PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review is intended to summarize the most up-to-date information in the field of chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: During the past year, the literature on chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer has focused on three main areas of interest: the development of new cytotoxic agents with most studies addressing the taxane-pretreated population; the evaluation of new combination regimens, mainly incorporating a taxane; and the development of new trastuzumab-cytotoxic-agent combinations in the HER-2-positive population. In addition, interesting data regarding combination versus sequential single-agent chemotherapy and the optimal duration of chemotherapy have been published. SUMMARY: Interesting new drugs have faced phase II development. Randomized trials will define their role in the daily management of metastatic breast cancer. New combination regimens, generally incorporating a taxane, improve short-term efficacy in comparison with standard anthracycline-based combinations or single-agent chemotherapy, but at the cost of increased toxicity. Trastuzumab can be safely combined with several cytotoxic agents.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review is intended to summarize the most up-to-date information in the field of chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: During the past year, the literature on chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer has focused on three main areas of interest: the development of new cytotoxic agents with most studies addressing the taxane-pretreated population; the evaluation of new combination regimens, mainly incorporating a taxane; and the development of new trastuzumab-cytotoxic-agent combinations in the HER-2-positive population. In addition, interesting data regarding combination versus sequential single-agent chemotherapy and the optimal duration of chemotherapy have been published. SUMMARY: Interesting new drugs have faced phase II development. Randomized trials will define their role in the daily management of metastatic breast cancer. New combination regimens, generally incorporating a taxane, improve short-term efficacy in comparison with standard anthracycline-based combinations or single-agent chemotherapy, but at the cost of increased toxicity. Trastuzumab can be safely combined with several cytotoxic agents.
Authors: Denis L Jardim; Débora De Melo Gagliato; Mina Nikanjam; Donald A Barkauskas; Razelle Kurzrock Journal: Oncoimmunology Date: 2020-01-13 Impact factor: 8.110