Abstract

PURPOSE:

To determine the influence of the epirubicin dose in operable node-positive breast cancer patients with factors of poor prognosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Between April 1990 and July 1993, 565 operable breast cancer patients with either more than three positive nodes or between one and three positive nodes with Scarff Bloom Richardson grade > or = 2 and hormone receptor negativity were randomized after surgery to receive either fluorouracil 500 mg/m(2), epirubicin 50 mg/m(2), and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m(2) every 21 days for six cycles (FEC 50) or the same regimen except with epirubicin dose of 100 mg/m(2) (FEC 100). Postmenopausal patients received tamoxifen 30 mg/d for 3 years at the beginning of chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was delivered at the end of chemotherapy in both groups.

RESULTS:

The median follow-up was 67 months. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 54.8% with FEC 50 and 66.3% with FEC 100 (P =.03). The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 65.3% and 77.4%, respectively (P =.007). The mean relative dose-intensity was similar in the two groups (90.3% and 86.1%, respectively). Neutropenia and anemia were significantly more frequent in FEC 100 (P < 10(-3)), as were nausea-vomiting (P =.008) and stomatitis and alopecia (P < 10(-3)). Nine cases of grade 3 infection occurred only with FEC 100, and no toxic deaths occurred. Three cases of acute cardiac toxicity were observed (FEC50 = 1, FEC100 = 2) and 10 patients (FEC50 = 6, FEC100 = 4) presented delayed cardiac dysfunctions. Two cases of secondary leukemia were observed (acute lymphatic leukemia with FEC 50 and acute myelogenous leukemia with FEC 100).

CONCLUSION:

After 5 years of follow-up, the increased epirubicin dose led to a significant benefit in terms of DFS and OS, with a high survival rate among patients with poor-prognosis breast cancer.