Clinical experience with docetaxel for Chinese breast cancer patients: hematological toxicity profiles.
BACKGROUND
Asians are generally regarded to tolerate cytotoxic drugs less well than their Caucasian counterpart. A substantial proportion of patients receive suboptimal doses of chemotherapy for fear of severe toxicity. This retrospective study aims to evaluate the adverse events, especially hematological, of docetaxel in Chinese patients with breast cancer.


METHODS
Fifty-nine patients, age ranged from 33 to 70 (median=47) years, were assigned to receive 3 to 6 (median=4) cycles of Docetaxel 100 mg/m2 every 21 days as neoadjuvant (n=3), adjuvant (n=26), neoadjuvant plus adjuvant (n=3), or active therapy for metastatic or relapsed breast cancer (n=27).


RESULTS
A total of 56 (95%) patients completed the assigned whole regimen and only 3 (5%) patients discontinued due to either poor tolerance to the drug's side effects or worsening of disease leading to death. On average, the received dose intensity (RDI) was 0.86 for docetaxel 100 mg/m2 in this study. Among all the clinical adverse events, hematological toxicities were not excessively higher. Of the total 59 patients, major adverse events of all grades were leukopenia (22%), neutropenia (20%), fever (19%), and febrile neutropenia (14%). Only 12% and 14% of patients experienced grade 3 or 4 leukopenia and neutropenia, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
In view of the increasing breast cancer incidence and the acceptable toxicity profile of docetaxel among Chinese patients, a dosage of 100 mg/m2 can be recommended for use among Asians.
Yip
Adrian Y S
AY
Hung Chao Hong Integrated Centre for Breast Diseases, Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong Medical Centre, Tung Wah Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
Chow
Louis W C
LW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015994:Incidence; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D020714:Maximum Tolerated Dose; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D043823:Taxoids / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel