Long-term results of personalized treatment in 72 breast cancer patients who failed chemotherapy.
- Author:
Dong NIE
1
;
Qing-shan YOU
2
;
Jing-wei LUAN
1
;
Yang LI
1
;
Xiang-lan LI
1
;
Ru-tao GUO
1
;
Li-ping ZHANG
1
;
Jing WU
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH: Adult; Aged; Aromatase Inhibitors; therapeutic use; Bone Density Conservation Agents; therapeutic use; Bone Neoplasms; drug therapy; secondary; Brain Neoplasms; drug therapy; secondary; Breast Neoplasms; drug therapy; pathology; radiotherapy; surgery; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast; drug therapy; pathology; radiotherapy; secondary; surgery; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Diphosphonates; therapeutic use; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; therapeutic use; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Imidazoles; therapeutic use; Lung Neoplasms; drug therapy; secondary; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Nitriles; therapeutic use; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; Radiotherapy, Conformal; methods; Remission Induction; Retrospective Studies; Survival Rate; Treatment Failure; Triazoles; therapeutic use
- From: Chinese Journal of Oncology 2013;35(12):941-945
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and prognostic factors of personalized treatment for breast cancer patients who failed chemotherapy.
METHODSSeventy-two patients with breast cancer who failed chemotherapy were treated at the Tumor Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2001 to January 2012. Among them, 42 cases received 5.6 cycles (range, 4-8 cycles) of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, and 30 cases received 12.2 cycles (range, 6-22 cycles), both postoperative adjuvant and salvage chemotherapy. All of the 72 patients of stage IV were given personalized treatment. Under guidance of the principle that multidisciplinary treatment improves control rate but does not or less damage the normal tissues and host immune function, precise radiotherapy combined with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), biological agent and others were chosen for the patients.
RESULTSThe median survival time was 20 months. Univariate analysis showed that non-invasive ductal carcinoma, less metastasized organs, without brain, liver and lung metastasis, Karnofsky performance scores ≥ 80, not combined with chemotherapy, and multiple courses of Chinese herbal medicine and biolojical agent treatment had significant impact on survival (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that no brain metastasis, non-invasive ductal carcinoma, and Chinese herbal medicine and biological agent treatment ≥ 7 courses and not combined with chemotherapy had obvious significance (P < 0.05). The rate of grade 3 and 4 treatment-related hematological toxicity was 8.3% (6/72) and 5.6% (4/72), respectively. All the patients with grade 4 hematological toxicity were the cases of grade 3 at hospital admission. No grade 3 and 4 acute radiation damages of the lung and liver were noticed.
CONCLUSIONChinese herbal medicine combined with biological agents and others prolongs survival time in breast cancer patients who failed chemotherapy, and provides an alternative treatment modality for them.