High-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in breast cancer management

Chemotherapeutic agents have been shown experimentally to have a dose-respo nse relationship in drug-sensitive cancer. This suggests that high-dose che motherapy (HDC) might improve the therapeutic outcome in breast cancer. The emergence of modern supportive measures like peripheral blood stem cell re scue has significantly decreased the toxicity and cost of HDC. HDC is being employed for patients with metastatic and high-risk breast cancer (> 10 in volved axillary lymph nodes). Randomized phase In trials are urgently neede d. At the moment patients with breast cancer should only be treated with HD C in context with a clinical trial.