title: Adjuvant treatment of breast cancer patients with 1-3 positive lymph nodes: vinorelbine plus epirubicin; vinorelbine plus epirubicin sequential followed up by paclitaxel; epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide; epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide sequential followed up by paclitaxel. A phase II study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The efficacy of anthracyclin-containing adjuvant chemotherapy of node-positive breast cancer can be further improved by adding sequential paclitaxel (T). There is also clinical evidence that replacing cyclophosphamide (C) with vinorelbin (V) might further reduce toxicity. In order to assess the safety of these options, we initiated a clinical cohort study of epirubicin/cyclophoshamide and epirubicin/vinorelbine with or without sequential paclitaxel.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with node-positive (1-3) breast cancer were assigned to open-label epirubicin/vinorelbine (EV), epirubicin/vino-relbine and sequential paclitaxel (EV/T), epirubicin/cyclophosphamide (EC) or epirubicin/cyclophosphamide plus sequential paclitaxel (EC/T) therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty four outpatients received a total of 304 chemotherapy cycles. There were significant differences in grade III/IV anemia only between the EV/T and EC/T groups, in favor of the EC/T group (P=0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The safety of paclitaxel is not impaired when given sequentially after administration of the two anthracyclin-containing regimens. The exchange of cyclophosphamide against vinorelbine leads to deteriorating safety of the EC/T regimen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology/Obstetrics Berlin-Lichtenberg, Germany. elling@khl-berlin.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elling
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eggemann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kümmel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Breitbach
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kohls
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morack
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schlosser
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krocker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000077235:Vinorelbine
chemical_list: D015251:Epirubicin; D014747:Vinblastine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D017239:Paclitaxel; D000077235:Vinorelbine