Weekly docetaxel in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most frequent tumor among women worldwide and is the second cause of cancer-related mortality in the US. Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) accounts for less than 10% of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and about 30% of early breast cancer patients will develop recurrent, advanced, or metastatic disease. It remains an incurable illness and the primary goal of its management is palliative. Several agents are active for the fi rst-line treatment of MBC. The taxanes, paclitaxel and docetaxel, represent the standard of care for the treatment of these patients. Among the various schedules, docetaxel can be administered weekly, achieving similar effi cacy results with lower toxicity compared with conventional schedules. Weekly docetaxel (25-40 mg/m 2 ) has been widely tested in several phase I and II studies both as a single agent and in multichemotherapy regimens, reaching overall response rates ranging from 26% and 86% or 20% and 73% with docetaxel alone or in combination, respectively, depending on doses, associations, and line of treatment. Overall, published data support the administration of weekly docetaxel for the treatment of MBC patients even if data from phase III randomized trials are still lacking.

Phase I trial of weekly docetaxel, weekly doxorubicin, daily oral cyclophosphamide, and G-CSF (ConTAC Regimen)in advanced malignancies

“…It is therefore reasonable that future trials with ConTAC regimen consider treatment with 6 weeks in the neo-adjuvant or adjuvant settings. If the therapy is to be given for longer, than a schedule consisting of 6 weeks of treatment followed by a 2 week break could be studied based on phase I and II trials with weekly docetaxel [16]. Our study suggested that ConTAC regimen may be effective against breast neoplasms.…”

Impeding Circulating Tumor Cell Reseeding Decelerates Metastatic Progression and Potentiates Chemotherapy

“…in combination with the cytotoxic drug Docetaxel (2mg/Kg, i.p.,b.i.w. ), which is standard of care for metastatic breast cancer (37). Animals were monitored by in vivo imaging and both compounds showed dramatic reduction in overall tumor burden, starting from the 5 th week of treatment ( Fig.5C ), indicating that interfering with CX3CR1 functioning compares with the effects exerted by a widely used chemotherapeutic drug.…”

Navelbine and Capecitabine (NavCap) versus NavCap Followed by Weekly Docetaxel as First-Line Treatment for Patients with HER-2 Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer

“…Anthracylines and taxanes are among the most effective agents as first line in MBC. However, they are used frequently in the adjuvant setting and many patients who develop MBC would have received these agents as adjuvants 5 .…”

“…Nowadays anthracycline are frequently included in the adjuvant management of breast cancer. As a result, many of the patients who present with recurrent breast cancer have already received anthracyclines 5 . The palliative intent of systemic chemotherapy in MBC patients should be respected when choosing a strategy for its administration.…”