[Phase II study of epirubicin on breast cancer: a cooperative group study].
A phase II multicenter clinical study of epirubicin, a new anthracycline anticancer agent, was carried out in 46 patients with advanced breast cancer. The treatment schedule consisted of either 60 mg/m2 every three weeks or 40 to 50 mg/m2 on day 1 and day 8 every four weeks. Objective responses were observed in 23.7% of 38 evaluable patients (1 CR and 8 PR). Response rates according to previous chemotherapy were 50.0% (4/8) in previously non-treated patients and 36.4% (4/11) in patients previously treated with non-anthracyclines. The major adverse effect was bone-marrow suppression; leukopenia was observed in 82.1% of patients, anemia in 53.8% and thrombocytopenia in 20.0%. Other toxicities frequently observed were anorexia (55.0%), nausea-vomiting (55.0%) and alopecia (66.7%), but these seemed to be milder than those produced by doxorubicin.
Tominaga
T
T
Kitamura
M
M
Nomura
Y
Y
Abe
O
O
Enomoto
K
K
Ikeda
T
T
Izuo
M
M
Iino
Y
Y
Taguchi
T
T
Tamura
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000505:Alopecia / Q000139:chemically induced; D000855:Anorexia / Q000139:chemically induced; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D015251:Epirubicin; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007970:Leukopenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D008875:Middle Aged
D015251:Epirubicin; D004317:Doxorubicin