Is anthracycline-based chemotherapy alone adequate for young women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer?
Recent evidence suggests that young women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer (BC) require additional treatment because of the inadequacy of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate fluorouracil (CMF) alone. Herein we report our findings from 368 premenopausal patients given adjuvant anthracycline alone. Overall, patients had a significantly increasing risk of relapse and dying with decreasing age at diagnosis and ER-negative disease. Interestingly, ER expression was not a negative prognostic factor, even among women <35 years, the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) tending to be higher in patients with ER-positive rather than -negative BC. The potential of combining anthracyclines and endocrine therapies is reviewed and discussed.
Papaldo
Paola
P
Division of Medical Oncology A, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Via Elio Chianesi 53, 00144 Rome, Italy. p.papaldo@mclink.it
Di Cosimo
Serena
S
Ferretti
Gianluigi
G
Carlini
Paolo
P
Fabi
Alessandra
A
Cecere
Fabiana
F
Cognetti
Francesco
F
D000328:Adult; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D016019:Survival Analysis
D018943:Anthracyclines; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen