title: High-dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation in breast cancer.
abstract: Since 1981 we have conducted four studies of the treatment of metastatic and postoperative high-risk breast cancer with high-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (AHSCT). Study I, involving 56 metastatic cancer patients, proved that induction chemotherapy produces a lasting complete response (CR) in only a few cases despite the achievement of a CR rate higher than that expected from standard chemotherapy. Study II was designed to examine consolidation chemotherapy in metastatic cancer patients responding to induction chemotherapy. At a median follow-up of 26 months (range 2-66), consolidation therapy produced a 5-year progression-free survival rate of 27.1% in 30 patients showing a CR or a partial response to induction therapy and 58.6% in 13 patients showing a CR to consolidation therapy. No treatment-related death occurred during study II. The same regimen used in study I was employed for 58 postoperative high-risk patients in study III. The 10-year disease-free survival rate recorded for patients with > or = 10 positive axillary lymph nodes was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the AHSCT-supported chemotherapy group than in the conventional chemotherapy group. A double high-dose regimen was adopted for 21 postoperative high-risk patients in study IV. The 3-year disease-free survival rate recorded for 9 patients with > or = 10 positive axillary lymph nodes was 71.4% at a median follow-up of 25 (range 8-45) months. No treatment-related death occurred during study IV. Peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation shortened the duration of bone marrow suppression more effectively than did bone marrow transplantation, thereby optimizing high-dose chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokuda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuge
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitomi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000187:drug effects; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012074:Remission Induction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome