5-Fluorouracil, Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide (FEC Combination) in Advanced Breast Cancer

Abstract

Thirty patients with advanced breast cancer, not pretreated with chemotherapy for advanced disease, received a polychemotherapy regimen containing 5-fluorouracil (500 mg/m2 iv), epirubicin (50 mg/m2 iv) and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2 iv) every four weeks. All patients were evaluable for response and for toxicity. No complete remissions were observed, while 13 patients (43.5%) achieved a partial remission for a median duration of 46 weeks. The main side-effects were alopecia (grade 2-3 in 57%), leukopenia (grade 3-4 in 33%) and nausea/vomiting (grade 3-4 in 27%). In three cases we observed laboratory signs of cardiotoxicity without clinical symptoms.

Fluorouracil, Epirubicin, and Cyclophosphamide (FEC) for Breast Cancer

“…The FEC regimen was studied as adjuvant therapy of localized disease 5–13 and treatment for advanced and metastatic breast cancer. 2-4,14-22 The FEC regimen is currently recommended as a preferred regimen for neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy of localized disease as well as therapy of advanced or metastatic breast cancer. 23 Some studies reported that increasing the epirubicin dose to 100 mg/m 2 resulted in better disease-free and overall survival.…”