title: Paclitaxel and epirubicin versus paclitaxel and carboplatin as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced breast cancer: a phase III study conducted by the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare survival between patients with advanced breast cancer (ABC) treated with epirubicin/paclitaxel (Taxol) or paclitaxel/carboplatin (Cp) chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1999 to April 2002, 327 eligible patients with ABC were randomized to receive either paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) in a 3-h infusion followed by epirubicin (EPI) 80 mg/m(2) (group A) or paclitaxel, as in group A, followed by Cp at an AUC of 6 mg x min/ml (group B) every 3 weeks for six cycles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a median follow-up of 23.5 months, median survival was not significantly different between the two groups (22.4 months versus 27.8 months, P=0.25), whereas median time to treatment failure was significantly longer in patients treated with paclitaxel/Cp (8.1 months in group A versus 10.8 months in group B, P=0.04). Both regimens were well tolerated. In total, 39 patients (24%) in group A and 46 (29%) in group B suffered at least one severe side-effect. Quality-of-life assessment and cost analysis did not reveal any significant differences between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that the paclitaxel/Cp combination is an effective therapeutic alternative for patients with ABC in which anthracycline administration has the potential of being harmful.
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece. fountzil@med.auth.gr
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fountzilas
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Kalofonos
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dafni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bafaloukos
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Papakostas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalogera-Fountzila
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gogas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aravantinos
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Moulopoulos
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Economopoulos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pectasides
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maniadakis
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Siafaka
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Briasoulis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Christodoulou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsavdaridis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Makrantonakis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Razis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kosmidis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Skarlos
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dimopoulos
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; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015251:Epirubicin; D016190:Carboplatin; D017239:Paclitaxel