Levo folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil plus high dose epidoxorubicin as first line treatment for metastatic breast carcinoma.

Twenty-two women affected by metastatic breast carcinoma have been treated with a combination of levo folinic acid 100 mg/m2 plus 5-fluorouracil 450 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1-2, and epidoxorubicin 75-90 mg/m2 on day 2. This treatment cycle was repeated every 21-28 days. No patients had previously received chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Fourteen patients (64%) showed a major objective response with 3 complete (14%) and 11 partial responses (50%). Three patients showed a stabilization of disease and 5 (23%) progressed. All patients received ondansetron as antiemetic treatment which led to complete protection from vomiting in 68% of cases. Grade 1-2 diarrhea was recorded in 27% of the patients. Ten patients received recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) as leukopenia-preventive treatment. In this group of patients the interval between chemotherapeutic cycles was shorter than in the group of 12 patients who did not receive rhG-CSF.