title: Experience of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer at a public hospital: retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review local experience of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Public hospital, Hong Kong.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients who presented from August 1988 through April 1997 with locally advanced breast cancer, which was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical response rate was 71% and two of the 12 patients who responded to chemotherapy achieved complete remission. Three patients had their tumours downstaged sufficiently to allow them to undergo breast conservation surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. None of these three patients has so far had a local recurrence of disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can achieve a high objective response rate in patients with locally advanced breast cancer and thus enables breast conservation surgery to be performed on patients who are initially not suitable for this procedure.
authors.affiliation: Breast Centre, Department of Surgery, Kwong Wah Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Yip
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006723:Hong Kong; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D008727:Methotrexate