THE CASE FOR HIGH-DOSE ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN BREAST-CANCER .2. CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE

Recent Phase II studies on the use of myelo-ablative chemotherapy in b reast cancer have confirmed that this approach is associated with low mortality and apparent efficacy. In a preceding article the theoretica l arguments were presented for testing this approach in the high-risk adjuvant setting; in the current article the clinical data justifying the present approaches for this type of treatment are reviewed. The ev idence suggests that peripheral blood stem cell supported myelo-ablati ve chemotherapy should be tested against conventional regimens in orde r to determine whether or not the increased expense and toxicity of su ch an approach is associated with improved survival for women whose ax illary node status places them at high risk of disease relapse and sub sequent death.