title: Taxane-based regimens as adjuvant treatment for breast cancer: a retrospective study in egyptian cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the impact of adding taxanes to anthracycline-based regimens in the adjuvant setting in localized young female breast cancer patients on the overall survival (OS) and the disease free survival (DFS).
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study included all female breast cancer patients who were candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy presenting to Kasr Al Ainy centre of clinical oncology and Cairo oncology centre (Cairo Cure) in the period from January 2005 till December 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study included 865 patients, 732 of whom received anthracycline based regimens and 133 taxane based regimens. The mean age of patients was 39 years. After a median follow up of 50 months the median DFS was 48.4 months. Survival analysis indicated that the tumor size (>5cm vs. <5cm) p=0.001), nodal involvement (Yes vs. No) p=0.0001) and pathology (invasive lobular vs. ductal) p=0.048) affected DFS. As regards hormonal status, ER, PR and HER 2neu positive patients had longer DFS (p=0.001, 0.003, 0.106). On multivariate analysis DFS was affected by tumor size and lymph node involvement (p=0.014, 0.007). Subgroup analysis showed improvement in arms treated with taxanes in terms of DFS with positive Her2neu, ER and PR, but this was not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adding adjuvant taxanes to anthracyclines is beneficial for treatment of localized breast cancer among all subgroups, especially higher risk groups .The type of adjuvant chemotherapy regimens and tumor characteristics have direct effects on DFS.
authors: Clinical Oncology Department, Kasr Al-Ainy Center of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt E-mail : dr.noha11@hotmail.com.
authors: Hamdy Abdel
authors: HA
authors: Azim
authors: Yasser Salah El Din
authors: YS
authors: Abdal-Kader
authors: Mohamed Mahmoud
authors: MM
authors: Mousa
authors: Raafat Abdel
authors: RA
authors: Malek
authors: Michael Kheir
authors: MK
authors: Abdalmassih
authors: Noha Yehia
authors: NY
authors: Ibrahim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D000077143:Docetaxel; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D043823:Taxoids; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human