Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of a combination of vinorelbine and epirubicin (NE) with fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide (FEC) as a postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Methods: Breast cancer patients were treated postoperatively in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Research Institute from 1997 to 2006 with either the NE regimen (vinorelbine 40 mg/m2 iv on day 1 and day 8, epirubicin 50 mg/m2 iv on day 1 and day 2, and a cycle repeated every 21-28 days for totally 4-6 cycles) or the FEC regimen (5-Fu 500 mg/m2 iv gtt on day 1, epirubicin 50 mg/m2 iv on day 1 and day 2, CTX 500 mg/m2 iv on day 1 and a cycle repeated every 21-28 days for totally 4-6 cycles). Toxicity was evaluated after each cycle of chemotherapy.
Results: Main side effects in both NE and FEC groups were neutropenia and gastrointestinal syndrome, with a 5 year survival rate of 87.9% in the NE and 85.2% in the FEC group.
Conclusions: NE regimen is safe with good long-term survival rate, and thus could be recommended as a postoperative chemotherapy regimen for breast cancer.