title: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with taxotere-epirubicin-5-fluorouracil (TEF) in local-regionally advanced breast cancer: a preliminary report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sixty-three patients with local-regionally advanced breast cancer were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of docetaxel (Taxotere), epirubicin, and 5-fluorouracil (TEF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Preoperatively, patients received four cycles of Taxotere (80 mg/m2), epirubicin (60 mg/m2), and 5-fluorouracil (500 mg/m2), repeated every 21 days. Following completion of four cycles of chemotherapy, appropriate surgery was performed. After the surgery, patients received one cycle of the TEF chemotherapy regimen; following chemotherapy, radiotherapy was applied, and at the end two more cycles of TEF chemotherapy regimen were given.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-three patients with locally advanced breast cancer were treated. Three patients were excluded from the study before the evaluation of response. Median age of the patients was 50 years (range, 25-77). Twenty-seven and 33 patients were premenopausal and postmenopausal, respectively. Thirty-nine patients were in stage IIIA and 21 in stage IIIB. Complete and partial responses were observed in 15 (25%) and 42 (70%) of the patients following four cycles of preoperative TEF chemotherapy regimen, respectively. Overall response was 95%, and primary lesion progressed only in 3 (5%) patients. The mean disease-free survival was 15.9 +/- 6.8 (range, 3.5-28) months and the mean overall survival was 18.6 +/- 7.2 (range, 5-30) months. The most frequent side effects were nausea-vomiting, mucositis, alopecia and leukopenia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TEF therapy is a treatment with a high overall response rate and toxicities similar to other taxotere combinations. A longer follow-up of patients is necessary for the determination of disease-free survival and overall survival.
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Institute of Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Eşmen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baltali
authors.forename: M Kadri
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Altundağ
authors.forename: Demir Ali
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Onat
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abbasoğlu
authors.forename: Yavuz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozişik
authors.forename: Nilüfer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Güler
authors.forename: Lale
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Atahan
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Berberoğlu
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Altinok
authors.forename: Ismet
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Baran
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Gülten
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tekuzman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D043823:Taxoids; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D015251:Epirubicin; D017239:Paclitaxel; D005472:Fluorouracil