Adjuvant high-dose chemotherapy with epirubicin and ifosfamide in nodal positive breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION

Morbidity and mortality, disease-free- and overall survival were analysed in an adjuvant high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) study with ifosfamide and epirubicin for high-risk (> or = 10 positive lymph nodes) breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 21 patients (pts) were treated with 4 cycles of ViEC (vindesine, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide) as standard chemotherapy. After the second cycle, CD34+ stem cells were mobilised with G-CSF. HDCT consisted of epirubicin 100 mg/m2 on days (-5)-(-4) before stem-cell rescue and ifosfamide 5000 mg/m2 on days (-5)-(-2).

RESULTS

No therapy-related deaths occurred. Mucositis WHO grade III/IV in 52% and neutropenic fever in 81% were the most relevant toxicities. Nausea and vomiting WHO grades III/IV were found in 62.2%. The median duration of leucopenia grade IV was 7 days (range: 4-11) with a median time to platelet recovery > 50,000/microliter of 6 days (range: 4-11). After a median follow-up time of 21 months (range: 12-49 months), six of 21 pts (28.6%) relapsed. Two patients died 12 and 18 months after initial diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant HDCT with epirubicin and ifosfamide is safe and shows good tolerability for high-risk breast cancer.