Taxotere ®/Carboplatin
Effective for Anthracycline-Resistant Advanced Breast Cancer
According to a recent article published in Oncology, the chemotherapy
combination consisting of Taxotere ® (docetaxel) and Paraplatin ®
(carboplatin) appears promising for the treatment of anthracycline-resistant
metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer refers to breast cancer that has
spread to distant sites in the body, often invading vital
organs such as the liver, lungs and/or bones. Often, these
patients are treated with an anthracycline-based chemotherapy
regimen. Anthracyclines are a class of chemotherapy agents
that are highly active in breast cancer and include doxorubicin
(Adriamycin ®) and epirubicin (Ellence ®). However,
some patients do not respond to initial therapy with anthracyclines
or stop responding to anthracyclines following repeated cycles.
Patients resistant to anthracyclines have options including
several chemotherapy agents that provide anti-cancer responses
and researchers are comparing different therapies to determine
optimal regimens.
Researchers from Greece recently conducted a clinical trial
to evaluate the chemotherapy combination of Taxotere(R) and
Paraplatin(R) (carboplatin) as treatment for metastatic breast
cancer. Taxotere(R) is a chemotherapy agent that has demonstrated
significant anti-cancer activity in a variety of cancers,
including breast cancer. This trial included 36 women who
had either stopped responding to previous therapy with an
anthracycline or had not responded to initial therapy containing
an anthracycline. Patients received Taxotere(R)/Paraplatin(R)
every 3 weeks on an outpatient basis. Anti-cancer responses
were achieved in 61% of patients. Of the 18 patients who had
cancer progression or disease stabilization only following
initial therapy, 44% achieved a reduction in their cancer
following treatment with Taxotere(R)/Paraplatin(R). The average
time to cancer progression was 10 months. At one year, survival
was 66%. The most common side effect was neutropenia (low
white cell blood levels) which occurred in 45% of patients.
The researchers concluded that Taxotere ®/Paraplatin ®
is an active regimen in patients with metastatic breast cancer
who are resistant to anthracycline-based therapy. Furthermore,
patients can receive this regimen on an outpatient basis.
Patients with anthracycline-resistant advanced breast cancer
may wish to speak with their physician about the risks and
benefits of Taxotere ®/Paraplatin ® or the participation
in a clinical trial evaluating other therapeutic options.
Two sources of information regarding ongoing clinical trials
include the National Cancer Institute ( cancer.gov) and www.eCancerTrials.com.
eCancerTrials.com also provides personalized clinical trial
searches on behalf of patients.
Reference: Mavroudis D, Alexopoulos A, Malamos N, et al.
Salvage treatment of metastatic breast cancer with docetaxel
and carboplatina multicenter phase II trial. Oncology. International
Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment. 2003;63:207-212.
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