Purpose: The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of albumin-bound paclitaxel(nab-paclitaxel) treatment and the required supportive care for severe adverse events.
Methods: A total of 20 patients with advanced or recurrent breast cancer received nab-paclitaxel every 3 weeks between February 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012. The treatment course was repeated for 6 cycles thereafter, until evidence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity was noted.
Results: The median number of treatment cycles was 6.0(range 2-6), the median cumulative dose was 1,560(range 440- 1,560)mg/m / / 2, and the median delivered dose intensity was 82.3(range 65.0-86.7)mg/m2week. Primary chemotherapy was associated with higher response rates than second-line or subsequent chemotherapy(42.9% v 23.1%). The response rate was 26.7% for cases with taxane pretreatment. Adverse events included neutropenia in 15 cases(75%), of Grade 4 severity in 4 cases(20%), and febrile neutropenia after 1 cycle in 1 patient(5%). In addition, Grade 3 peripheral neuropathy was observed in 2 cases(10%)during the treatment period.
Conclusion: Nab-paclitaxel therapy was efficacious as primary chemotherapy and was effective for patients pretreated with taxanes. To prevent severe adverse events, supportive care is important, primarily for febrile neutropenia and neuropathy.