title: Prognostic significance of neutropenia on day one of anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in operable breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is currently unknown whether neutropenia during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer is associated with prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed 103 breast cancer patients who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy including epirubicin-based chemotherapy followed by docetaxel. The association between neutropenia due to epirubicin-based chemotherapy and distant disease-free survival (DDFS) was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-one patients (30%) demonstrated neutropenia during the epirubicin-based regimen. Patients without neutropenia showed a significantly (p = 0.004) lower 5-year DDFS rate (64%) than those with neutropenia (97%). In addition, multivariate analysis showed that neutropenia is an independent prognostic factor for DDFS (p = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neutropenia occurring in early breast cancer patients during the initial neoadjuvant treatment is strongly associated with a better prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Osaka 537-8511, Japan. isitobi-ma @ mc.pref.osaka.jp
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishitobi
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komoike
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Motomura
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inaji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D000077143:Docetaxel; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009503:Neutropenia; D011379:Prognosis; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D015251:Epirubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide