Docetaxel followed by fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with primary breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This multicenter, open-label, single-arm, Phase II study assessed the efficacy of a neoadjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel (75 mg/m(2) q3w) followed by 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m(2), epirubicin 100 mg/m(2) and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m(2) q3w in patients with early-stage breast cancer.

METHODS: Women with resectable breast cancer (T1c-3 N0 M0 or T1-3 N1 M0) were enrolled. Before surgery, patients received four cycles of docetaxel followed by four cycles of 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide. The primary endpoint was the pathological complete response (pCR) rate defined for the breast alone, assessed by a central review committee. Secondary endpoints included clinical response and safety.

RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-seven patients were enrolled. Of the 132 patients assessable for pathologic response, 23% (95% confidence interval, 16-31%) experienced a pathological complete response and 6% (95% confidence interval, 3-12%) had a near pathological complete response (few remaining cancer cells), resulting in a quasi-pathological complete response of 29% (95% confidence interval, 21-37%). Clinical response rate following the initial docetaxel regimen was 64%. The overall clinical response rate after completion of 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide was 79%; breast-conserving surgery was performed in 79% of patients. More patients with triple-negative disease (estrogen/progesterone receptors negative; human epidermal growth factor 2 negative) experienced a pathological complete response [14/29, (48%); 95% confidence interval, 29-68%] versus those with other molecular subtypes. The safety profile was acceptable.

CONCLUSIONS: Eight cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy-docetaxel followed by 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide-are tolerable and conferred high rates of pathological complete response and breast-conserving surgery. Patients with triple-negative disease were more likely to achieve pathological complete response versus other subtypes, suggesting that selecting appropriate neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on molecular subtype could be possible.