Vinorelbine/VP-16 (etoposide) in metastatic breast cancer: a phase II study.
OBJECTIVE
This phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of vinorelbine (navelbine) and oral VP-16 (etoposide) in pretreated metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients.


METHODS
Twenty-two female patients with therapy-resistant metastatic breast cancer were treated with vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2) i.v. on days 1 and 8 and oral VP-16 50 mg/m(2)/day for 14 days. Cycles were repeated every 28 days. Treatment was given until clear evidence of disease progression.


RESULTS
Complete remission was observed in 3 (14%) patients, and partial remission or stable disease in 10 (45%) patients. Median duration of response was 4 months (range 2-8). Symptomatic improvement, irrespective of imaging methods results, as evaluated through improved performance status (PS), the lack of requirement for urgent palliative radiotherapy, and a decrease in steroids and analgesics doses was demonstrated in 10 (45%) patients through a special questionnaire completed by all patients. Side effects were manageable. Dose modification due to leucopenic fever were necessary in only 3 patients. Previous radiation therapy did not mitigate the application of full doses of chemotherapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Vinorelbine/VP-16 combination is active and tolerable in relapsed and heavily pretreated MBC patients.
Fried
G
G
Northern Israel Oncology Center, Rambam Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Stein
M E
ME
Kuten
A
A
Quigley
M
M
Gershuny
A
A
Siegelmann-Danieli
N
N
Zaidan
J
J
Haim
N
N