Platinum-based compounds for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

The role of platinum-based compounds (PBCs) in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has been extensively studied. As single agents, high response rates have been observed in first-line therapy, while results in pretreated patients were discouraging. Regimens containing cisplatin/carboplatin together with taxanes showed the highest efficacy and safety as both first-line and second-line therapy. When administered with vinorelbine, the combination was also active and well tolerated in anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated patients. Combining PBCs with etoposide or nucleoside analogues showed moderate activity, yet high toxicity in the case of etoposide. The overall results for the combination with anthracyclines were disappointing. Addition of trastuzumab to PBC combinations showed remarkable activity and good tolerability in patients with HER2/neu overexpression. The use of cisplatin or carboplatin alongside novel targeted therapeutics for patients with triple-negative MBC seems promising and is being further evaluated. The use of PBCs against MBC requires careful patient selection and combination with the right chemotherapeutic agent.