DOCETAXEL IS A POTENT CYTOTOXIC DRUG IN THE TREATMENT OF ADVANCED BREAST-CANCER

Docetaxel (Taxotere(R)) belongs to a new class of antineoplastic agent s, the taxanes, As the structurally related compound, paclitaxel, it e nhances microtubule assembly and inhibits depolymerization of tubulin, thereby disrupting mitosis and cell replication. From august 1994 til l december 1995, we treated thirty patients with advanced or metastati c breast cancer in a protocol aiming at evaluating the efficacy of doc etaxel, administered in second, third or fourth line chemotherapy, The drug was given at a dosage of 100 mg/m(2), delivered as a 1-hour infu sion once every 3 weeks. Among the 30 patients, 9 (30%) showed an obje ctive response (PR) and 15 (50%) had disease stabilization. For those 2 groups, the median time to progression was 20 weeks (range 13-61) an d 13.5 weeks (range 10-37) respectively; the median survival for the w hole group was 22.5 weeks (range 1-72). Myelosuppression (neutropenia) was the dose-limiting toxicity. We conclude that docetaxel is a poten t single agent in heavily pretreated locally advanced or metastatic br east cancer, even in those who are resistant to an anthracycline or an anthracenedione.