title: Efficacy of lower dose capecitabine in patients with metastatic breast cancer and factors influencing therapeutic response and outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Capecitabine exerts considerable therapeutic efficacy in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, the efficacy and safety of lower dose capecitabine (2000 mg/m(2)/d) in patients with anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated MBC were studied with a special emphasis on the potential predictors of time to tumor progression (TTP) and response to the capecitabine treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate (ORR) was 17%. The median TTP was 5 months. Among various factors analyzed, univariate analysis showed that a performance status (PS) of 2 and the presence of visceral metastases were inversely correlated with TTP. Multivariate analysis showed that a poor PS score was associated with impaired TTP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study indicates that lower dose capecitabine has substantial antitumor activity and a favorable safety profile in the treatment of anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated MBC. Also, only performance score was demonstrated to be a significant parameter affecting TTP.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Pathology, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey. canfeza.sezgin@ege.edu.tr
authors.forename: Canfeza
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sezgin
authors.forename: Ender
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Turkan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Evrensel
authors.forename: Necmettin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Manavoglu
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goker
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D000069287:Capecitabine; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011355:Prodrugs; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D011355:Prodrugs; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000069287:Capecitabine; D005472:Fluorouracil