The confusion associated with breast cancer chemotherapy in Japan: the first year's experience at the Division of Oncology and Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East.
The current status of breast cancer chemotherapy in Japan was examined and compared with internationally accepted standard therapy, by reviewing the previous treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer who had been referred to the National Cancer Center Hospital East. Forty patients were referred mainly from middle-sized or large hospitals between July 1992 and June 1993. The most commonly used regimen for adjuvant therapy was a combination of long-term and oral low-dose fluoropyrimidine compounds (LDFU), which is rarely used in Western countries, and tamoxifen. Some patients had received perioperative intravenous mitomycin C. The adjuvant polychemotherapy most commonly used internationally has been given to only a few patients. The first-line treatment for advanced or metastatic disease in the previous hospitals varied, but myelosuppressive chemotherapy including anthracyclines was given to half of the patients. Oral LDFU was also used for some patients alone or in combination as the first-line chemotherapy. Local therapy for metastasis to soft tissue was performed in 9 patients. Oral LDFU therapy that is frequently used for cancer treatment in Japan should be evaluated in a well designed controlled trial.
Ohtsu
T
T
Department of Medicine, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba.
Sasaki
Y
Y
Fujii
H
H
Wakita
H
H
Igarashi
T
T
Itoh
K
K
Imoto
S
S
Abe
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D011743:Pyrimidines; D013629:Tamoxifen; C029269:5-fluoropyrimidine