Association of oral mucositis induced by anthracycline-cyclophosphamide and subsequent docetaxel treatment for perioperative breast cancer.

PURPOSE

Anthracycline-cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel-containing chemotherapy is effective for perioperative breast cancer treatment. However, these treatments frequently induce oral mucositis (OM), with an incidence ranging from 20 to 50%. The association of OM development between different chemotherapeutic treatments remains unclear. Consequently, this study aimed to compare OM development during docetaxel-containing chemotherapy between patients with and without OM experience during previous anthracycline-cyclophosphamide treatments to assess the association between OM development and treatment regimens.

METHODS

Seventy-two patients with breast cancer receiving anthracycline-cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel-containing chemotherapy as a perioperative treatment were categorized into the control (no prior OM experience with anthracycline-cyclophosphamide) and OM-experience (OM development during previous treatment) groups and retrospectively evaluated. The primary endpoint was the incidence of all-grade OM in the first docetaxel-containing chemotherapy cycle. Additionally, the incidences of OM and dysgeusia during all treatment cycles and factors associated with the incidence of OM were evaluated.

RESULTS

The incidence of all-grade OM in the first cycle was significantly higher in the OM-experience group (54.2%) than in the control group (10.4%; P < 0.0001). Furthermore, its incidence in all treatment cycles was higher in the OM-experience group (66.7%) than in the control group (12.5%, P < 0.0001). However, the incidence of dysgeusia did not differ between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed OM experience during previous anthracycline-cyclophosphamide treatment and concomitant pertuzumab use as independent risk factors for OM development in subsequent docetaxel-containing chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that patients experiencing OM with anthracycline-cyclophosphamide during perioperative breast cancer treatment exhibit symptoms following subsequent docetaxel-containing chemotherapy.