title: Salvage chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in metastatic breast cancer. Particular activity against liver metastases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prognosis of patients with metastatic breast cancer who have failed to respond to at least two different chemotherapy regimens is poor. Such patients with metastatic disease to the liver have even worse prognosis. Cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) can be given in patients with impaired hepatic function but their combination has not been extensively studied in this setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively collected data from our registry on patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer who received combination of cisplatin/5-FU. We sought to determine the toxicity, the response rate, the disease control rate and the survival of this combination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 25 heavily pre-treated patients, out of which 19 (76%) had liver metastases. They had been treated before with a median of three lines of cytotoxic chemotherapy. The majority of patients had also received hormonal manipulation or trastuzumab. The median number of cisplatin/5-FU administered cycles, without toxic deaths or unexpected toxicities was four. The partial response (PR) rate was 32% and the disease control rate (DCR) was 68%. The time to progression was five months and the median survival after starting on cisplatin/5-FU was six months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of cisplatin/5-FU is active and safe in heavily pre-treated patients with metastatic breast cancer even in the presence of liver metastases and jaundice.
authors.affiliation: Agios Savvas Cancer Hospital, Second Medical Oncology Department, 171 Alexandras Ave, 11522, Athens, Greece. ljleka2@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lazaros
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lekakis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tryfonopoulos
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pistamatzian
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Panopoulos
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koumakis
authors.forename: Stamatina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demiri
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Efremidis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy
chemical_list: D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil