title: Metronomic oral chemotherapy with old agents in patients with heavily treated metastatic breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed to assess the efficacy of a metronomic regimen with cyclophosphamide and etoposide in heavily treated patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 77 patients with MBC used continuous oral cyclophosphamide 50 mg/day and oral etoposide given as 2 × 50 mg/day for 2 days per week, were analyzed retrospectively from Akdeniz University and Selcuk University. The patients with MBC are predominantly refractory to antracyclines, taxanes, and antimetabolites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients were treated and followed between May 2005 and June 2014. The median progression-free and overall survival (PFS and OS) were 7.03 (5.06-8.99) and 32.5 (22.5-42.4) months, respectively. No prognostic factor was found for OS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Metronomic treatment regimen with cyclophosphamide and etoposide is a novel and effective strategy in heavily pretreated MBC patients. This regimen can be used in early or late steps as independently from prognostic factors. Moreover, it has very low toxicity and is cheap. Impressive survival data and low cost may make this regimen a highly preferable option.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University, School of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mutlu
authors.forename: Fatma Yalçın
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Musri
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Artaç
authors.forename: Ayşegül
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kargi
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Özdogan
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bozcuk
mesh_terms: D059250:Administration, Metronomic; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D019233:Retreatment; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor