A phase II study of peptichemio in advanced breast cancer.

A phase II trial of Peptichemio (PTC) was conducted on 56 patients with advanced breast cancer that had been resistant to treatment with cyclophosphamide. The overall response rate was 32%, with one complete remission, seven partial remissions, and ten instances of improved disease status. Soft tissue and bone lesions were the primary sites of response. The median duration of response was 11 weeks, with a range of 6--30 weeks. Major toxicities were myelosuppression, affecting predominantly the platelets, and sclerosing phlebitis. Myelosuppression was cumulative and thrombocytopenic bleeding was a likely contributing factor in the death of 2 patients. This trial showed that PTC is another alkylating agent with definite activity in the treatment of breast cancer. More importantly, it showed that cross-resistance with cyclophosphamide does not exist, at least in breast carcinoma.