What's happening? Current status of high dose chemotherapy in breast cancer.
To date, no definite answers are available to the initial question, as to whether or not HDCT and ASCT can improve the quantity or quality of life. Completing the available prospective, randomized phase III studies; using HDCT earlier in the course of treatment, applying drugs that are active against breast cancer, comparing the experimental treatment to standard therapy, and using appropriate sample size to detect clinically meaningful and statistically significant differences are all paramount requirements to answer the question successfully. Within the next few years, a number of European [13] and two Canadian studies [6,14] that are currently accruing patients, will contribute important information regarding the role of HDCT and ABMT for breast cancer.
Glück
S
S
Department of Oncology, Medicine and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Canada. gluck@ucalgary.ca
Stewart
D
D
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D006801:Humans
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents