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| |  DG DISPATCH - BREAST CANCER: Taxol, Taxotere Equally Effective In Metastatic Breast Cancer By Louise Gagnon Special to DG News OTTAWA, ON -- July 28, 1999 -- Taxol and Taxotere are equally effective in treating patients with metastatic breast cancer, show the results of a study presented at the World Conference on Breast Cancer in Ottawa. Dr. Neville Davidson, a consultant in clinical oncology and radiotherapy at North Middlesex Hospital in London, England, presented the results of a study comparing taxoid chemotherapies, namely Taxol (paclitaxel) and Taxotere (docetaxel). Endpoints of the study included survival from treatment, progress-free duration and direct drug cost. A total of 242 cycles of Taxol were administered to 36 patients with metastatic breast cancer and multiple disease sites between September 1993 and November 1998. The median age was 50. The majority of patients (72 percent) were either peri- or post-menopausal, with the remaining number being pre-menopausal. The median dose of Taxol administered was 339 mgs. Prior to entering the study, 94 percent of patients had been treated with chemotherapy, 78 percent had hormone therapy, 72 percent had radiotherapy and 67 percent had surgery. A total of 27 patients experienced either a partial or complete response to Taxol, leading to a 75 percent response rate. Median survival in the group was 18 months and median progression-free survival was eight months. Adverse events included neutropenia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. The non-hematological side effects included alopecia, nausea and vomiting, and peripheral nervous system toxicity. Currently, 12 patients in the paclitaxel arm of the study are alive, surviving between five and 68 months. In the Taxotere arm of the study, the drug was administered in 81 cycles to 16 patients with metastatic breast cancer between June 1994 and October 1998. The median age of patients was 45.5. Slightly more than half (56 percent) were pre-menopausal and the remaining were peri- or post-menopausal. The patients had been treated previously with chemotherapy (75 percent), hormone therapy (69 percent), radiotherapy (62.5 percent), and surgery (87.5 percent). A response rate to Taxotere of 62 percent was observed, with 10 of the 16 patients experiencing either a complete or partial response. Median survival was 13 months, with the range being three to 43 months. Median progression-free survival was six months. The main hematological side effect associated with Taxotere was neutropenia. The main non-hematological toxicity included alopecia, peripheral nervous system toxicity, fatigue, and nausea and vomiting. The median dose administered to patients was 157 mgs. A total of 10 patients in this group are currently alive, with patients surviving anywhere from 13 to 46 months.
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