Comparison of anthracycline-containing and anthracycline-free regimens in neoadjuvant HER-2 positive breast cancer treatment

Sci Rep. 2024 May 9;14(1):10632. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-61562-w.

Abstract

While some clinics have adopted abbreviated neoadjuvant treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer, there remains a shortage of comprehensive clinical data to support this practice. This is a retrospective, multicenter study. A total of 142 patients were included in the study who are HER2-positive breast cancer, aged ≤ 65 years, with left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 50%, received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent surgery at 10 different oncology centers in Türkiye between October 2016 and December 2022. The treatment arms were divided into 4-6 cycles of docetaxel/trastuzumab/pertuzumab for arm A, 4 cycles of adriamycin/cyclophosphamide followed by 4 cycles of taxane/TP for arm B. There were 50 patients (35.2%) in arm A and 92 patients (64.8%) in arm B. The median follow-up of all of the patients was 19.9 months (95% CI 17.5-22.3). The 3-year DFS rates for treatment arms A and B were 90.0% and 83.8%, respectively, and the survival outcomes between the groups were similar (p = 0.34). Furthermore, the pathologic complete response rates were similar in both treatment arms, at 50.0% and 51.1%, respectively (p = 0.90). This study supports shortened neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, a common practice in some clinics.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anthracyclines* / administration & dosage
  • Anthracyclines* / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols* / therapeutic use
  • Breast Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms* / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms* / mortality
  • Breast Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Bridged-Ring Compounds / administration & dosage
  • Bridged-Ring Compounds / therapeutic use
  • Cyclophosphamide / administration & dosage
  • Cyclophosphamide / therapeutic use
  • Docetaxel / administration & dosage
  • Docetaxel / therapeutic use
  • Doxorubicin / administration & dosage
  • Doxorubicin / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy* / methods
  • Receptor, ErbB-2* / metabolism
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Taxoids / administration & dosage
  • Taxoids / therapeutic use
  • Trastuzumab* / therapeutic use
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • Anthracyclines
  • ERBB2 protein, human
  • Trastuzumab
  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Docetaxel
  • Taxoids
  • Doxorubicin
  • pertuzumab
  • Bridged-Ring Compounds
  • taxane
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized

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