Sequential Use Of Doxorubicin And Docetaxel Produce High Pathologic Response Rate.(in breast cancer patients)

2002 JAN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute have found that dose-dense sequential administration of neoadjuvant docetaxel (Taxotere) and doxorubicin (Adriamycin) produced a 24% complete pathologic response rate (no evidence of tumor or tumor cells in the breast at time of surgery) in patients with locally advanced breast cancer.

Preliminary data from this phase II study were presented December 13, 2001, at the 24th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium held in Texas.

"Docetaxel is highly active in advanced breast cancer, with a response rate as second-line therapy that is similar to doxorubicin as first-line therapy," said, Susan Minton, DO, assistant professor, Moffitt Cancer Center and lead investigator of the study. "This study shows that the sequential combination of doxorubicin and docetaxel given before surgery is a promising approach that can reduce tumor size and subsequently achieve higher rates of breast conservation during surgery."

In addition, of those patients known to have axillary lymph node involvement prior to treatment, 30% had no evidence of residual disease and 43% had less than or equal to3 positive lymph nodes at definite surgery.

Researchers at Moffitt also looked for a new molecular marker for breast cancer called STAT protein that will help measure the impact of the new treatment regimen, which has shown a high clinical response rate thus far.

The study enrolled 42 women with stage III breast cancer during a three-year study period. Thirty-seven of those women completed therapy and underwent definitive surgery for their tumor. All patients were between the ages of 18 and 70, had a tumor or mass in the breast greater than 5 cm ...