Impact of high-dose chemotherapy on the ability to deliver subsequent local-regional radiotherapy for breast cancer: analysis of Cancer and Leukemia Group B Protocol 9082.
OBJECTIVE
To report, from Cancer and Leukemia Group B Protocol 9082, the impact of high-dose cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, and BCNU (HD-CPB) vs. intermediate-dose CPB (ID-CPB) on the ability to start and complete the planned course of local-regional radiotherapy (RT) for women with breast cancer involving >or=10 axillary nodes.


METHODS
From 1991 to 1998, 785 patients were randomized. The HD-CPB and ID-CPB arms were balanced regarding patient characteristics. The HD-CPB and ID-CPB arms were compared on the probability of RT initiation, interruption, modification, or incompleteness. The impact of clinical variables and interactions between variables were also assessed.


RESULTS
Radiotherapy was initiated in 82% (325 of 394) of HD-CPB vs. 92% (360 of 391) of ID-CPB patients (p = 0.001). On multivariate analyses, RT was less likely given to patients who were randomized to HD treatment (odds ratio [OR] = 0 .38, p < 0.001), older (p = 0.005), African American (p = 0.003), postmastectomy (p = 0.02), or estrogen receptor positive (p = 0.03). High-dose treatment had a higher rate of RT interruption (21% vs. 12%, p = 0.001, OR = 2.05), modification (29% vs. 14%, p = 0.001, OR = 2.46), and early termination of RT (9% vs. 2%, p = 0.0001, OR = 5.35), compared with ID.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment arm significantly related to initiation, interruption, modification, and early termination of RT. Patients randomized to HD-CPB were less likely to initiate RT, and of those who did, they were more likely to have RT interrupted, modified, and terminated earlier than those randomized to ID-CPB. The observed lower incidence of RT usage in African Americans vs. non-African Americans warrants further study.
Marks
Lawrence B
LB
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7512, USA. marks@med.unc.edu
Cirrincione
Constance
C
Fitzgerald
Thomas J
TJ
Laurie
Frances
F
Glicksman
Arvin S
AS
Vredenburgh
James
J
Prosnitz
Leonard R
LR
Shpall
Elizabeth J
EJ
Crump
Michael
M
Richardson
Paul G
PG
Schuster
Michael W
MW
Ma
Jinli
J
Peterson
Bercedis L
BL
Norton
Larry
L
Seagren
Steven
S
Henderson
I Craig
IC
Hurd
David D
DD
Peters
William P
WP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002170:Canada; D002330:Carmustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage
D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D002330:Carmustine