title: Neoadjuvant docetaxel in breast cancer: 3-year survival results from the Aberdeen trial.
abstract: Over the past 30 years there has been an increased use of neoadjuvant (or primary) chemotherapy for treating patients with breast cancer. However, while it is clear that chemotherapy given in the adjuvant setting after surgery does prolong patients' overall and disease-free survival, the evidence that chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting also increases survival remains unproven. In the Aberdeen study, 162 patients with large and locally advanced breast cancer underwent 4 cycles of CVAP (cyclophosphamide/vincristine/doxorubicin/prednisone) primary chemotherapy. Patients with a complete or partial response were then randomized to either 4 further cycles of CVAP or 4 cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m2). It was shown that the addition of sequential docetaxel (100 mg/m2) to CVAP neoadjuvant chemotherapy resulted in a significantly enhanced clinical response rate (94% vs. 64%) and a substantially increased complete histopathological response rate (34% vs. 16%) when compared to patients receiving CVAP alone. Furthermore, patients receiving docetaxel had an increased breast conservation rate (67% vs. 48%) and an increased survival at a median follow-up of 3 years. It is important to note that this was a small study, and the survival results should be interpreted with caution. The results are encouraging, however, and further studies are urgently required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Scotland, UK. s.d.heys@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Heys
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Hutcheon
authors.forename: Tarun K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: Keith N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Ogston
authors.forename: Iain D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Leslie G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Eremin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012606:Scotland; D016019:Survival Analysis; D043823:Taxoids; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D014750:Vincristine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011239:Prednisolone; D017239:Paclitaxel