title: Prognostic factors for survival in metastatic breast cancer during first-line paclitaxel chemotherapy.
abstract: The prognostic value of various demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics was investigated in 54 patients with metastatic breast cancer during first-line paclitaxel chemotherapy. As a single-agent treatment, paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) was given by 3-hour infusion every three weeks. The overall response rate was 30%. The follow-up ranged from 3 to 65 months (median 17 months). The most important pretreatment prognostic factors for survival were found to be hemoglobin (Relative Risk-2.26; p = 0.02) and serum lactic dehydrogenase (RR-1.81; p = 0.04) levels. The survival showed a strong association to the type of response. The median survival for responders was 5-fold greater than for patients with progressive disease (30.2 months and 5.7 months, respectively). Following the first-line paclitaxel treatment the estimates of tumor response became the major predictor of survival (RR-12.3; p < 0.0001).
authors.affiliation: Immunology Laboratory for Tumor Diagnosis, Department of Oncology, Hadassah University Hospital, POB 12000, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. nisman@hadassah.org.il
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nisman
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barak
authors.forename: Ayala
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hubert
authors.forename: Luna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaduri
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lyass
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baras
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peretz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D017239:Paclitaxel