Pemetrexed in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who had received previous anthracycline and taxane treatment: Phase II study Journal Article


Authors: Llombart-Cussac, A.; Theodoulou, M.; Rowland, K.; Clark, R. S.; Nakamura, T.; Carrasco, E.; Cruciani, G.
Article Title: Pemetrexed in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who had received previous anthracycline and taxane treatment: Phase II study
Abstract: Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed in pretreated patients with advanced-stage breast cancer. Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced-stage or metastatic breast cancer, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2, and progressive or relapsed disease after treatment with regimens containing anthracyclines and taxanes were eligible. Pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 was administered as a 10-minute intravenous infusion on day 1 every 21 days. Results: Seventy-nine women were enrolled. After protocol amendment, 43 patients received folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation to control pemetrexed-related toxicity. A median of 4 cycles (range, 1-23 cycles) was administered. Overall response rate was 9% (95% confidence interval, 3.7%-17.6%), median duration of response was 5.5 months, median progression-free survival was 3.1 months, and median survival was 10.5 months. Major grade 3/4 toxicities were lymphopenia (53.3%), neutropenia (36.4%), leukopenia (26.9%), and anemia (7.7%). In general, the toxicities were less frequent in patients who received vitamin supplementation than in those who did not receive vitamin supplementation. Conclusion: The response to pemetrexed salvage treatment was low in this study of heavily pretreated patients with breast cancer. Pemetrexed was generally well tolerated in patients with previously treated breast cancer. Vitamin supplementation appeared to ameliorate toxicity.
Keywords: adult; cancer survival; aged; middle aged; major clinical study; clinical trial; drug tolerability; neutropenia; cancer localization; salvage therapy; fluorouracil; advanced cancer; cancer growth; drug dose reduction; drug efficacy; drug safety; drug withdrawal; side effect; skin toxicity; antineoplastic agents; bone metastasis; capecitabine; methotrexate; lymph node metastasis; neoplasm staging; liver toxicity; multiple cycle treatment; phase 2 clinical trial; breast cancer; anemia; bone marrow suppression; blood toxicity; leukopenia; mucosa inflammation; thrombocytopenia; estrogen; dexamethasone; breast neoplasms; lymphocytopenia; confidence interval; drug fatality; liver metastasis; lung metastasis; guanine; multicenter study; drug response; neoplasm metastasis; nausea and vomiting; vitamin supplementation; cancer relapse; pleura effusion; taxoids; folic acid; metastasis potential; taxane derivative; intestine obstruction; anthracycline derivative; motor dysfunction; erythrocyte transfusion; anthracyclines; glutamates; brain ischemia; alopecia; neurologic disease; pemetrexed; vitamin b complex; thrombocyte transfusion; cyanocobalamin; vitamin b 12; premedication; salvage treatment; progressive disease; progesterone; bridged compounds; multitargeted antifolate; anthraquinone
Journal Title: Clinical Breast Cancer
Volume: 7
Issue: 5
ISSN: 1526-8209
Publisher: Elsevier Inc.  
Date Published: 2006-12-01
Start Page: 380
End Page: 385
Language: English
DOI: 10.3816/CBC.2006.n.054
PUBMED: 17239262
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: --- - "Cited By (since 1996): 11" - "Export Date: 4 June 2012" - "CODEN: CBCLB" - "Source: Scopus"
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