosing of the chemotherapy agent docetaxel ([Taxotere.sup.R]) is efficacious and well tolerated in patients with advanced breast cancer who are elderly or considered poor candidates for combination chemotherapy.

The results of a Phase II study showed that 13 of 4l patients (36%) had objective responses to treatment with docetaxel. An additional 13 patients (3 6%) had stable disease or minor response to treatment. Median time-to-progression for responding and stable patients was seven months. Median survival for the entire patient group was 13 months, with one-year and two-year actuarial survivals of 61% and 29%, respectively.

"Patients with metastatic breast cancer who are elderly or have poor performance status are often difficult to treat," said John D. Hainsworth, MD, director of clinical research at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and the study's principal investigator. "This study demonstrates that weekly administration of docetaxel provides an additional treatment option for this difficult patient subgroup."

Study results were published in the August 2001 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The multicenter trial enrolled 41 patients with advanced breast cancer who were 65 years of age or older and poor candidates for combination chemotherapy due to coexistent medical illnesses or poor tolerance of previous chemotherapy. Previous treatment with taxanes for metastatic disease was not allowed. However, patients who were treated with taxanes as part of adjuvant therapy and who relapsed more than six months following completion of this treatment were eligible for enrollment.

All patients had measurable or evaluable diseases; an ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status of 0,1, or 2; normal liver function; and a serum creatinine of 1.5 mg/dL or less. Patients were also required to have completed radiation therapy four weeks prior to ...