ROME, Italy—The combination of paclitaxel(Drug information on paclitaxel) (Taxol), fluorouracil(Drug information on fluorouracil) (5-FU), and leucovorin, with G-CSF support, in pretreated patients with advanced breast cancer had a good toxicity profile and an encouraging response rate in a study from the Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome.
In the poster presentation, Dr. E. Terzoli described 16 heavily pretreated advanced breast cancer patients who received paclitaxel, 135 to 175 mg/m²on day 1 and fluorouracil, 350 to 375 mg/m², plus leucovorin, 10 to 100 mg/m², on days 1 to 3. The cycle was repeated every three weeks with G-CSF added to prevent neutropenia.
The combination therapy was delivered as first-line metastatic treatment in three patients, second-line in five patients, and third-line or higher in eight patients. All patients had received previous anthracyclines, and eight had taken hormones.
Five of 10 evaluable patients had a partial response, and in four of these patients, the treatment represented third-line chemotherapy. Overall, the combination was well tolerated.
