Docetaxel as adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment for patients with breast cancer.
Developments in the role of adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with breast cancer have focused on the taxes, in particular, docetaxel. This paper discusses the rationale for the introduction of docetaxel into the management of patients following surgery and also its role in those patients with locally-advanced disease, focussing on key clinical trials. The addition of docetaxel to standard adjuvant chemotherapeutic regimens does seem to result in an increased survival in some patients with early-stage disease. In the neoadjuvant setting, the addition of docetaxel to standard regimens does increase pathological response rates, which is a surrogate marker of eventual outcome.
Department of Surgery, Medical Oncology University Medical Buildings, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB9 2ZD, UK. s.d.heys@abdn.ac.uk.
Steven D
SD
Heys
Tarun
T
Sarkar
Andrew W
AW
Hutcheon
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D000077143:Docetaxel; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel