OBJECTIVES: It is currently unknown whether neutropenia during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer is associated with prognosis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 103 breast cancer patients who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy including epirubicin-based chemotherapy followed by docetaxel. The association between neutropenia due to epirubicin-based chemotherapy and distant disease-free survival (DDFS) was assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (30%) demonstrated neutropenia during the epirubicin-based regimen. Patients without neutropenia showed a significantly (p = 0.004) lower 5-year DDFS rate (64%) than those with neutropenia (97%). In addition, multivariate analysis showed that neutropenia is an independent prognostic factor for DDFS (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Neutropenia occurring in early breast cancer patients during the initial neoadjuvant treatment is strongly associated with a better prognosis. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.
OBJECTIVES: It is currently unknown whether neutropenia during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer is associated with prognosis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 103 breast cancerpatients who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy including epirubicin-based chemotherapy followed by docetaxel. The association between neutropenia due to epirubicin-based chemotherapy and distant disease-free survival (DDFS) was assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (30%) demonstrated neutropenia during the epirubicin-based regimen. Patients without neutropenia showed a significantly (p = 0.004) lower 5-year DDFS rate (64%) than those with neutropenia (97%). In addition, multivariate analysis showed that neutropenia is an independent prognostic factor for DDFS (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION:Neutropenia occurring in early breast cancerpatients during the initial neoadjuvant treatment is strongly associated with a better prognosis. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.