title: Monotherapy with paclitaxel as third-line chemotherapy against anthracycline-pretreated and docetaxel-refractory metastatic breast cancer.
abstract: We describe a patient with anthracycline-pretreated and docetaxel-refractory metastatic breast cancer who achieved a complete response after third-line chemotherapy with paclitaxel. A 59-year-old woman underwent modified radical mastectomy for advanced cancer in her left breast after local arterial neoadjuvant chemotherapy with anthracycline. Postoperatively anthracycline-containing adjuvant therapy was administered. Pulmonary metastases occurred 15 months after surgery, which did not respond to 4 cycles of second-line chemotherapy with docetaxel, given at 60 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks. Therefore 210 mg/m(2) of paclitaxel was given every 3 weeks as third-line monotherapy and induced a complete response with grade 3 neutropenia and hair loss as the major adverse effects. We suggest that paclitaxel is potentially effective as third-line monotherapy for anthracycline-resistant and docetaxel-refractory metastatic breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University Daini Hospital, 2-1-10 Nishi-ogu, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo 116-8567, Japan. jkinosu@dnh.twmu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haga
authors.forename: Tadao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagumo
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Utada
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okabe
authors.forename: Kiyomi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
mesh_terms: D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D000077143:Docetaxel; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical / Q000379:methods; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D043823:Taxoids; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D017239:Paclitaxel