title: Tailoring neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer: a historical prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the growing number of clinical trials assessing preoperative systemic chemotherapy (PST) for locally advanced breast cancer, the optimal regimen has still to be defined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This was to evaluate the toxicity, operability rate, pathological response rate and disease-free and overall survival associated with a PST regimen consisting of the sequential administration of single agents according to the individual tumor response.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical files were reviewed of 102 consecutive patients with breast cancer treated in 2000-2007 with a neoadjuvant sequential regimen of doxorubicin followed by taxane. The number of cycles and the addition of taxane were based on tumor response.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy percent of the patients had inoperable disease at diagnosis and 29% were given preoperative therapy for breast conservation. All patients underwent surgery, 65% achieved breast conservation. An overall pathological complete response (breast and nodes) was achieved in 14% of the patients, and a complete nodal pathologic response in 34%. At a median follow-up of 54 months, the overall survival rate was 82% and the disease-free survival rate was 70%. There was no treatment-related mortality. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 19% of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A neoadjuvant regimen of doxorubicin with or without a sequential taxane, in which the number of cycles and the sequential administration of taxane are determined according to clinical response, appears to be safe and effective for patients with locally advanced breast cancer and yields a high rate of breast conservation. Tailored PST can spare patients receiving unnecessary chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Davidoff Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel. alonaz @ clalit.org.il
authors.forename: Alona
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zer
authors.forename: Shulamit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rizel
authors.forename: Rony
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Braunstein
authors.forename: Rinat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yerushalmi
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hendler
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Neimann
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cioreuru
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sulkes
authors.forename: Salomon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Stemmer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds; D004317:Doxorubicin; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D043823:Taxoids; C080625:taxane; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human