Background: This study assesses the efficacy of epirubicin and docetaxel as neoadjuvant therapy for women with breast cancer.
Patients and methods: This is a single institution, single arm, phase II study of epirubicin given at 75 mg/m(2) and docetaxel at 75 mg/m(2) every three weeks for four cycles prior to surgical excision in women with large breast cancers. Pegfilgrastim was routinely administered as primary prophylaxis against febrile neutropenia.
Results: Out of the 18 patients enrolled on the study, 12 (66.7%) had a clinical response and 13 (72.2%) had a pathologic response, with a pathologic complete response of 5.6%. Pre-menopausal women and patients with estrogen receptor positive tumors had a higher response rate. One patient died due to sepsis and febrile neutropenia.
Conclusion: Combination chemotherapy with epirubicin and docetaxel is highly active against breast cancer. With close monitoring for toxicity, this combination can be safely administered with mild side-effects.