Weekly cisplatin plus capecitabine in metastatic breast cancer patients heavily pretreated with both anthracycline and taxanes.
BACKGROUND
Treating patients with anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated metastatic breast cancer is challenging. This study evaluated the activity and safety of a combination of cisplatin and capecitabine in this setting.


METHODS
Thirty-nine consecutive patients entered the study. All had experienced failures or relapse after previous treatment with anthracyclines and taxanes plus/minus other chemotherapeutic regimens. The present treatment consisted of intravenous cisplatin 20 mg/m(2) every week for 6 weeks, followed by 1 week of rest, and oral capecitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) twice daily for 14 days, followed by a 7-day rest period.


RESULTS
Objective response was obtained in 14 patients (35.9%), with complete remission in 3 (7.7%). Median time to progression was 5.2 months and survival was 10.9 months in the entire population and 8.7 and 16.5 months in the responding patients, respectively. The dose-limiting toxicity for the regimen was leucopenia, while gastrointestinal discomfort was the most frequent cause of capecitabine reduction or delay.


CONCLUSIONS
The cisplatin and capecitabine combination regimen is active and manageable. It seems to be non-cross resistant to anthracyclines and taxanes.
Donadio
M
M
Oncologia Medica, Centro Oncologico Ematologico Subalpino, Azienda Ospedaliera San Giovanni Battista, Torino, Italy. magoab@libero.it
Ardine
M
M
Berruti
A
A
Beano
A
A
Bottini
A
A
Mistrangelo
M
M
Bonardi
S
S
Castiglione
F
F
Generali
D
D
Polimeni
M A
MA
Bretti
S
S
Alabiso
O
O
Bertetto
O
O
D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000166:cytology; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000069287:Capecitabine; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D059871:HLA-A24 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012074:Remission Induction; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018943:Anthracyclines; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D059871:HLA-A24 Antigen; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D043823:Taxoids; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D000069287:Capecitabine; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil