High-dose chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment for high-risk primary breast cancer patients. Oncology / ESMO

摘要

In a study recently published in Annals of Oncology, Coombes et al. reported the results of a prospective randomized trial comparing a short course of anthracycline-containing chemotherapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell support (HDCT) versus a conventional-dose anthracycline-containing chemotherapy (CDCT) as adjuvant treatment in breast cancer patients with four or more positive axillary lymph nodes. In their experience the authors did not observe any significant differences between HDCT and CDCT on disease-free and overall survival (OS) and they concluded that 'patients should continue to receive conventional chemotherapy as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer'. However, this study does not seem to provide any clear information for the long-lasting controversy [2-5] on the role of HDCT in high-risk primary breast cancer (HRBC).