title: Single-agent capecitabine maintenance therapy after response to capecitabine-based combination chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
abstract: We performed an analysis of the efficacy of capecitabine monotherapy as maintenance treatment for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) after response to capecitabine-based chemotherapy [capecitabine plus docetaxel (XT) or vinorelbine (XN)] as a first-line or a second-line treatment. Sixty-four Chinese patients with histologically confirmed MBC received capecitabine maintenance therapy after disease stabilization or maximal response to capecitabine-based combination chemotherapy. Single-agent capecitabine was administered at a dose of 1000 mg/m(2) twice daily for 14 days, followed by a 7-day rest period, every 3 weeks. The median time to progression, the primary endpoint of the study, was 4.4 months (95% confidence interval, 3.4-5.4 months). Fifty-nine patients were evaluable for response. Capecitabine maintenance therapy produced an objective response rate of 5.1% (95% confidence interval, 3.9-6.3%). The incidence of grade 3/4 leukopenia (3.1%) and neutropenia (4.7%) was significantly lower (P<0.001) with capecitabine monotherapy than with combination chemotherapy (46.9 and 54.7%, respectively). Conversely, the incidence of grade 3 hand-foot syndrome was higher with capecitabine maintenance therapy than with combination therapy (14.1 vs. 0%, respectively; P=0.003). Capecitabine monotherapy is an effective maintenance treatment after response to capecitabine-based combination chemotherapy in MBC with a favorable safety profile.
authors: Department of Breast Cancer, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors: Hongyan
authors: H
authors: Huang
authors: Zefei
authors: Z
authors: Jiang
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Wang
authors: Shaohua
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Bian
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Cao
authors: Shikai
authors: S
authors: Wu
authors: Santai
authors: S
authors: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000069287:Capecitabine; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077143:Docetaxel; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D060831:Hand-Foot Syndrome; D006801:Humans; D060046:Maintenance Chemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D000077235:Vinorelbine
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D043823:Taxoids; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000077143:Docetaxel; D014747:Vinblastine; D000069287:Capecitabine; D000077235:Vinorelbine; D005472:Fluorouracil