SAN ANTONIO--Use of docetaxel(Drug information on docetaxel) (Taxotere) as palliative treatment of advanced breast cancer produced durable responses in almost 70% of patients, including three fourths of those with liver metastases, French researchers said at a poster session of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
In another poster presentation, investigators from San Antonio reported a 57% response rate in patients with advanced breast cancer that had proven resistant to treatment with doxorubicin(Drug information on doxorubicin) or mitoxantrone(Drug information on mitoxantrone) (Novantrone).
Bernard Chevallier, MD, described a study in which a 100 mg/m² docetaxel dose every 3 weeks led to significant responses in 21 (68%) of 31 advanced breast cancer patients, including 12 of 16 with liver metastases. The response rate for liver metastases is the highest yet reported for such an application of monotherapy, said Dr. Chevallier, medical oncologist, Centre Henri Becquerel, Rouen, France.
Breast cancer patients with liver metastases generally have a poor prognosis with currently available chemotherapeutic regimens, Dr. Chevallier noted. In preliminary clinical evaluations, docetaxel has shown antitumor activity against liver and lung metastases in heavily pretreated breast cancer patients, he said.
Of the 31 patients in the study, 11 had previously received chemotherapy, and 10 of the 11 had been treated with an anthracycline. Patients received a median of five cycles of docetaxel therapy. The median cumulative dose was 489 mg, and median dose intensity was 97%.
Median Survival of 23 Months
Overall, 16 patients had partial responses, and five had complete responses. Among previously treated patients, five of 11 had partial responses, and two had complete responses. The median duration of response was 44 weeks, and median survival was 23 months.
