HIGH-DOSE CHEMOTHERAPY IN BREAST-CANCER M ANAGEMENT

Current Status and Limits:/High-dose chemotherapy with autologous haem atopoietic stem cell rescue has become in recent years a widely accept ed therapeutic modality for advanced stage breast cancer in North Amer ica. The emergence of modern supportive measures like peripheral blood stem cell rescue has significantly decreased the toxicity and cost of high-dose chemotherapy. The rationale for use of escalated chemothera py doses in breast cancer is the establishment of a dose-response rela tionship, with higher doses producing increased response rates in prec linical studies as well as in clinical trials.