BACKGROUND: This trial studied the disease-free survival after high-dose chemotherapy in patients in complete remission of metastatic breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty women, mean age 42.2 years (range 33-55) with metastatic breast cancer, received high-dose chemotherapy in a phase II study. Patients were eligible if they were < or = 55 years of age, had achieved complete remission within 6 months of the initiation of chemotherapy, and had a WHO performance scale of 0 or 1. The high-dose regimen consisted of melphalan 180 mg/m2 and mitoxantrone 60 mg/m2 both divided over 3 days. On day 7 bone marrow and/or peripheral stem cells were infused. After bone marrow recovery, external beam radiation was administered to sites of previous metastatic disease in 15 patients. RESULTS: Apart from leuko- and thrombocytopenia, mucositis was the major side effect. One patient died during the bone marrow transplant period due to an aspergillus infection. The median follow-up since high-dose chemotherapy is 25 months (range 13 to 56 months). The median disease-free survival since high-dose chemotherapy is 27 months and the disease free survival is still 43% with an overall survival of 53% at 3 years. In two patients tumor relapse occurred only in the brain; in one patient the only relapse sign was a meningeal carcinosis. At the moment 17 patients are disease-free (13(+)-56+) months after high-dose chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Until now this high-dose regimen in selected patients with complete remission after induction chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer has a promising disease free survival.
BACKGROUND: This trial studied the disease-free survival after high-dose chemotherapy in patients in complete remission of metastatic breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty women, mean age 42.2 years (range 33-55) with metastatic breast cancer, received high-dose chemotherapy in a phase II study. Patients were eligible if they were < or = 55 years of age, had achieved complete remission within 6 months of the initiation of chemotherapy, and had a WHO performance scale of 0 or 1. The high-dose regimen consisted of melphalan 180 mg/m2 and mitoxantrone 60 mg/m2 both divided over 3 days. On day 7 bone marrow and/or peripheral stem cells were infused. After bone marrow recovery, external beam radiation was administered to sites of previous metastatic disease in 15 patients. RESULTS: Apart from leuko- and thrombocytopenia, mucositis was the major side effect. One patient died during the bone marrow transplant period due to an aspergillus infection. The median follow-up since high-dose chemotherapy is 25 months (range 13 to 56 months). The median disease-free survival since high-dose chemotherapy is 27 months and the disease free survival is still 43% with an overall survival of 53% at 3 years. In two patientstumor relapse occurred only in the brain; in one patient the only relapse sign was a meningeal carcinosis. At the moment 17 patients are disease-free (13(+)-56+) months after high-dose chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Until now this high-dose regimen in selected patients with complete remission after induction chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer has a promising disease free survival.
Authors: P O Mulder; J G Bouman; J A Gietema; H Van Rijsbergen; N H Mulder; S Van der Geest; E G De Vries Journal: Cancer Date: 1989-11-15 Impact factor: 6.860
Authors: L J Ayash; C Wheeler; D Fairclough; G Schwartz; E Reich; D Warren; L Schnipper; K Antman; E Frei; A Elias Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 1995-08 Impact factor: 44.544